Using Cadmus with KFMon

KFMon is a launcher that starts apps when you open certain icon files on your Kobo. If you already use KFMon with readers like Plato or KOReader, you may run into a conflict when you install Cadmus.

The problem

KFMon watches PNG files in the library. When Cadmus opens one of those watched PNG files — for example, while showing a cover or importing a book — KFMon thinks you tapped the icon and launches the matching reader. This can leave you with two readers running at the same time, such as both Plato and Cadmus.

The fix: add a Cadmus KFMon watch

Add a KFMon watch that points to Cadmus. This tells KFMon about Cadmus, so it blocks other launches while Cadmus is already running.

1. Place the Cadmus icon somewhere on your Kobo, for example:

   /mnt/onboard/icons/cadmus.png
   

   If you don’t have an icon, create or copy a PNG image to use as the launcher icon.

2. Create a new file on your Kobo:

   /mnt/onboard/.adds/kfmon/config/cadmus.ini
   

3. Paste this into the file, changing the filename value to match your icon path:

   [watch]
   ; Absolute path of the icon to watch for
   ; At the time of writing, Cadmus does not ship a custom icon, so you
   ; need to create or copy a PNG file to use as the icon.
   filename = /mnt/onboard/icons/cadmus.png
   ; Absolute path of the command to launch when the icon is opened
   ; If you are using a test build, point this to /mnt/onboard/.adds/cadmus-tst/cadmus.sh
   action = /mnt/onboard/.adds/cadmus/cadmus.sh
   ; Label shown in a GUI frontend
   label = Cadmus
   ; Show this entry in GUI frontends
   hidden = 0
   ; Prevent KFMon from launching another app while Cadmus is running
   block_spawns = 1
   ; Do not update Nickel's database for this icon
   do_db_update = 0
   

4. Reboot your Kobo.

Important

The block_spawns = 1 line is the key setting. It stops KFMon from launching another reader while Cadmus is already open.

Pick one launcher method

Cadmus can be launched by either NickelMenu or KFMon, but try to avoid both at once. If you use KFMon, install a non-NickelMenu package from the Installation page (KoboRoot.tgz or KoboRoot-test.tgz) instead of the KoboRoot-nm.tgz or KoboRoot-nm-test.tgz packages. Using both can create duplicate icons and make conflicts harder to diagnose.

Temporarily disable KFMon

If you need to stop KFMon from launching anything for a short time — for example, while troubleshooting — you can create a blank BLOCK file:

touch /mnt/onboard/.adds/kfmon/config/BLOCK

Remove the file when you want KFMon to work again:

rm /mnt/onboard/.adds/kfmon/config/BLOCK