VNCserver & mouse pointer

When using VNCserver v0.22 on an RPi with screen & mouse, and simply viewing from either RISC OS+Avalanche v0.28 or Win10+RealVNCviewer v6.21.406, the RPi mouse pointer is not actively shown in either viewer. Which makes following a demonstration a slight challenge.

Is this some setting I have wrong, or a limitation somewhere?

If you look at the plain text config file:

[default]
enable_clipboard = true
enable_mouse = true
enable_keyboard = true

Hopefully that should fix your issue

Works here with your setup, and I tested with VNC Viewer on PC and 0.22 VNC server on RISCOS

Strange – those are the settings I already have! And it does not seem to work here.

It does not work here on either the Titanium or RPi4 with vncserver 0.22 on both and VNC Viewer on a Mac. That is a physical mouse connected to either RISC OS machine does not move the pointer on VNC Client. Other mouse function work such as scroll or menu.

The enable_mouse config setting is for the other direction so the the client machine mouse controls the RISC OS servers pointers. From vnc_serv022.ReadMe :-

enable_mouse (bool, default false)

Set to true to enable mouse input from connected clients.

HTH

Are you talking about the mouse not appearing in the client, or the mouse not moving on the client when you move it on the server?

Mouse not appearing: RISC OS doesn’t have an API for reading the pointer shape definitions, so immediately after starting the server the server won’t have any shape data to supply to the client. Generally clicking the mouse somewhere within a window will be enough to get the wimp to redefine the shape, allowing the server to send some shape data to the client.

Mouse not moving on the client when you move it on the server: This is a limitation of the VNC protocol. The client tells the server where to move the mouse, the server has no way of telling the client where the mouse is/should be. (A workaround would be to send the pointer image as part of the main desktop image, but that might be a pain to implement)

I should probably add these to an FAQ in the readme file!

I am referring to a mouse physically connected to an RPi, running vncserver, but neither RealVNC or Avalanche clients show the pointer or move it. It sounds like I am a victim of the VNC protocol limitation. Some FAQ seems a good idea, when you get chance!

I agree using a client mouse to control the pointer on a server machine works fine … but that is no good for a demonstration on the server machine!

@DavidS: Thanks, but I was confirming what Jeffrey suspected.

Martin I am typing using VNC Viewer 6.21.406 on Win10 Pro 64 bit and using Server 0.22 on RISC OS on an ARMX6, and I have a nice RISC OS Mouse pointer.

Chris: yes, I can type in VNCviewer and use the mouse, and see the effects in VNCviewer and on the connected RPi where vncserver is running.

But I want to type on the RPi and use it’s mouse, and simply observe the effects in VNCviewer. Typing can be seen ok, but there is no mouse pointer visible.

I think the key here is that VNC is a remote control/operation protocol, so you’re expected to use the “viewer” to operate the remote computer. The hint is probably in the name “Virtual Network Computing” – ie. remote operation of an unattended/virtual machine. This is slightly different to a collaborative tool like TeamViewer, although they both stem from the same DNA.

It sounds to me like what you really want is an Elgato capture box. I have an unopened one sat next to me from a few years back when I was intending to capture some ARMX6 videos. This will take the HDMI feed from the Pi (etc) and capture it live for streaming from the PC. This should allow smoother demonstration, too, as the Elgato boxes will stream up to 60fps as they are designed for game streaming. Of course, the boxes don’t care what your input content is, so they’ll capture/stream a RISC OS desktop just as happily as the latest blockbuster videogame.

Thanks for all the suggestions. After some experimentation and further testing here, I now am using my laptop, with an external mouse & keyboard, plus an addtional external screen with an extended desktop spread over the two screens.
Then I can use RealVNC to control any/all of my 3 active computers.

Not exactly the same as using the real thing, but it seems I have a solution!

I think the key here is that VNC is a remote control/operation protocol, so you’re expected to use the “viewer” to operate the remote computer.

What is rather confusing is that (to me) “Viewer” implies being able to see what is happening elsewhere. And that is largely true … but not, it seems, for the mouse pointer!