Create Playlists from MAME category ini files

[JoeViking245]

Create Playlists from MAME category ini files

View File

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Create Playlists from MAME category ini files for your Arcade Platform.

This plugin allows you to generate Playlists in LaunchBox from .ini files.  The same ones MAME uses in its UI to apply filters used to categorize viewing of your games.

To be clear:
This doesn't really expand much on the already available Arcade/MAME Playlist building feature in LaunchBox.   But if there's a rare instance you come across a MAME category ini file that has a 'pre-built' "filter" list and isn't already available in LB, well here you go.   Regardless, this was actually a just-for-fun, 'let's see if I can' type of thing.  And figured I'd just put it out here for whatever reason.

..now on with the show..
Only games that actually exist in your Arcade Platform will be added to the created Playlist.  So say you choose “Control.ini” and Select “Joystick 8-way”, there are 6827 roms listed with that ‘filter’.  If your Arcade Platform only has 1007 of those 6827, only 1007 will be imported into the new Playlist.  

Many of these files can be found at www.progettosnaps.net.  (Specifically here)  And several more at https://mameinfo.mameworld.info/ (Look for the “MAMEUI 0.2xx Category-, Version and Alltime inifiles” link).  There’s probably other sources available out there too.

These files are typically (and should be) stored in the  ../MAME/ini/folders/  folder.

Requirements:

• This plugin file.  Place it inside the ../LaunchBox/Plugins/  folder.
• Your MAME/Arcade Platform MUST be named “Arcade”.  v3.0
• A valid .ini file (or set of files) to read from. (see possible sources above)

(sample from “Controls.ini”)

[FOLDER_SETTINGS]
RootFolderIcon mame
SubFolderIcon folder

[ROOT_FOLDER]

[Dial]
2mindril
720
720g
720gr1
.....
[Joystick 8-way]
10yard
10yard85
10yardj
1941
.....

How to use:

First download and unzip the file.  Copy “Create Arcade Playlists.dll” to you LaunchBox/Plugins folder. Right click the file and select Properties. Check the box to “Unblock” (if present) then click OK.  Now start LaunchBox.

1. In LaunchBox, select “Tools”, then “Arcade Playlists from ini” (near the very bottom). [not to confused with "Create Missing Arcade/MAME Playlists.."]
2. When the plugin loads, it will attempt to automatically locate your ../ini/folders/  location and populate the “Available ini files” section.  If it wasn’t able to find it or you want to look in a different location, click “Browse” and navigate to the folder you want to use.
3. Click on the ini file you want to use.  This will populate the “Available sections/filters”.
   1. If there are no ‘[Sections]’ below “[ROOT_FOLDER]”, that means there are only rom names listed, and those will be added to the “List of roms to add” area.
4. Click on one the “Available sections/filters” you want to use.  This will add all the roms for that selection to the “List of roms to add” area.
5. Select the Platform that has all your Arcade games.  If it's called "Arcade", it will be selected automatically.  (new v3.0)
6. Click “Create Playlist” to create the playlist. 
7. Click Exit or create more.

(new look v3.0)

Once Exited, select Playlist or Platform Category and expand Arcade to see the new Playlist.

 

Notes:

This does not work with Additional Apps (mainly clones).

This adds “Arcade” to the beginning of the selected section/filter for its “Unique Name:” (to maintain consistency).  The “Nested Name” will be the same as selected section/filter.

The Playlist will be added to the “Arcade (Category)” of the Platform Categories list.

If you click Create Playlist and you don’t have any existing games that match, an empty Playlist will not be created.

If a Playlist of the same name already exists, either delete your existing Playlist or edit it and change the name.  It will not be overwritten nor modified.

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• Submitter
  JoeViking245
• Submitted
  02/17/2021
• Category
  Third-party Apps and Plugins

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by JoeViking245

[wallmachine]

Is it possible to generate a list from input category?

Example, with a game that has a genre driving but has a input of light gun as well I would like to have it under the light gun playlist because I keep a list of settings for all light gun games due to having to use mamehooker and setup individual settings etc

[JoeViking245]

5 hours ago, wallmachine said:

Is it possible to generate a list from input category?

"Control.ini"  (not to be confused with "controls.ini [lowercase "c" and an "s"]) has the available inputs you can filter by.  This particular ini file is in the the set from mameinfo linked above (and does include luckywld within the Lightgun section).

 

[tj122]

Okay so where is it?  I don't see the download.

