Author Topic: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...  (Read 4525 times)

retrogam3

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[HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« on: June 19, 2020, 05:52:59 PM »
So I want to have 4 displays in the displays menu
1. Arcade
2. Consoles
3. Handhelds
4. Other
So I know how to setup a displays menu where I can chose say Consoles and it takes me to a list to chose console NES or SNES or Genesis Etc. and then that selection will take me into the game display that matches that system.

What I want to be able to do though is choose consoles and it shows me ONLY consoles defined in the romlist with the games. I can successfully setup 3 tiers (1. categories 2. systems 3. games) Essentailly I want to skip tier 2. where it's 1 Consoles 2. All the consoles with all the games up/down for game within certain console and left right for other consoles then when I press escape it takes me back to the 4 choice listed above. Is this possible?

joyrider3774

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2020, 04:10:24 AM »
not sure i completely understand and never tried it before but i think if you first generate romlists per system / emulator first or if already have them it's just a matter of merging all those rom lists for consoles into 1 big romslist for handhelds into 1 big romslist etc and use those romlists and leave out the systems (middle part). The romslist contains the game names / roms but also emulators used and in theory it might work

retrogam3

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2020, 04:38:08 AM »
I think I need to do a better job of explaining. I already have all my systems with games/romlists setup. I don't want that to change that at all. What I want to be able to do is just have 2 tiers. Example...
1. Consoles (NES, SNES, Genesis, Etc.)
 - NES with games (already setup) (up/down game in NES) (left/right moves to next console ex SNES)
 - SNES with games (already setup) (up/down game in SNES) (left/right moves to next console ex GENESIS)
 - GENESIS with games (already setup) (up/down game in GENESIS) (left/right moves to next console ex NES)
Press key of choice like ESC take me back to the 4 choices (Arcades, Consoles, Handhelds, Other)
*Apply same logic to Arcades = (MAME, TAITO Type X, Teknoparot, Naomi, Atomiswave, Etc.)
*Apply same logic to Handhelds = (Gameboy, Game Gear, DS, PSP, 3DS, Etc.)

My problem is when I use the displays menu it acts like this
1. Consoles
2. Lists all the consoles with chose console
3. shows picked console with games

What I want is only 2 tiers, The only way I can get it to work is with 3 tiers. I don't want all my console games merged into one big romlist. I want to be able to pick Consoles or Arcades or Handhelds and the second option is like I wasn't using a display menu at all but instead only shows how ever many Consoles or Handheld systems are in that group.

rand0m

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2020, 05:43:12 AM »
You can go to configure > controls and map previous display to right and next display to left. You will still have 3 tiers but once you enter a game system A you can press left to jump to system B and so on.

To be honest its pretty difficult to understand what you mean in ur opening post. If you mean that by selecting "Consoles" in platforms you directly jump in to first console then its not possible atm.

Well you can create unified lists for all platforms (each only consisting of one platform like arcades, consoles etc) then create filters in each unified platform list so one filter only shows one system then map right and left to previous/ next filter, this will act in the way (as I understood it) you want. But unified lists are more difficult to update/ modify as compared to single system so its better to try this when you have complete system romlists.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2020, 05:52:18 AM by rand0m »

retrogam3

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2020, 06:01:33 AM »
You can go to configure > controls and map previous display to right and next display to left. You will still have 3 tiers but once you enter a game system A you can press left to jump to system B and so on.

To be honest its pretty difficult to understand what you mean in ur opening post. If you mean that by selecting "Consoles" in platforms you directly jump in to first console then its not possible atm.

Well you can create unified lists for all platforms (each only consisting of one platform like arcades, consoles etc) then create filters in each unified platform list so one filter only shows one system then map right and left to previous/ next filter, this will act in the way (as I understood it) you want. But unified lists are more difficult to update/ modify as compared to single system so its better to try this when you have complete system romlists.

Thanks for the replies. I am afraid of what you are saying. Yes I only want whatever consoles I assign to show up right/left when I chose consoles. I want other systems like (handhelds = PSP, DS, Etc.) to be hidden from right/left when I am in the "consoles" view but when I press escape it goes back to my 4 choices then I can chose a different category like Handhelds and other systems like (consoles = NES, SNES, Etc.) hidden.

Filters like you mention sounds like a viable option, although sounds like a "reinvent the wheel" scenerio that I am not sure I want to do. Is that the only way?
« Last Edit: June 20, 2020, 06:13:38 AM by xev1n »

rand0m

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2020, 06:19:59 AM »
If you have mapped previous/ next display to right/ left then they should only show systems within the parent platform like only console systems when you are in consoles. Do you have a console.txt in your romlist folder listing all console systems?

Nevermind just checked, previous/ next display uses listings in attract.cfg so will also show systems in other platforms.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2020, 06:25:15 AM by rand0m »

retrogam3

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2020, 06:30:32 AM »
Hrmm, I will have to play around to see if I can get what you are suggesting to work. Yes, I have 4 "category" romlists in my romlist folder (See below). Along with all my normal romlists of system with games. The problem with this is it makes my first choice/tier 1-4 (consoles, arcades, handhelds, other). Then my second choice/tier is just a name of the system. Then my third choice/tier is the system selected with my games. I just don't want the second choice.  :o

Example: (imagine similar for Arcades, Handhelds, Other)

Consoles:
NES;Nintendo Entertainment System;@;;;;;;;;;0;;;;;
SNES;Super Nintendo Entertainment System;@;;;;;;;;;0;;;;;
« Last Edit: June 20, 2020, 06:32:17 AM by xev1n »

progets

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2020, 04:09:26 PM »
Try this for everything you don't want to see in the menu.

