displayio_example on 2040 w does not work with the latest CircuitPython

[dpupkov]

Several lines from badger2040/displayio_example.py are not working on latest CircuitPython:

Adafruit CircuitPython 9.2.4 on 2025-01-29; Pimoroni Badger 2040 W with rp2040
>>> 
>>> import board
>>> import terminalio
>>> import displayio
>>> import vectorio
>>> from adafruit_display_text import label
>>> 
>>> """
... An example of how to show text on the Badger 2040's
... screen using the built-in DisplayIO object.
... """
"\nAn example of how to show text on the Badger 2040's\nscreen using the built-in DisplayIO object.\n"
>>> 
>>> display = board.DISPLAY
>>> 
>>> # Set text, font, and color
>>> title = "HELLO WORLD"
>>> subtitle = "From CircuitPython"
>>> font = terminalio.FONT
>>> color = 0x000000
>>> 
>>> # Set the palette for the background color
>>> palette = displayio.Palette(1)
>>> palette[0] = 0xFFFFFF
>>> 
>>> # Add a background rectangle
>>> rectangle = vectorio.Rectangle(pixel_shader=palette, width=display.width + 1, height=display.height, x=0, y=0)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'width'
>>> 
>>> # Create the title and subtitle labels
>>> title_label = label.Label(font, text=title, color=color, scale=4)
>>> subtitle_label = label.Label(font, text=subtitle, color=color, scale=2)
>>> 
>>> # Set the label locations
>>> title_label.x = 20
>>> title_label.y = 45
>>> 
>>> subtitle_label.x = 40
>>> subtitle_label.y = 90
>>> 
>>> # Create the display group and append objects to it
>>> group = displayio.Group()
>>> group.append(rectangle)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
NameError: name 'rectangle' is not defined
>>> group.append(title_label)
>>> group.append(subtitle_label)
>>> 
>>> # Show the group and refresh the screen to see the result
>>> display.show(group)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'show'
>>> display.refresh()
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'refresh'

[Gadgetoid]

Hmm if BOARD.display is returning None as suggested by AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'width' then this feels like a CircuitPython bug or regression 🤔

Any ideas @ZodiusInfuser?

[ZodiusInfuser]

Hmm. This is the line that defines DISPLAY, and that looks to be unchanged:

https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/blob/2af397ed1ca94846ed084d85a393b995e90460a8/ports/raspberrypi/boards/pimoroni_badger2040/pins.c#L53C1-L53C78

So I can only surmise that displays[0].epaper_display now returns None rather than the actual display, which points to a bug (or change we weren't informed of) in DisplayIO.

[helgibbons]

Looks like display.show() has been removed in CircuitPython 9.0.0 - try the following?

import board
import terminalio
import displayio
import vectorio
from adafruit_display_text import label

"""
An example of how to show text on the Badger 2040's
screen using the built-in DisplayIO object.
"""

display = board.DISPLAY

# Set text, font, and color
title = "HELLO WORLD"
subtitle = "From CircuitPython"
font = terminalio.FONT
color = 0x000000

# Set the palette for the background color
palette = displayio.Palette(1)
palette[0] = 0xFFFFFF

# Add a background rectangle
rectangle = vectorio.Rectangle(pixel_shader=palette, width=display.width + 1, height=display.height, x=0, y=0)

# Create the title and subtitle labels
title_label = label.Label(font, text=title, color=color, scale=4)
subtitle_label = label.Label(font, text=subtitle, color=color, scale=2)

# Set the label locations
title_label.x = 20
title_label.y = 45

subtitle_label.x = 40
subtitle_label.y = 90

# Create the display group and append objects to it
group = displayio.Group()
group.append(rectangle)
group.append(title_label)
group.append(subtitle_label)

# Show the group and refresh the screen to see the result
display.root_group = group
display.refresh()

# Loop forever so you can enjoy your message
while True:
    pass

[RagingRoosevelt]

@helgibbons, that still suffers from the problem with board.DISPLAY giving None. I suspect you're right, that it would work, if the board.DISPLAY problem were resolved, though.

[RagingRoosevelt]

I filed a bug report in circuitpython: adafruit/circuitpython#10378

[bablokb]

I cannot confirm this bug. Have you verified that your device works with Pimoroni MicroPython and their examples?

[RagingRoosevelt]

I was able to get the display to work with the following (paired down from what I'd been using originally). I had realized that adafruit_il0373 was the wrong driver when I was trying to display bitmaps and was trying to move off of it when I realized that board.DISPLAY was supposed to provide a pre-configured display object.

import board
import displayio
import fourwire
import adafruit_il0373
import terminalio
from adafruit_display_text import label
from adafruit_display_shapes.rect import Rect

displayio.release_displays()
spi = board.SPI()
display_bus = fourwire.FourWire(
    spi, 
    command=board.INKY_DC, 
    chip_select=board.INKY_CS, 
    reset=board.INKY_RST, 
    baudrate=1000000
)
display = adafruit_il0373.IL0373(
    display_bus,
    width=296,
    height=128,
    rotation=270,
    black_bits_inverted=False,
    color_bits_inverted=False,
    grayscale=True,
    refresh_time=1,
)

#display = board.DISPLAY
print(display)

g = displayio.Group()
bg_rect = Rect(0, 0, display.width, display.height, fill=0xFFFFFF
title = label.Label(
    terminalio.FONT,
    text="TEST",
    color=0x000000,
    x=10,
    y=10
))
g.append(bg_rect)
g.append(title)
display.root_group = g
display.refresh()

which produces

code.py output:
<IL0373 object at 0x2000d560>

Code done running.

[RagingRoosevelt]

If it would be helpful for debugging, I can flash it back to Pimoroni's firmware to confirm that code also works, but I had thought the above example probably would be sufficient?

[bablokb]

No need to debug this. This seems just a problem of wrong assumptions. You should use the internal display and don't try to create your own. This just wastes memory and is complicated.