Sort of a feature request regarding .lnk importing

[klepp0906]

I imagine this is going to be a feature request,  unless someone reading has a workaround I havent thought of.

Basically I used launchbox to import a bunch of non steam games I have in various places on my pc.   I hobcobbled shortcuts from each game and placed them in a single folder which allowed me to drag/drop all the .lnk into LB.

Otherwise it would be a 1x1 endeavor.  

Unfortunately this presents a bit of an issue.   I use BB through steam for BPM/remote play.   Games imported via .lnk dont get controls passed via steam.   I just ran into the exact same issue with SRM which resulted in the feature having to be added.  If you import a SRM shortcut by pointing to the .lnk and then point to that same exact .lnk manually via steams "add a non-steam game" button, the resulting steam shortcut looks entirely different.   

The steam route follows the .lnk to its endpoint and your shortcut is the same as if you had navigated to, and added the .exe itself. 

The SRM route, like LB - simply flicks the .lnk which cucks steams API.  

Unsure if theres a feasible solution im overlooking, or if this is something I'd need to take up with Jason to request an option to treat shortcuts like their endpoint.

At first glance, i'd think this would be the ideal way it should function - aka I cant think of any drawbacks to it being so.   Of course one could very well exist,  even the SRM dev said he was going to put it in as an option as opposed to the default just in case. 

[Retro808]

Sound pretty niche of an issue and something that may not be high on a list of to do's. Especially since reading your discord post this it seems to be more a Steam issue with Steam overlay since you say the game controls work fine in BigBox and the issue only occurs when running through Steam with the overlay. But regardless, the request a feature there is a feature request button at the top of the forum under "Help & Support"

 

[klepp0906]

nah doesnt have to do with the steam overlay.   Dont care about that.   Steam support wouldnt be of any help with the overlay.  Its something weird with the way it renders vs the way BB renders.   I did muck with "THAT" some more and it only happens during the bb menu/before starting a game.  If i start a game I can get the overlay in an uncorrupt fashion.

still - thats an off topic/unrelated issue as its limited to the menu, and not affected regardless of the path/source file/type of game launched.   Could even be theme dependant or some scaling issue (using default and 4k monitor).

It has to do with the way shortcuts are perceived by steam.   Like i mentioned, you add the shortcut.lnk to steam manually, the resulting steam shortcut doesnt show a path to the .lnk, it shows a path to the binary. 

I cant ask steam to add the ability to read links as endpoints because it already does.  Its 3rd party programs which arent presenting them in the same fashion.   

I have no idea how hard it is to implement, cant even begin to guess.   The SRM devs jumped right on it so that tells me it cant be "too" bad.  At the same time, that program is EXCLUSIVELY for adding shortcuts to steam.  Whereas this is a minute portion of what LB can be used for.

Still, as i mentioned previously - not just for my personal case - id imagine this is something that would benefit all cases by circumventing issues, as i cant think of a case where it would be superior or ideal to present a shortcut as itself and risk issues.  A tick box during importation to set paths in that fashion would be all that were needed even if it were chosen to be implemented as an option as opposed to a default.

Just figured id throw it out there.   For now I cant launch windows games through BB if I want controls to pass through steam.   Im ocd, i take pride in my collection.   I like it all in one place, otherwise id just remove the platform from BB and add them to Steam.  

Of course, given priorities like you mentioned - that might be my only out anyhow.   

Edited January 5, 2020 by klepp0906

[klepp0906]

i created an issue report on the bitbucket as I dont imagine theres any workaround other than going game by game and importing the exe instead of the shortcut and then renaming each manually.

The joys of software and our hobby

Edited January 5, 2020 by klepp0906

[Retro808]

29 minutes ago, klepp0906 said:

nah doesnt have to do with the steam overlay.   Dont care about that.   Steam support wouldnt be of any help with the overlay.  Its something weird with the way it renders vs the way BB renders.     

I was simply basing my statement off of what you said in discord as you mentioned the overlay. If the discord post and this is not related than my mistake. 

29 minutes ago, klepp0906 said:

Still, as i mentioned previously - not just for my personal case - id imagine this is something that would benefit all cases by circumventing issues, as i cant think of a case where it would be superior or ideal to present a shortcut as itself and risk issues.  

Still a pretty niche case though. Considering you have been the only person to have ever mentioned this. Still use the feature request mentioned though. Only true way for Jason to see how many people would need something looked into. 

[klepp0906]

yea, i dont argue its niche.  Im compulsive and the minute i discovered LB, i wanted it to be "complete."  If i have to pull out my windows stuff it'll pain me.

It wouldnt be nearly as much of an issue if I didnt play remote often AND didnt use obscure controllers with some games.    With steam i can circumvent needing things like GloSC for the steam controller or DS4windows for the DS4 etc. 

Steam is huge, the issue will undoubtedly present if anyone is meticulous (or obsessive,  you pick!) like me and culls all their games into a specific folder for sorting and tries to drag and drop all those shortcuts to LB to import.  

Honestly I only came to launchbox for emulation and its never failed me there.  It took awhile to get to the point of realizing i can add windows games,  let alone discovering the issue with .lnks.

