doc: Start writing some in-tree documentation

[petitboot] / doc / func / user_interface.rst

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+User Interface
+==============
+
+There are two UI implementations but in practice the ncurses client `petitboot-nc` is the primary interface.
+
+The default view includes a list of discovered boot options and links to other sub screens.
+Common shortcuts include:
+
+======== =====================================
+Shortcut
+======== =====================================
+i        Open the System Information screen
+e        View/Edit a boot option details
+g        View the status update log
+l        Open the Language screen
+c        Open the System Configuration screen
+n        Create/Edit a boot option
+h        Show help text for the current screen
+x        Exit to the shell
+Ctrl-L   Refresh/Redraw the display
+======== =====================================
+
+System Information
+------------------
+
+Provides an overview of the system, in particular discovered partitions and network interfaces. Depending on the platform can also include information on firmware versions, BMC information, etc.
+
+System Configuration
+--------------------
+
+The primary method to configure Petitboot. From here the user can configure the :ref:`auto-boot` order, network interface behaviour, :ref:`snapshots` settings, and handle platform-specific options like :ref:`ipmi` overrides and default consoles.
+
+Boot Option Editor
+------------------
+
+The boot option editor displays the source device and boot resources for a given option. All fields are editable; paths are relative to the source device or full URLs for remote resources.
+
+Status Log
+----------
+
+The status log keeps a running log of all status updates that normally appear in the bottom line of the interface.
+
+Plugin Menu
+-----------
+
+The plugin menu displays a list of all known :ref:`plugins` and whether they are installed or not. "Enter" installs a plugin, and "e" on an installed interface enters a detailed view of the plugin from which a user can run the plugin.
+
+Shell
+-----
+
+At any time the user may drop to a shell by exiting the UI, depending on how Petitboot has been built. This is usually a relatively feature-ful ``sh`` shell with Busybox utilities but Petitboot doesn't make any particular guarantees about available tools aside from those it uses itself.