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CLI Launcher - LaunchBox Command Line Interface for launching games directly from Stream Deck 7.0.6

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superrob3000
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About This File

This plugin adds a command line interface to LaunchBox/BigBox for launching games via Stream Deck or having platform and playlist shortcuts. Marquee(s)* and LEDBlinky get updated automatically. Launching games on a remote PC is also supported.

*All Marquees will be updated when using either LaunchBox or BigBox if you are using the ThirdScreen Plugin. If you're using the default BigBox marquee handling, then your single marquee will be updated when using BigBox only.

 

Installation:

  1. *** Before installing, if you are using the ThirdScreen plugin please make sure you are using the latest version. Version 3.0.1 or higher is compatible. ***
  2. Download CLI_Launcher.zip to your PC. Right click on the zip file and extract all files.
  3. Close LaunchBox/BigBox and copy the Plugins and ThirdParty folders to your LaunchBox directory. 

 

Usage (simple game shortcuts):

  • Right click on a game in LaunchBox and choose "CLI Launcher->Create Windows Shortcut".

image.thumb.png.3396e88cf1a020547ba0a8f083e5f8cd.png

  • A dialogue will open to allow you to choose the name and location of the game shortcut. When ready, click "Save" to create the shortcut.
  • To create windows shortcuts for a batch of games at once: Select multiple games, right-click and choose "CLI Launcher->Create Windows Shortcuts".

 

Usage (advanced shortcuts and Stream Deck):

Game Shortcuts (launch command): (works with both LaunchBox and BigBox)

Create an AHK script with the following line, and point your StreamDeck shortcut to that script:

     Run, "<path_to_launchbox>\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" launch "<platform_name>" "<game_name>"

 

For example, to launch Street Fighter Alpha 2 from the Arcade platform:

Run, "C:\Users\Administrator\LaunchBox\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" launch "arcade" "Street Fighter Alpha 2"

New in v7.0.0 (launch_by_id command): To launch a game using its game id instead of platform name/game title you can use the launch_by_id command. For example:

Run, "C:\Users\Administrator\LaunchBox\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" launch_by_id "1e48ac15-55e2-47f7-a33e-486451a16def"

New in v7.0.3 (launch_by_db_id command): To launch a game using its database id instead of platform name/game title you can use the launch_by_db_id command. For example:

Run, "C:\Users\Administrator\LaunchBox\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" launch_by_db_id "2532"

 

Platform Shortcuts (platform command): (added in v2.0.0 - only works with BigBox)

Create an AHK script with the following line, and point your StreamDeck shortcut to that script:

     Run, "<path_to_launchbox>\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" platform "<platform_name>"

 

For example, to navigate to the Arcade platform in BigBox:

Run, "C:\Users\Administrator\LaunchBox\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" platform "arcade"

 

Playlist Shortcuts (playlist command): (added in v2.0.0 - only works with BigBox)

Create an AHK script with the following line, and point your StreamDeck shortcut to that script:

     Run, "<path_to_launchbox>\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" playlist "<playlist_name>"

 

For example, to navigate to the favorites playlist in BigBox:

Run, "C:\Users\Administrator\LaunchBox\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" playlist "favorites"

 

Remote commands:

To run a command on a different PC that has the plugin installed and is running LaunchBox or BigBox just add "remote_ip=<ip_of_remote_pc>". For example, to launch a game on a different PC with IP 192.168.168.238:

Run, "CLI_Launcher.exe" launch "arcade" "Street Fighter Alpha 2"  "remote_ip=192.168.168.238"

 

FAQs:

Q. What if neither LaunchBox nor BigBox are open when the script runs?

  A. The command will just get ignored if LaunchBox or BigBox is not open.

Q. What if a game is already open when the script runs?

  A. The command will just get ignored if a game is already open.

Q. Why not just launch the emulator and/or game directly from the script?

  A. Using CLI Launcher is much simpler and leverages all the work you've already done in setting up LaunchBox to properly launch the game. Also, if you were to run the emulator and/or game directly from the script, your Marquee(s) and LEDBlinky would not get updated for the game.

Q. If I want to use remote commands, which port do I need to ensure is open?

  A. If you are having trouble with remote commands, ensure port 0xb0b0 is open in Windows Firewall on the remote PC. 

Q. Why would anyone want to launch a game on a remote PC?

  A. Dunno... but you can now.

Q. Are AutoHotKey scripts really necessary?

  A. No, that's just the way I do it. You could also just point the Stream Deck shortcut directly to CLI_Launcher.exe and pass in the correct arguments.

 

 

Edited by superrob3000
Updated instructions

What's New in Version 7.0.6   See changelog

Released

When creating windows shortcuts to games, we now use the game's platform icon if available.

