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Lightspeed: Ultra-Fast Mame Importer Tool


Jason Carr

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Just now, snoopybooh said:

Just checked the first page of this topic so I'm definetely missing something I should read. I've downloaded the importer tool but the app is asking for a launchbox.xml that I'm unable to find. I supposed that file is no longer used or it's been shredded with different files. Do I need to download an updated version of the importer tool or something like that?

@snoopybooh You are correct in that the current version only supports LaunchBox version 6.9 and before. Version 6.9 was the last version that made use of the "LaunchBox.xml" file. The developer of Lightspeed @Antropus is currently working on updating his tool to support the latest version of LaunchBox/BigBox. Although it's been a while, it is well worth the wait.

I hope this helps.

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Got it! Thanks for the info @Pacman56! Of course it helps that was I wanted to know!:) I really like the actitude of this community. I've already made 2 noob questions and nobody ever replied me with rude answers such as "google it" or "search in the forum".

I'll wait for the new update then, in the meantime I'll be sure to watch that king kong movie to support the developer ;).

 

Thanks guys!

Edited by snoopybooh
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Here's an update (nothing to download just yet).

The program had to be rebuilt quite extensively. At this point I got most of the things I wanted to implement in place, but there are many details still missing, reason why I am not releasing anything just yet.
I decided to parse everything in start, including all roms and artwork folders. It's not fast, but not too slow. The advantage is that once everything is loaded, then things are very zippy and you know EXACTLY what you have in your collection. In my machine the startup takes about 20-25 seconds. Like I said, not fast, but it's a small price to pay for the amount of features and speed you get once everything loads up.

There are many features to talk about, so I will save this for another time. For now I just leave you with some screenshots so you can see where I am at. And yes, both MAME and MESS are supported and this version is completely compatible with the new Launchbox file structure.
ls1.pngls2.pngls3.pngls4.pngls5.pngls6.pngls7.pngls8.pngls9.pngls10.pngsearch.pngmenu1.pngmenu2.pngmenu3.png

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  • 2 weeks later...

Happy New Year, guys!!! :D

Here's the scoop:

I've got everything hooked up and I am in the process of testing and bug fixing, which takes time.

 

I don't want you guys to be hanging and I've done a lot of work lately to try getting a version out before my family vacation, but unfortunately the day came (today) and things are not ready for primetime just yet :-/

 

I would love to release it, but there are bugs still and I would hate to release something broken while I am away and you guys would be in the dark with it.

 

The workflow got a little more complex too (still pretty simple overall), so my plan is to either have some introductory little videos or an updated manual before the release.

 

I will be back on the 9th and will be doing my very best to get the remaining bugs squashed and this out of the door.

 

It's working great and you guys will be pleased, I believe, but the devil is in the final touches!!!

 

Thanks for your patience and see you soon, hopefully with a brand new program for download :)

 

Cheers,

- Kris

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@Antropus

I really appreciate the update and would feel the same way as you in regards to releasing something you know has some bugs left to address.

The workflow may have gotten a little more complex but that's understandable when you deal with feature rich software such as yours. The software list feature will be a very nice addition and can't wait to experiment with it. 

Thank you again for keeping us in the loop and I look forwards to hearing back from you.

I hope you and your family enjoys your vacation and wish you a happy new year. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Back from vacations and back to testing/fixing things! There are some known little bugs that should not be too bad, as long as people are aware of them before hand, until I find possible solutions, but nothing that will stop you from creating your lists at all.

I added many more possible platforms, updated the manual as much as possible and hooked up everything that was disjointed. I will be releasing a version for tests in the next few days and I will really appreciate if people took the time to test it, as this will benefit all other users. The main focus is being Launchbox, because it is by far the most complex of all FEs. In fact, if I removed the support for Launchbox, my code would be reduced to about half.

At this point, I just want to squash as many bugs as possible and get a very stable release out. Then and only then I will contemplate adding new features. One of my priorities is, after the Launchbox module is working nicely, I will be putting some time on adding advanced support to the Attract-Mode and mGalaxy front-ends. At this point lists are being exported to them, but I would like to add support to creating lists by platform as well and similarly to Launchbox, have a fully automated process, to the point that you would just have to run Lightspeed and open any of those FEs to find everything fully configured and ready to go. But this will come in the future,

For now, stay tuned and a download will become available here in a few days, probably before the weekend!

Cheers,
-Kris

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Latest Version: 0.181a_RC1 Updated on: 1/13/2017 @ 2:20AM
Here's something for your to try: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B23vaxsfSk1yQUQ1aXZpSThpbUk/view?usp=sharing

There are still known bugs, but this should be fairly functional and stable at this point. Manual is still in progress but almost complete.
Remember: Lightspeed is designed for people who already have a large collection of MAME ROMS/artwork in their system.

If you are interested in testing it, please follow this 10-step guide:

1) Close Launchbox
2) go to your Launchbox installation folder and backup the entire "Data" folder to a safe place
3) now go to the original Data folder and delete:
Platforms.xml
Emulators.xml
Platforms (folder)

This will guarantee that you are working with an empty library without losing your settings, which is essential for our tests at this point
4) Download and install Lightspeed in your favorite folder
5) Run it as Admin (Right-click the main .exe file > properties > Compatibility > check "Run this program as an administrator", to avoid future problems depending on the location where it was installed)
6) If this is a brand new installation (as it should at this point), you will need to run the program once, configure all paths, then close/re-open Lightspeed. This will save the necessary .ini file on exit, which will be used to parse all folders on the next start
7) Once restarted and before you start playing with the filters, as a test, go straight to the "Export" Tab and click on it. You should now see the listview fully populated. Select what type of list format you want to export using the dropdown menu on the lower-left corner of the GUI, then browse for the destination folder right below it. If you select Launchbox from the dropdown menu, Launchbox root folder will be auto populated (you NEED to point to Launchbox's root folder when exporting lists to it)
8) Click "1 Filter"
9) Click "2 Output" > Add ALL. This might take some time at this point, as it's adding over 18.000 games to the list, from both Arcade and Software Lists, so be patient and wait until the process is over.
10) Look at the status bar. If the "Total Output" number matches your "Total Filtered" number you can go ahead and press "3 export"

If all paths were correctly configured, including Launchbox's root folder, the list should be exported and you should be ready to reopen Launchbox.

I hope things work for you!
-Kris

Edited by Antropus
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4 minutes ago, wirtual82 said:

OK, I tested this. And no problems so far. 

However, I cannot find an option to move or copy the filtered/matched games with images, videos etc. to a chosen location. 

Glad it worked. At this point Lightspeed can copy or move either ROM files (.zip) or CHDs to a given folder. Currently there are no options to also move matching artwork. Not hard to code, just not present at this point.

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You are looking for an un-needed artwork removal tool, correct? I think it's a great idea and it would be useful for myself as well. It's a good suggestion for a future version, thanks.
I am more of a collector with plenty of HDD space to store stuff, but I understand if some people want to keep just the stuff they will actually use.

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Yeah, that should be straight forward to implement. Lets wait until more people test the current version first.
The focus at this point is bug-fix anything remaining within the scope of what's in there.
New features will only be implemented once this version moves from RC (release candidate) to official version.

I would like if others could test all possible filter combinations to see if they are working correctly.

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