Utilities for running Avalonia apps on Linux DRM/Framebuffer:
evdev keyboard (EN/RU, Alt+Shift, CapsLock), on-screen keyboard,
soft cursor with auto-hide and pointerover fix, evdev mouse fallback.
Helpers for running Avalonia apps directly on Linux DRM/Framebuffer (kiosk / embedded, no X11 / Wayland).
evdev keyboard: EN/RU, Alt+Shift, CapsLock, text input into focused control;
on‑screen keyboard overlay (KeyboardOverlay) for touch UI;
soft cursor overlay with auto‑hide and proper pointer over events;
evdev mouse fallback for DRM when there is no windowing system;
SmartPlatform — runtime switch: DRM ↔ desktop with CLI options.
Main namespace: Avalonia.DrmKit
Recommended: Avalonia 11, .NET 8, Linux with /dev/dri/card* and /dev/input/event*.
Install
dotnet add package DrmKit.Avalonia
Quick start
Program.cs:
using Avalonia;
using Avalonia.DrmKit;
internal static class Program
{
public static int Main(string[] args)
=> SmartPlatform.Start(BuildAvaloniaApp(), args);
public static AppBuilder BuildAvaloniaApp()
=> AppBuilder.Configure<App>()
.UsePlatformDetect()
.LogToTrace()
.UseReactiveUI()
.UseDrmSoftCursor() // soft cursor overlay for DRM
.UseLinuxKeyboardListener() // evdev keyboard (EN/RU, Alt+Shift, CapsLock)
.UseEvdevMouseFallback(); // evdev mouse + pointerover fix for DRM
}
Run in DRM mode:
# user should be in 'video' and 'input' groups
./YourApp --system=drm --drm=card1 --resolution=1280x720
# debug evdev input
DRMKIT_DEBUG=1 ./YourApp --system=drm --drm=card1
If DRM cannot be initialized, SmartPlatform falls back to the standard Avalonia desktop backend.
On‑screen keyboard overlay
Attach overlay keyboard to any TextBox:
<TextBox
xmlns:osk="clr-namespace:Avalonia.DrmKit.OnScreenKeyboard;assembly=Avalonia.DrmKit"
osk:KeyboardOverlay.IsEnabled="True"
Watermark="Tap to enter text" />
Behaviour:
when a TextBox with KeyboardOverlay.IsEnabled="True" receives focus,
a shared on‑screen keyboard panel appears at the bottom of the main window;
when focus leaves all such TextBox controls, the keyboard hides;
physical keyboard state (EN/RU, CapsLock) is synchronized with the overlay.
Layouts:
EN and RU (йцукен);
switching: Alt+Shift on physical keyboard or button on the overlay;
CapsLock is synchronized both ways.
Soft cursor & auto‑hide
UseDrmSoftCursor() adds an overlay layer that renders a software cursor on top of the window.
Features:
always visible in DRM even without hardware cursor;
correct PointerEntered / PointerExited / PointerMoved for Avalonia controls;
auto‑hide after idle (default: 3 seconds) with smooth fade‑out;
theming for light/dark themes and full customization via styles/templates.