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olvrteil

Hello, don't understand how it works. Would you explain a little bit ?

I created a text file with AHK extension, but how do you use it in streamdeck ? if i just do a shortcut, windows ask with what program to open file.

I downloaded autohotkey but when i open file i have an error This line does not contain a recognized action.

Edit : find myself good command line in ahk file :  Run C:\LaunchBox\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe launch "arcade" "game name"

Thanks

Edited by olvrteil
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superrob3000
30 minutes ago, olvrteil said:

Hello, don't understand how it works. Would you explain a little bit ?

I created a text file with AHK extension, but how do you use it in streamdeck ? if i just do a shortcut, windows ask with what program to open file.

I downloaded autohotkey but when i open file i have an error This line does not contain a recognized action.

 

Thanks

Sure, no problem. Let's work through it and then I'll update the instructions to be more clear.

First off, you have to have both AutoHotKey and the Stream Deck App installed, but it sounds like you've done that already.

Then create a one-line text file with extension ahk using the command you want from the instructions (replace anything in brackets with the correct value).

Now close the script file, right click it, and choose "compile script". That should give you an executable file.

Open the Stream Deck app and in the GUI drag the "open" action (the rocket ship icon) onto the button you want to use.

Now on the App/File line, click the "Select a file" button.

Select the executable file that you created above.

At that point you should be able to press the Stream Deck button to run the command.

Edited by superrob3000
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shrek6446

This addin is awesome.. I have been looking for a great way to integrate my Streamdeck and Bigbox together.. 

I am able to get the Platform and Game Shortcuts working great but the Playlist isn't working correctly... Is there anything that I need to differently compared to the example.

I created a playlist in Launchbox called "Pokemon" and created the script based on your example. I also double checked and I see the playlist in Big Box and the path was correct (again the game and platform scripts work great). 

Any Thoughts?  

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superrob3000
15 minutes ago, shrek6446 said:

This addin is awesome.. I have been looking for a great way to integrate my Streamdeck and Bigbox together.. 

I am able to get the Platform and Game Shortcuts working great but the Playlist isn't working correctly... Is there anything that I need to differently compared to the example.

I created a playlist in Launchbox called "Pokemon" and created the script based on your example. I also double checked and I see the playlist in Big Box and the path was correct (again the game and platform scripts work great). 

Any Thoughts?  

@shrek6446 Glad to hear it's working for you. For the playlist shortcut that isn't working, can you provide the following:

1. Please post the log file located at LaunchBox/Logs/StreamDeckGameLauncher.txt

2. What is the full command line you are using?

3. Open LaunchBox. right click on the playlist, choose edit, and send a screen shot of the Edit Playlist window.

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shrek6446

Thank you for the Help

 

1. I attached the streamdecklauncher.txt.. I thought it was Pokemon but it was a Power Rangers Playlist.

 

2. Run, "C:\Users\Shrek\LaunchBox\ThirdParty\CLI_Launcher\CLI_Launcher.exe" playlist "Power Rangers"

3. image.thumb.png.069cd47be2723cbf88e2f8e6b9e64bc4.png

StreamDeckGameLauncher.txt

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TapeWorm

Hey bud, first of all thank you for this tool, I really appreciate it.

I'm wondering if it's possible to skip the game menu when launching games?

The reason I ask is because my theme plays a video preview in the individual game menus, and when launching via Streamdeck, it'll open the game menu before starting the game. But the video+sound from the video-preview will play in the background. I have the option to skip the game menu enabled in Big Box, but it seems that launching via the plugin will still show it. I'll look for a way to disable video previews in just the game menu in case this is how things need to work. Wondering if anyone else has come across this issue?

The second oddity I noticed is that if I launch games one after another without exiting the game menus mentioned above, then it's like it's stacking the back-button history in Big Box. As-in, if I launch Duck Hunt and then launch HotD after closing Duck Hunt, then the back button will take me from the HotD's game menu back to Duck Hunt's game menu. I.e. if I launch 5 games, then hitting back will bring me to the previous game's menu. Kind of like clicking back through a web browser's history.

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superrob3000
50 minutes ago, TapeWorm said:

Hey bud, first of all thank you for this tool, I really appreciate it.

I'm wondering if it's possible to skip the game menu when launching games?

The reason I ask is because my theme plays a video preview in the individual game menus, and when launching via Streamdeck, it'll open the game menu before starting the game. But the video+sound from the video-preview will play in the background. I have the option to skip the game menu enabled in Big Box, but it seems that launching via the plugin will still show it. I'll look for a way to disable video previews in just the game menu in case this is how things need to work. Wondering if anyone else has come across this issue?

