.. _menuconfig: Interactive Kconfig interfaces ############################## There are two interactive configuration interfaces available for exploring the available Kconfig options and making temporary changes: ``menuconfig`` and ``guiconfig``. ``menuconfig`` is a curses-based interface that runs in the terminal, while ``guiconfig`` is a graphical configuration interface. .. note:: The configuration can also be changed by editing :file:`zephyr/.config` in the application build directory by hand. Using one of the configuration interfaces is often handier, as they correctly handle dependencies between configuration symbols. If you try to enable a symbol with unsatisfied dependencies in :file:`zephyr/.config`, the assignment will be ignored and overwritten when re-configuring. To make a setting permanent, you should set it in a :file:`*.conf` file, as described in :ref:`setting_configuration_values`. .. tip:: Saving a minimal configuration file (with e.g. :kbd:`D` in menuconfig) and inspecting it can be handy when making settings permanent. The minimal configuration file only lists symbols that differ from their default value. To run one of the configuration interfaces, do this: #. Build your application as usual using either ``west`` or ``cmake``: .. zephyr-app-commands:: :tool: all :cd-into: :board: :goals: build :compact: #. To run the terminal-based ``menuconfig`` interface, use either of these commands: .. code-block:: bash west build -t menuconfig .. code-block:: bash ninja menuconfig To run the graphical ``guiconfig``, use either of these commands: .. code-block:: bash west build -t guiconfig .. code-block:: bash ninja guiconfig .. note:: If you get an import error for ``tkinter`` when trying to run ``guiconfig``, you are missing required packages. See :ref:`installation_linux`. The package you need is usually called something like ``python3-tk``/``python3-tkinter``. ``tkinter`` is not included by default in many Python installations, despite being part of the standard library. The two interfaces are shown below: .. figure:: ../../../../../../../zephyr/doc/build/kconfig/menuconfig.png :alt: menuconfig interface .. figure:: ../../../../../../../zephyr/doc/build/kconfig/guiconfig.png :alt: guiconfig interface ``guiconfig`` always shows the help text and other information related to the currently selected item in the bottom window pane. In the terminal interface, press :kbd:`?` to view the same information. .. note:: If you prefer to work in the ``guiconfig`` interface, then it's a good idea to check any changes to Kconfig files you make in *single-menu mode*, which is toggled via a checkbox at the top. Unlike full-tree mode, single-menu mode will distinguish between symbols defined with ``config`` and symbols defined with ``menuconfig``, showing you what things would look like in the ``menuconfig`` interface. #. Change configuration values in the ``menuconfig`` interface as follows: * Navigate the menu with the arrow keys. Common `Vim `__ key bindings are supported as well. * Use :kbd:`Space` and :kbd:`Enter` to enter menus and toggle values. Menus appear with ``--->`` next to them. Press :kbd:`ESC` to return to the parent menu. Boolean configuration options are shown with :guilabel:`[ ]` brackets, while numeric and string-valued configuration symbols are shown with :guilabel:`( )` brackets. Symbol values that can't be changed are shown as :guilabel:`- -` or :guilabel:`-*-`. .. note:: You can also press :kbd:`Y` or :kbd:`N` to set a boolean configuration symbol to the corresponding value. * Press :kbd:`?` to display information about the currently selected symbol, including its help text. Press :kbd:`ESC` or :kbd:`Q` to return from the information display to the menu. In the ``guiconfig`` interface, either click on the image next to the symbol to change its value, or double-click on the row with the symbol (this only works if the symbol has no children, as double-clicking a symbol with children open/closes its menu instead). ``guiconfig`` also supports keyboard controls, which are similar to ``menuconfig``. #. Pressing :kbd:`Q` in the ``menuconfig`` interface will bring up the save-and-quit dialog (if there are changes to save): .. figure:: ../../../../../../../zephyr/doc/build/kconfig/menuconfig-quit.png :alt: Save and Quit Dialog Press :kbd:`Y` to save the kernel configuration options to the default filename (:file:`zephyr/.config`). You will typically save to the default filename unless you are experimenting with different configurations. The ``guiconfig`` interface will also prompt for saving the configuration on exit if it has been modified. .. note:: The configuration file used during the build is always :file:`zephyr/.config`. If you have another saved configuration that you want to build with, copy it to :file:`zephyr/.config`. Make sure to back up your original configuration file. Also note that filenames starting with ``.`` are not listed by ``ls`` by default on Linux and macOS. Use the ``-a`` flag to see them. Finding a symbol in the menu tree and navigating to it can be tedious. To jump directly to a symbol, press the :kbd:`/` key (this also works in ``guiconfig``). This brings up the following dialog, where you can search for symbols by name and jump to them. In ``guiconfig``, you can also change symbol values directly within the dialog. .. figure:: ../../../../../../../zephyr/doc/build/kconfig/menuconfig-jump-to.png :alt: menuconfig jump-to dialog .. figure:: ../../../../../../../zephyr/doc/build/kconfig/guiconfig-jump-to.png :alt: guiconfig jump-to dialog If you jump to a symbol that isn't currently visible (e.g., due to having unsatisfied dependencies), then *show-all mode* will be enabled. In show-all mode, all symbols are displayed, including currently invisible symbols. To turn off show-all mode, press :kbd:`A` in ``menuconfig`` or :kbd:`Ctrl-A` in ``guiconfig``. .. note:: Show-all mode can't be turned off if there are no visible items in the current menu. To figure out why a symbol you jumped to isn't visible, inspect its dependencies, either by pressing :kbd:`?` in ``menuconfig`` or in the information pane at the bottom in ``guiconfig``. If you discover that the symbol depends on another symbol that isn't enabled, you can jump to that symbol in turn to see if it can be enabled. .. note:: In ``menuconfig``, you can press :kbd:`Ctrl-F` to view the help of the currently selected item in the jump-to dialog without leaving the dialog. For more information on ``menuconfig`` and ``guiconfig``, see the Python docstrings at the top of :zephyr_file:`menuconfig.py ` and :zephyr_file:`guiconfig.py `.