M3u file generator

[thewhite]

Hi,

I made a software that will generate all m3u file for your games that have multiple CD/DVD/Disk... 
How it works, choose your games folder and click Start. It will create a subfolder "m3u" in your selected games folder with "1list.txt" to list all files and "1result.txt" to show you all the content of all m3u generated. So it will be easier to check if all files are generated correctly.

Result will be like this;
Alternate Reality - The City (USA) (Disk 1 Side A).m3u (file)
..\Alternate Reality - The City (USA) (Disk 1 Side A).D64 (content)
..\Alternate Reality - The City (USA) (Disk 1 Side B).D64 (content)
..\Alternate Reality - The City (USA) (Disk 2 Side A).D64 (content)
..\Alternate Reality - The City (USA) (Disk 2 Side B).D64 (content)

The software compares one line to the next one in the "1list.txt" and if there is 2 or less different character, it supposes that is 2 disk from the same game.
So here, we have 1 and B different, so it works.
..\Alternate Reality - The Dungeon (USA) (Disk 1 Side B).D64
..\Alternate Reality - The Dungeon (USA) (Disk 2 Side A).D64

This also works for one difference;
..\BrainDead 13 (U) (Disc 1).chd
..\BrainDead 13 (U) (Disc 2).chd

This will not work;
Resident evil 2 (Leon).chd
Resident evil 2 (Claire).chd

You can choose if the m3u will be move to the same folder of your game (or in the same zip file) or let them in the subfolder.
If you choose a subfolder the m3u generated include the "..\" for the filename of the game, let the folder m3u at this place (a subfolder of your games) and import file that they are in games\m3u. You can delete the 2 txt files after your check is done.

 

**Updated software to show a message if no folder is choose.
**Update : let you the choice to generate the m3u to run in the same folder or in a subfolder.
**Update: add search text box to create only m3u contains these text and create m3u for all games there are not multi-disc.
**Update: Fix search text box and removed the file extension of the game in the m3u file.

 

 

M3U Generator.exe

Edited March 31, 2024 by thewhite

[Flames]

Oh MY!!!!! Oh MY!!!!! Many thanks indeed. I was looking for a program that could do this. Could you issue another version without the "..\" ? Is for the small files. I like to compress them, so in one "zip" file, I can have each game set with the m3u file.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Flames

[thewhite]

I don't understand about your zip file. The m3u cannot be in the zip file and you need one zip file per cd. I have thought about the option to remove the "..\", i will check that.

[Flames]

It is for the computer tapes, or disks. For example, for the Amstrad computer. You can have different tape sides for one game. This means several files. You can make a zip file called as the M3U file. When loaded by Retroarch, it allows swaping tape sides. So, at the end, you have one zip file per game.

[Flames]

Example: I issue a zip file called "Battle of Britain (E) (CDT)". Inside there are 3 files:

- Battle of Britain (E) - Side A (CDT).cdt

- Battle of Britain (E) - Side B (CDT).cdt

- Battle of Britain (E) (CDT).m3u

Retroarch opens "Battle of Britain (E) (CDT).m3u", and indexes the two tapes for swapping "Battle of Britain (E) - Side A (CDT).cdt" and "Battle of Britain (E) - Side B (CDT).cdt"

So the text for m3u file should be

    Battle of Britain (E) - Side A (CDT).cdt

    Battle of Britain (E) - Side B (CDT).cdt

The text is without "..\" at the begining. For 1 file there is no problem, but massive generation, is a hard work.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Flames

[thewhite]

Ok i didn't know you can load the zip file with launchbox then retroarch load the m3u inside the zip...

[Flames]

I found a small trick for this purpouse. You can us Note++, and open all generated m3u files. Select option - Edit - Replace, and replace ..\ by nothing. Before pressing replace button, you can notice, there is another button that says "Replace on all opened files". Then you can close the program, and begin savings all opened files. 

[Flames]

20 minutes ago, thewhite said:

Ok i didn't know you can load the zip file with launchbox then retroarch load the m3u inside the zip...

Yes, you can, if the emulator core supports m3u files. The only thing you have to take into account is that, zip name, should match with m3u name, and not with the other files, because this can create confusion to Retroarch and may try to run other file than the m3u.

I do agree with you, for CD images, there is no need of zip files, but for old computer games, zip files work really good.

I do have to thank you such a great program. