Editing config file

Question

I downloaded Motion from here: http://packages.ubuntu.com/intrepid/graphics/motion , and installed it, ffmpeg, and mysql-client (and all of the packages that GDebi Package Installer told me were required dependencies) on the Intrepid Ibex version of Ubuntu (8.10).

After having installed all these packages, I would like to edit the Config file options, which are listed here: http://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/view/Motion/ConfigFileOptions .

But I'm a noob, and I have the following questions:

1.) When I try to open the motion.conf file (that I find in File System | Etc | Motion) using Text Editor, I get the following error: "Could not open the file /etc/motion/motioni.conf - You do not have thd permissions necessary to open the file."

I have only one user account (that I know of) on this machine, and I'm logged on with it. How can I edit this file?

2.) Do I really want to edit the motion.conf file (with Text Editor, for instance), to effectuate the changes I want (changes to options like ffmpeg_timelapse and area_detect) ? Or is the proper method of making these changes to (re-)run the Make command?

(I didn't run a Make command, as far as I know, since I didn't compile the source code, but rather downloaded and installed several packages.)

AFAIK, Motion is a command line only program, with no GUI. Even though I've been using Ubuntu's default GUI to install all the necessary packages, I assume that from here on, I'll have to use a terminal window to do anything/everything with Motion.

Thanks for you help

Paste in your error messages, config settings, terminal window output etc in this text field.

Environment

Motion version:	3.2.11
ffmpeg version:
Libraries:	ffmpeg, mysql, postgresql
Server OS:

-- MotionNoob - 24 Nov 2008

Answer

1) You should learn basics issue about linux , fillesystem , file rigths and so on ... but basically so edit motion.conf , from console :

sudo vi /etc/motion/motion.conf ( vi or any other editor ... probably easier to use gedit ).

2) If motion is running you can change values using http control :

http://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/view/Motion/RemoteControlHttp

http://127.0.0.1:8080/

And save themhttp://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/view/Motion/MotionHttpAPI#Write_config

Not all parameters will be changed in real time , but most of then ... so if any of then is no working ..

Save and Restart from http control

http://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/view/Motion/MotionHttpAPI#Action_Commands

All it's explained in the guide .

http://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/view/Motion/MotionGuide

Don't expect motion to be a GUI program that is beyond its goal , you will see that once you setup only a few changes

are need to be made from console ... you can manage it from http control for 99% of things.

-- AngelCarpintero - 25 Nov 2008