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Date:      Wed, 12 Nov 2003 15:10:29 +0000
From:      Matthew Seaman <m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk>
To:        Malcolm Kay <malcolm.kay@internode.on.net>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Programmatic control of screen-saver
Message-ID:  <20031112151029.GB22738@happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk>
In-Reply-To: <200311122333.07674.malcolm.kay@internode.on.net>
References:  <200311122333.07674.malcolm.kay@internode.on.net>

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On Wed, Nov 12, 2003 at 11:33:07PM +1030, Malcolm Kay wrote:
> I have a machine controlling a tester. Tester control and display is via =
a=20
> virtual console terminal. (X is not installed on the machine)
>=20
> I need to blank the screen (screen saver style) when there is no terminal
> activity for some time -- much the same as as normal screen-saver=20
> operation except that screen output as well as keyboard input should
> inhibit the screen-saver taking over or cause the normal terminal display
> to be restored if the saver is already in effect.
>=20
> I would hope that there might be some ioctl call to the terminal which=20
> could be used from within the tester control software to wake up the=20
> terminal or prevent the screen saver taking over until a further timeout
> has elapsed. I've not been able to find such an ioctl call parameter.
>=20
>=20
> Does anyone have any ideas or a solution please?

See vidcontrol(1):

    # vidcontrol -t 30

sets the console screensaver timeout to 30s, and

    # vidcontrol -t off

turns off the console screensaver.  This does indeed operate using the
CONS_BLANKTIME ioctl -- see the code in the set_screensaver_timeout()
function in /usr/src/usr.sbin/vidcontrol/vidcontrol.c and the
<sys/consio.h> header file.

I think that ioctl should do what you want, although I'm not sure that
setting the blanking time to zero would actually cancel a running
screen saver.

	Cheers,

	Matthew

--=20
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.                       26 The Paddocks
                                                      Savill Way
PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey         Marlow
Tel: +44 1628 476614                                  Bucks., SL7 1TH UK

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