After pressing Alt + F1 how do I open PiPlay menu again

Darksheep

HI I have pressed Alt + F1 how do I open the PiPlay menu again ? Sorry for the noob question .

mholgatem

python ~/pimame/pimame-menu/launchmenu.py

mikro

typing "exit"

mholgatem

Alt + [F1 -> F6] are like alternate pages in command prompt, you can work your way through them and find your piplay menu again. Typing 'exit' is my preferred way, but if you use it when in a command prompt 'shell' it will just close the shell, rather than reload your profile.

Darksheep

Thanks will give it a try

Chad

@mholgatem - Can you explain a little more between Alt + [F1 -> F6] vs exit. I don't quite understand the difference. I seem to run into the same issue though hitting ESC or other buttons and ending up back at a prompt often.

Is there any chance the PiPlay menu command could be an alias called 'piplay' so it's quick and easy to restart. I know it could be added easy enough but since it's built around PiPlay it would definitely be handy to just be part of the package.

mholgatem

Think of Alt + F[1-6] as tabs in your web browser. Each one is independent of the others and saves its place while work on other 'tabs' is being done. typing 'exit' is the way to quit the shell (if you are in desktop, the shell closes; if you are actually in the command prompt, it's basically a restart of the command prompt) Personally, I find 'exit' to be the easiest way to do this.

If you really want to create a custom command to run piplay, type the following in command prompt :

sudo nano /usr/bin/piplay

Then, in the new file, type:

#!/bin/bash
python ~/pimame/pimame-menu/launchmenu.py

save and exit, then type:

sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/piplay

now simply typing 'piplay' anywhere at the command prompt should restart piplay.

Chad

So F1 - F6 is there something that loads in each one by default when booting up? For example is the "Windows" (sorry I don't know the name...X) pre-loaded using resources?

I am guessing PiPlay is optimized to center it's resource usage around, well, itself...PiPlay and everything else is not being loaded? :)

I'm being a bit thick here so bare with me. If you keep launching the menu does it start a new instance each time using more resources or does it revert back to one running instance if that makes sense?

I plan to make that shortcut for sure. Thank you for that information.

mholgatem

if you are in X and you have several windows open running piplay, it will takes lots of resources. But, I believe that if you are using f1-f6 'tabs' (or whatever you want to call them) it halts the processes running until you get back to them. I'm not 100% sure on that, but with a bit of googling I'm sure you can find out.

Chad

Ok I appreciate the information. That's exactly what I was trying to figure out. What is the optimal way to switch or restart the interface without using more resources to do so.

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