Time will tell

Edited January 5, 2020 by klepp0906

[neil9000]

34 minutes ago, klepp0906 said:

It has to do with the way shortcuts are perceived by steam.   Like i mentioned, you add the shortcut.lnk to steam manually, the resulting steam shortcut doesnt show a path to the .lnk, it shows a path to the binary. 

The steam importer in Launchbox is for importing steam bought games. If you are adding non steam games to steam, like in this case Bigbox, then this sounds very much like a steam issue to me. As to not passing the controls, i believe the issue is that you are launching Bigbox from steam, so that is what has control, steam has no idea that the program it launched (bigbox) then launched another program that you actually want to control.

[klepp0906]

Yes, this is with non-steam games.  

Not a steam issue persay.   Perhaps its up to interpretation.   Same issue happens with SRM as noted.   I mean, it can fall on steam for not seeing .lnks properly - but steam itself does.   If you add the .lnk to steam, it converts it to the endpoint and no problemo.

steam unlikely wont take responsibility for 3rd party software.   Considering both SRM & BB will pass controls to the games properly through steam if theyre imported/added with a path to the binary instead of the .lnk  (which again, steam converts for you automatically - SRM soon will - having LB have the option to do so is what im asking).

As for controls themselves - youd actually be surprised to find (i know I was) how theyre handled (when they work).  I expected (like i think your noting) for whatever I launch through BB, to use whatever controls I have assigned to BB.    Totally not the case.   Let me give an example.  I have Cemu added to steam as well.   Cemu has a specific binding attached to it for all the wonkyness required due to the gamepad on the wiiu.  

Whenever i launch a wii u game through BB, it automatically starts using that control scheme.   Same for Retroarch.  I have special bindings to save state/load state.   BAM they start working automatically.

Its amazing.  

That said, Its obviously dependent on me having the emulator added to steam with a binding attached to it.  Same would be said about windows games which would be redundant at best.   

Of course, me personally - in 99% of the windows games I play, steams default control scheme that matches that of an xbox360 gamepad covers it anyhow.

[klepp0906]

Well, low and behold - I was wrong.

This entire argument was based on me discovering it within SRM first.   Its very weird.   SRM is poised to resolve it due to the simple fact that if you add a .lnk to steam with SRM, open it and note its appearance vs adding the .lnk manually to steam, you simply make SRM add .lnks that look like steams do and voila, all is right in the world.

So the minute I had no controls in LB/BB windows games through steam, i presumed that was the same exact case as thats how they were imported to LB.

Its a bit different though and perhaps due more to the fact its riding in on something else like i believe you noted.   I took one game and added the exe instead of the .lnk to LB.   I tried it, still had no controls.

The part that completely perplexes me is that if I add BB to steam with SRM (as a .lnk) I cant pass controls to anything, roms or windows games alike.  Its no good and what led me to this entire thing to begin with.   (I had previously had all my apps/games added by hand 1 by 1 and wanted to start using shortcuts to blast them all in one go.) 

If i add the .lnk through steam itself (which creates the shortcut identical to if I added the exe) controls pass to perfectly. (but only to roms!)

same with non-steam windows games outside of LB/BB.   use SRM to add .lnk, no controls.  add the exe or .lnk through steam itself (where it gets translated to endpoint) and controls are good.

The only thing that wont pass period, regardless of whether .lnk or exe in bigbox is windows games.

No idea why all emulators pass.  Purely windows games will not pass controls if I launch bigbox with steam, then launch a windows game through BB.

Because im sure this has become quite a convoluted mess, here's a quick image that shows how steam sees .lnks added by SRM, vs how steam sees .lnk added using steam itself.

In short, until the SRM fix goes in - I have to add everything to steam by hand.   Irrespective theres gonna be no playing windows games using BB if im launching it with steam.

Alls well though.  As i mentioned, LB was always emulation first to me.  

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by klepp0906

[klepp0906]

found the crux of the issue in case anyone finds this doozy.  The game is seen as a launcher by steam when launched through BB/LB.

there are only 3 ways around it.

1) enable the overlay for Bigbox.   Doing so stops all emulators from giving their individual mappings to BB and your stuck with the blanket bigbox control scheme you'd have to change based on the emulator in use PLUS the wonky scaling/clipping/flickering of the overlay notifications during the menu of bigbox.

2) add all the non steam games you want to play (windows ones) to steam and disable the "allow desktop configuration" box in each shortcut PLUS the redundancy of having those shortcuts in two places.

3) instead of having the default desktop config in your controller mappings for desktop (or disabled as i do) change it to a gamepad binding.   However this leaves you with a blanket config for anything you havent disabled "allow desktop during launcher" and if your playing something on the desktop and have steam running in your tray - this can cause double button presses and crazy behavior.

I'm gonna end up going with #2, or simply skipping the windows games within launchbox thing for now.   The SRM .lnk/exe thing turned out to be something unrelated/exclusive to SRM/steam shortcuts.

sure wish I could come up with a more convenient way to stream to tvs but steam has that guy pretty cornered

Edited January 5, 2020 by klepp0906