[ltp] Using Graphics tablet sometimes (AllowMouseOpenFail)

[Richard Neill]

Dear All,

I've plugged a graphics tablet into my TP, and configured it to work.
But, if I restart X with the tablet unplugged, X won't start. How do I 
make X gracefully ignore the missing device? I've tried the 
"AllowMouseOpenFail" option to X, but it doesn't work.

Here is what I have done:

1)X is set up with udev so that the normal mouse (trackpoint) and the 
tablet (a wizardpen) both get symlinks in /etc/input. This fixes the 
changes of event device. Graphics tablets can't use /dev/input/mice 
because tablets are absolute, not relative.

UDEV:
   /etc/input/ps2mouse -> /etc/input/event1
   /etc/input/wizardpen  -> /etc/input/event3


The, Xorg.conf has 2 mouse sections, each referring to the symlink.

Then, I have this in serverlayout:

Section "ServerLayout"
     Identifier "layout1"
     InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
     InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
     InputDevice "tablet" "AlwaysCore"      #LINE_X
     Screen "screen1"
EndSection



If I start X with the tablet unplugged, it refuses to start. If I try 
linking wizardpen to /dev/null, X gets a bit further, but still fails.

At the moment, I have a hideous hack: I modified /etc/init.d/dm
so that if /dev/input/wizardpen exists, then LINE_X is uncommented, and 
otherwise, it is commented out.

There must be a better way! Does anyone have a suggestion?

Thanks very much,

Richard