CODEWITHSUNDEEP
pythonuser-interfaceterminalraspberry-pi
Himanshu mittal
Himanshu mittal

Reputation: 175

raspberry pi : Auto run GUI on boot

I want to run a python script which executes a GUI on startup(as pi boots up). But I don't see any GUI on screen but when I open terminal my program executes automatically and GUI appears. Also, my program requires an internet connection on execution but pi connects to wifi later and my script executes first and ends with not connecting to the internet.

Is there any way my python script executes after pi boots up properly and pi connected with internet

Upvotes: 3

Views: 9800

Answers (2)

George Profenza
George Profenza

Reputation: 51837

Two steps on Raspian:

  1. Make sure you boot into GUI (can setup via sudo raspi-config)
  2. Edit ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart and add your python script to the path: e.g. @python /home/pi/your_script.py

It depends on the version of raspian if the path is 

~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

or 

~/.config/lxsession/LXDE/autostart

I recommend trying one at a time. (Older version might use this path /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart (ref))

This should run the script after the UI initialises but you don't have any guarantee WiFi is connected though. I recommend ammending your python script to check if it's connected first and if not retry after a few seconds until it is, then execute the rest as expected.

Upvotes: 2

Drunken_Economist
Drunken_Economist

Reputation: 78

Without knowing you Pi setup it's a bit difficult. But with the assumption you're running raspbian with its default "desktop" mode:

  1. Open a terminal on your Pi, either by sshing to it or connecting a monitor/keyboard.
  2. First we need to allow you to login automatically, so sudo nano /etc/inittab to open the inittab for editing.
  3. Find the line 1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 115200 tty1 and change it to #1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 115200 tty1
  4. Under that line, add 1:2345:respawn:/bin/login -f pi tty1 </dev/tty1 >/dev/tty1 2>&1. Type Ctrl+O and then Ctrl+X to save and exit
  5. Next, we can edit the rc.local. sudo nano /etc/rc.local
  6. Add a line su -l pi -c startx (replacing pi with the username you want to launch as) above the exit 0 line. This will launch X on startup, which allows other applications to use graphical interfaces.
  7. Add the command you'd like to run below the previous line (e.g python /path/to/mycoolscript.py &), but still above the exit 0 line.
    Note the & included here. This "forks" the process, allowing other commands to run even if your script hasn't exited yet. Ctrl+O and Ctrl+X again to save and exit.

Now when you power on your Pi, it'll automatically log in, start X, and then launch the python script you've written!

Also, my program requires an internet connection on execution but pi connects to wifi later and my script executes first and ends with not connecting to the internet.

This should be solved in the script itself. Create a simple while loop that checks for internet access, waits, and repeats until the wifi connects.

Upvotes: 3

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