[tj122]

Nevermind found it

 

[Johnny85]

So I am trying to create a playlist of two button arcade games (upto 4 players), for my buddies Arcade 1up TMNT cabinet using an ini file and I'm having issues with some games not adding. When I exported the ini file from Arcade Italia, it said it found 1600+ arcade games using the search criteria of 1-4 player games that only use two buttons. I made sure to select the matching Mame version of my set when exporting 0.215. When I tried to make a playlist in LB it pickups exactly 1500 games, which I figured maybe 100+ games that aren't in my library or named differently, clones or possibly a cap on how many games per playlist or something. No big deal. But then when I create the playlist, it only adds about 700+ games. I have 2916 games in my arcade folder and from what I've read online the majority of them are only two buttons so 1600 seemed about right to me. But when I make the playlist only 700 or so, less than half of the 1600 appear. Am I just missing that many games or is there some other reason they're not populating? Because some games like TMNT I definitely have but they're just not adding to the playlist? Anyways that's my issue, any help would be much appreciated. This thread has been helpful to me I'm hopeful someone can assist. Thx.  

[JoeViking245]

Reading between the lines here, I think you're saying if you have LaunchBox create the playlist (using filter, max players = 2,3,4?), it comes up with 1500 games.  BTW, there is no cap on how many games a playlist can have.  

But using the plugin and your custom ini file, the playlist created only has 700(ish) games.

 

When using the plugin, is the Count number showing 1600+?   (The Count # is how many ROMs total are seen in the ini file.)  And when you click Create Playlist, it shows [only] 700(ish) games were added?

 

Any chance you have more than one 'Arcade' platform?

 

When you created your ini file, did you maybe filter it to not include clones, and the TMNT version you use is a clone? (just grasping at straws here)  Verify which ROM you're using for TMNT (tmnt.zip or tmntu.zip or ???) and then check the ini file (can use any text editor) that it's in there (tmnt or tmntu or ??).  The ini file is not sorted.  So probably easiest to do a search for the ROM name.

I do know there's just over 50 Players Choice (pc_romName.zip) games, so that may account for some.?.?.

[Johnny85]

Hey JoeViking245, so I created the ini file using arcade Italia search and export function and it found 1600 games initially. And yes, I did click the Exclude Clones options maybe that's part of the issue. When I loaded the ini file in LB it recognized about 1100 games or so i.e. the count number. However when I create the playlist with a count number of 1100+, the actual playlist comes out with only 700+ games in the end, excluding games I know I have in my Arcade folder like TMNT. I did not use any additional filters within LB as it didn't even give me the option. I do have other separate arcade platforms (Naomi 1+2, Atomis Wave, MP2, etc) but only one 'Arcade' platform with 2916 Mame games that I'm trying to create the playlist from. I'm not looking for games from any other platforms or any 3D games, just 2 button arcade games with 1-4 players in Mame as that's what the cabinet I'm trying to mod is setup for. I will have to double check the file names on my TMNT roms and the ini file and report back. Any help would be much appreciated, thx for the quick reply.

 

[JoeViking245]

1 hour ago, Johnny85 said:

When I loaded the ini file in LB it recognized about 1100 games or so i.e. the count number.

To clarify semantics, I think you mean to say you loaded the ini file into the plugin (which happens to be started from within LaunchBox).  And the plugin is seeing that the ini file has "about 1100" games in the list.  (The Count: # below the Exit button. In the plugin.)

And then when you click Create Playlist (in the plugin), it says "715 games were added to:"  ("715" roughly equals the "700+" number you quoted)

 

1 hour ago, Johnny85 said:

I did not use any additional filters within LB as it didn't even give me the option.

You kept saying 'in LaunchBox' which led me to believe you were using the built-in filters available in [actual] LaunchBox.  Correct.  The plugin does not have any filter options (beyond selecting which list to import from [middle column, which you probably don't have anything there]).

 

1 hour ago, Johnny85 said:

I will have to double check the file names on my TMNT roms and the ini file and report back.

Let me know what you find.  Or don't find.  

 

The plugin scans every game (2916) in your Arcade platform (excluding Additional Apps) and compares them (by rom name) to every game (about 1100) in the list.  If there's a match, it gets added to the playlist.

That said, I suspect it's a clone thing (as previously mentioned).

[Johnny85]

Update: I created a new ini file without excluding clones this time, initial search count was 3695 games, LB count was 3374 games and playlist came out with 976 games so definitely an improvement. TMNT 1 & 2 are both in the playlist now. I'm not sure how many more games I can get working but almost 1000 games is a pretty good start. Thx for your help.

Edited December 16, 2022 by Johnny85