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gbsddialog

This is an implementation of bsddialog, a text-based user interface to be used in scripts and tools, such as in the official FreeBSD installer, bsdinstall(8).

However, gbsddialog uses Gtk+ dialogs and widgets instead of console-based equivalents.

The objective is to reproduce the same behaviour as the original tool, respecting the exact command-line parameters and output. gbsddialog can then be used as a drop-in replacement to bsddialog, effectively granting the possibility to install and configure FreeBSD entirely in graphical mode.

In addition, an implementation of Xdialog is also provided, for use with bsdconfig(8) when invoked in graphical mode with -S or -X.

This project is sponsored by the FreeBSD Foundation.

Dependencies

gbsddialog only depends on Gtk+. While it is meant to be used with version 3 of Gtk+, it can also be built with version 2. (Ideally version 2.10 or later)

To switch between version 2 or 3, modify src/Makefile and tools/Makefile where indicated.

Development Plan

This project is currently being implemented in fast pace, in order to provide an early preview and prototype for a graphical version of the FreeBSD installer.

This involves:

  • A fork of bsdinstall, with the added flexibility of replacing the tool used for widgets and dialogs, as well as additional ways to test the code without possibly harming the host system.
  • The ability to fallback to the original bsddialog in situations where gbsddialog does not support a feature yet.

Different phases are planned, as follows:

  1. Basic implementation, possibly ignoring some options.
  2. Implementation with a desktop window. (for e.g., --backtitle)
  3. Support for a daemon mode, where the desktop window remains active, in order to avoid flickering between invocations.
  4. Additional improvement where the main dialog window is re-filled, instead of new dialogs popping up for each step.
  5. Implementation using the GtkAssistant widget.

Known Issues

The current status according to the development plan above is at step 3. "Implementation with a desktop window", whereas support for a desktop window is implemented, and a daemon mode is hidden within the --clear-screen option. However:

  • A few features of bsddialog(1) are still missing, such as highlights for text or generic buttons.
  • Some features of Xdialog(1) are still missing or incomplete, like tracking changes to files in logbox and tailbox.
  • Depending on the version of Gtk+ installed, some of the API calls used may be considered obsolete during the build. (Triggering many compilation warnings)