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26. menuconfig

The menuconfig is a common tool to assist the creation and editing of configuration files, usually named .config.

It can:

  • change options dynamically, depending on predicate evaluation;
  • search for specific options via a handy search tool;
  • check for option dependencies;
  • import and export configuration files.

It's typically accessed by entering the root folder of the source code, where a Makefile is capable of this tool (usually via Kconfig):

$ cd "/source/code/path"
$ make menuconfig

26.1 Keyboard

Left and Right move the cursor within the lower horizontal action list.
Enter applies the highlighted action entry.

Up and Down move the cursor within the vertical main list.
Space changes the highlighted main entry.

Backspace acts as backspace within input text fields.
If the key alone doesn't work, try with Ctrl+Backspace.

Esc-Esc exits the current dialog.

/ opens the search tool.

Y/N/M changes the highlighted option to: enabled (y), disabled (n), module (m).

Press the highlighted letter of menu entries to select them, or to activate the highlighed action.

26.2 Actions

<Select> selects the highlighted main entry.

<Exit> exits the current dialog.

<Help> shows information of the highlighted main entry:
If on a configuration option, it shows its symbol and value (very useful!)

<Save> and <Load> are used to export/import a configuration file.

26.3 Search tool

The search tool is called by typing / anywhere in the interface.

This brings up a dialog where you can type the text to be searched, like a configuration symbol (e.g. TARGET_ALIAS).

You can go to a listed match directly by typing its entry number (e.g. 1 for (1)), pushing a new dialog.

After any changes, Exit to return to the search match list, where you can confrm that the value assigned is the expected one.

Exit again to return to the page before the search happened.