Configure-->Displays--><display_name>-->Show in Menu = No

retrogam3

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2020, 04:39:38 PM »
Try this for everything you don't want to see in the menu.

Configure-->Displays--><display_name>-->Show in Menu = No

I have it setup like this, all my displays (with games) are set to Show in cycle = Yes Show in menu = No and my display menu layouts are set to show in cycle = no show in menu yes. that part works. The problem is I can not figure out a way to skip the 2nd step where I pick consoles and it goes to my consoles with up/down for games and left right for system. Instead it makes me chose a connsole NES, then goes to NES with games. I really do not see how to logically do what I want. I don't think it's possible in AM. It works in other FE.

zpaolo11x

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2020, 03:09:42 AM »
My problem is when I use the displays menu it acts like this
1. Consoles
2. Lists all the consoles with chose console
3. shows picked console with games

Sorry if my question is stupid, but can you get this three tier system with plain Attract Mode options? Because I have some romlists, each romlist for a different console or computer, and if I create a display for "all consoles" for example, then I just get a long romlist with all the games from all the romlists.
Are you using a customized layout to obtain this structure?

retrogam3

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2020, 09:38:44 AM »
You have to make menu romlists which call systems using the @ symbol in the game romlists. Look at my example a couple posts up.

zpaolo11x

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2020, 09:58:58 AM »
You have to make menu romlists which call systems using the @ symbol in the game romlists. Look at my example a couple posts up.

Now I get it. Do you have to build such a romlist "by hand" editing the files, or can you create it through Attract Mode interface?

retrogam3

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2020, 10:04:39 AM »
By hand AFAIK...Here is a template, just look at you Attract.cfg to see how your systems and emulators are named...

NES;Nintendo Entertainment System;@;;;;;;;;;0;;;;;
SNES;Super Nintendo Entertainment System;@;;;;;;;;;0;;;;;

dmmarti

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2020, 10:54:34 AM »
Since you already have a 3-tier nested menu working .. you've got that part all handled.

But, I'm thinking, if you are wanting to go to a 2-tier menu like this:

Displays Menu/Main Menu
    |
    | - Consoles (have romlist with all games from all consoles available)
    |
    | - Handhelds (have romlist with all games from all handhelds available)

But....when you go into Consoles ... let's say, you are initially only seeing NES games.  Scrolling up/down through NES games only.  You would like to be able to "go to next console" from there and only see, say SNES games.

Here's an idea:

1. create a master consoles_only.txt romlist
    manually copy-paste all of your current console romlist file's contents into this single large file

2. create a new Consoles_Only display
    set it up to use this newly made consoles_only.txt romlist

Now...setup new filters on this new display...one filter for every console system you have.

Let's say you have the following consoles.

NES
SNES
TG16
ATARI2600

Setup a new filter called "NES" with this:

Emulator = "NES"

Now create 3 more filters:

filter name: SNES
filter: Emulator = "SNES"

filter name: TG16
filter: Emulator = "TG16"

filter name: ATARI2600
filter: Emulator = "ATAR2600"

Setup a hotkey button to cycle through Filters.

I'm thinking what you should end up with is, a new display that has a romlist with every game from those consoles...but the new display is governed by various filters that are setup to only show games from a single system.

The "All" filter will still be there and show all games (but you could remove it if wanted).  Otherwise, you'd just press a button to cycle through the Filters for each system and use Up/Down to scroll the games.

Just replace the samples above with your proper emulator names.

Hope that makes sense (it did in my head when typing....LOL).

retrogam3

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Re: [HELP] Displays Menu Options...
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2020, 11:44:43 AM »
Since you already have a 3-tier nested menu working .. you've got that part all handled.

But, I'm thinking, if you are wanting to go to a 2-tier menu like this:

Displays Menu/Main Menu
    |
    | - Consoles (have romlist with all games from all consoles available)
    |
    | - Handhelds (have romlist with all games from all handhelds available)

But....when you go into Consoles ... let's say, you are initially only seeing NES games.  Scrolling up/down through NES games only.  You would like to be able to "go to next console" from there and only see, say SNES games.

Here's an idea:

1. create a master consoles_only.txt romlist
    manually copy-paste all of your current console romlist file's contents into this single large file

2. create a new Consoles_Only display
    set it up to use this newly made consoles_only.txt romlist

Now...setup new filters on this new display...one filter for every console system you have.

Let's say you have the following consoles.

NES
SNES
TG16
ATARI2600

Setup a new filter called "NES" with this:

Emulator = "NES"

Now create 3 more filters:

filter name: SNES
filter: Emulator = "SNES"

filter name: TG16
filter: Emulator = "TG16"

filter name: ATARI2600
filter: Emulator = "ATAR2600"

Setup a hotkey button to cycle through Filters.

I'm thinking what you should end up with is, a new display that has a romlist with every game from those consoles...but the new display is governed by various filters that are setup to only show games from a single system.

The "All" filter will still be there and show all games (but you could remove it if wanted).  Otherwise, you'd just press a button to cycle through the Filters for each system and use Up/Down to scroll the games.

Just replace the samples above with your proper emulator names.

Hope that makes sense (it did in my head when typing....LOL).

This is genius and I totally see how this should work in theory. Will give this a shot later. Thanks!