MyDSL: Installing Extensions

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Installing MyDSL Extensions


There are various ways in which to install a myDSL extension, but basically you have two main options:

  1. Install from an online myDSL repository.
  2. Install a locally stored extension.

Installing From A MyDSL Repository

The way to do this is through the use of the MyDSL Extension Browser. This tool is available from a desktop icon, from the desktop menu under Apps -> Tools, or by using the command mydslPanel.lua (or the new one: mydslBrowser.lua).

Steps:

  1. Make sure you are logged in as user dsl
  2. Open the MyDSL Extension Browser
  3. Select the category[1] you want to browse
  4. Select the package you want. An Info box will appear (please read the info file[2] of each package you select)
  5. Press the Download button

The extension will be automatically downloaded to the directory specified in .mydsl_dir (default is /tmp), checked for corruption, and then installed. If the package includes a desktop icon and/or menu item, those will also be added automatically.
Please note that if the default server is having problems your download may not complete, or you may not see any files in the browser at all. In this situation you can use dslMirror to change the server used by the extension browser.

Note: You must ensure that the group permissions for /tmp be set to staff as some builds may default to root. If not set properly MyDSL will not load selected extensions.

If you want to install extensions manually, use the DSL Extensions repository.

Installing A Local Extension

You may download an extension to a local drive for later installation if you want to auto-load a particular extension each time you boot DSL, to rebuild the DSL cd to include extra packages, or just want to have the extension kept somewhere within reach. You can download an extension from your preferred mirror by using a web browser, ftp client, wget, or the mydsl-wget application.

After downloading, You can use the Extension Browser mentioned above to load the extension.

Steps:

  1. Click the button labeled Load Local MyDSL Extension
  2. Browse to the directory where the extension was downloaded
  3. Select the desired extension
  4. Click OK or press Enter to install

As an alternative, you can install a local extension from the commandline: 

     mydsl-load /path/to/my/extension[3]


See Also:


[1] Please note that in DSL 3.0 there are two special categories listed in the myDSL gui: Gtk2 and UCI. These categories are unique in that they contain a variety of programs, which in some cases include different versions of the same applications found in other categories. The reason they are separate is because of the type of myDSL package they are. In the case of Gtk2, all applications within this category require the installation and enabling of Gtk2 (see the gtk2*.dsl.info file). For UCI, all applications are mountable extensions which can be easily added to and removed from your system.

[2] The *.info file which accompanies each myDSL extension provides useful information about the package, particularly if running the program in DSL requires some special action by the user. Reading the info file for every extension you download is a good habit, as it can usually provide answers to problems you may have running the program.

[3] As with the Extension Browser, this command should be run only as user 'dsl'. The reason for this is because the menu item, icon, and any other personal files are installed in /home/dsl. If they were installed by another user, such as root, these files would be owned by that user and therefore cause troubles for user dsl.

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