Launchbox desperately needs a platform extension filter setting for imports

[Pr0FiT]

There's only one actually new rom in this list...

 

I love launchbox but this has been a pretty big problem for a long time, certainly since the scan feature was added some time back. Quite simply the scan is deficient in two major ways:

1. matching an already imported game based on name is just not accurate enough. most of this list multi track disc which lb is just not able to recognize as already imported.

2. systems that don't fit the classical single-file rom format (like scummvm or just plain ol windows games)...don't even try to scan these

I'm sure there are tweaks that can be done to make it more accurate but the simple fact is other front ends have already figured out how to do it better. I cannot think of any way how the addition of an extension filter would make LB less useful but it would certainly fix something that just doesn't work very well now.

I'm well aware there are other ways of importing roms to avoid this but if you look at the number of required clicks and typing to make that happens it's objectively worse than the scan feature.

[DOS76]

yeah the best way to do that for multi file games is to place the roms in the LB games folder in its appropriately named folder. Then open file explorer in Windows and navigate to the folder you want to import from the type in the file extension you want *".cue" and it will list only your cue files then you drag and drop all of the .cues on to LB and it will start the import wizard. It really doesn't get any easier than that.

[Pr0FiT]

Just now, DOS76 said:

yeah the best way to do that for multi file games is to place the roms in the LB games folder in its appropriately named folder. Then open file explorer in Windows and navigate to the folder you want to import from the type in the file extension you want *".cue" and it will list only your cue files then you drag and drop all of the .cues on to LB and it will start the import wizard. It really doesn't get any easier than that.

I respectfully disagree, it does get easier than that

If you describe for number of mouse movement + clicks + typing as 'easier' then the scan feature is pretty clearly superior, and again, I'm already aware that it's possible to import this way but this does not address the fundamental issue which is the scan feature is just not very good outside of a very limited (single file roms) scenario. And there are some cases where the search becomes much more cumbersome, for example if you've added roms to multiple platforms and want to import them all, that's a rinse and repeat for each platform vs an unchanged number of clicks using the scan.

 

[DOS76]

It really doesn't get easier than that it could get easier than that but my statement was as things stand at this moment. I don't disagree that being able to choose a file extension would make it easier and quicker its just I'm not overly worried about being thrifty with mouse movements and clicks since they don't really have much cost. Maybe Jason will improve this but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it to happen. I suggest if you want to see this happen make a bitbucket post for a feature improvement and see if you can get others to show interest in it, then it might catch Jason's attention.

[Reaper]

Just came to say that I agree with Pr0FiT

I think that you should be able to set a format filter for each platform from within launchbox since right now the whole "Scan for added Roms" feature is obsolete without it.