The second oddity I noticed is that if I launch games one after another without exiting the game menus mentioned above, then it's like it's stacking the back-button history in Big Box. As-in, if I launch Duck Hunt and then launch HotD after closing Duck Hunt, then the back button will take me from the HotD's game menu back to Duck Hunt's game menu. I.e. if I launch 5 games, then hitting back will bring me to the previous game's menu. Kind of like clicking back through a web browser's history.

@TapeWorm Sure, if you want to skip navigating to the game menu before the game is launched then grab the latest version and replace the "launch" command with "launch_without_menu". One thing to keep in mind though, if you have a marquee and are using BigBox's default marquee support, then the marquee will not update correctly when you skip navigating to the game menu. You would have to switch to using the ThirdScreen plugin for the marquee to work correctly with this command.

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TapeWorm

Wow, I really appreciate it. It worked great and the things I mentioned above are no longer issues for me. 🤯

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Vitaly17

Thank you so much for the 5.0 update and the launch_without_menu commands. Games run without a menu. Ledblinky and third screen plugin work without additional commands. Great job!

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Vitaly17

Sorry, I was in a hurry. There are problems with Ledblinky. The panel lights up properly but then fades out.

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superrob3000
31 minutes ago, Vitaly17 said:

Sorry, I was in a hurry. There are problems with Ledblinky. The panel lights up properly but then fades out.

Ok, thanks. Does blinky not work consistently if you try the shortcut a few times? I've noticed that in general blinky just sometimes decides not to work when a game is launched. Also, does blinky work when you  use the game shortcut with LaunchBox open instead of BigBox?

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Vitaly17

If you launch the game through launchbox, then ledblinky first tells the management of another game, then the one that starts and everything works fine.
Through the Bigbox, the control of the desired game speaks immediately, but after the buttons go out. I have tested it several times.

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superrob3000
1 hour ago, Vitaly17 said:

If you launch the game through launchbox, then ledblinky first tells the management of another game, then the one that starts and everything works fine.
Through the Bigbox, the control of the desired game speaks immediately, but after the buttons go out. I have tested it several times.

@Vitaly17 Does this one work any better for you?

CLI_LauncherPlugin.dll

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Vitaly17
39 minutes ago, superrob3000 said:

@Vitaly17 Does this one work any better for you?

CLI_LauncherPlugin.dll 17.5 kB · 0 downloads

I tested the modified plugin in the big box.
If you run the game from the main menu, then everything is fine. If you log into some playlist or system and run the script from there, then ledblinky repeats everything twice. Actually, I found a solution. So I use rocket launcher for all my emulators, I set up ledblinky in it and turned it off in launchbox. The only thing I had to create a bat file to start ledblinky and close ledblinky before starting and closing bigbox.

@echo off
start C:\LEDBlinky\LEDBlinky.exe
start /w "" "G:\LaunchBox\Core\BigBox.exe"
START "" C:\Users\Arcade\Desktop\scripts\ledonoff\kill.exe
EXIT

 

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madruk20

Hello! Awesome plugin, I've been using it alot this past week to create a favorites list of common games I play using stream deck buttons.  Is it all possible to use the database game ID's (for instance for Street Fighter 2 Alpha its 2532) to launch games by ID's instead?  I ask since the local ones are all randomly generated so you can't export stream deck profiles with already created buttons if I wanted to share them with someone else.

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superrob3000
1 hour ago, madruk20 said:

Hello! Awesome plugin, I've been using it alot this past week to create a favorites list of common games I play using stream deck buttons.  Is it all possible to use the database game ID's (for instance for Street Fighter 2 Alpha its 2532) to launch games by ID's instead?  I ask since the local ones are all randomly generated so you can't export stream deck profiles with already created buttons if I wanted to share them with someone else.

@madruk20 no problem, v7.0.3 adds the option to launch a game by its database id. Just keep in mind that this will be the slowest of all the game launching options because the database lookup can take a few seconds.

Edited by superrob3000
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superrob3000
25 minutes ago, superrob3000 said:

@madruk20 no problem, v7.0.3 adds the option to launch a game by its database id. Just keep in mind that this will be the slowest of all the game launching options because the database lookup can take a few seconds.

@madruk20 never mind about the delay. That should be fixed if you grab v7.0.4. Launching by database id should be just as fast now as the other options.

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madruk20

I figured out something you can do with the remote launcher.  Using a local smart speaker on Home Assistant, you can say something like, "Speaker, play Pac Man", and you can have it save it as a string after the word play and use the remote launcher to voice activate games! Pretty cool.

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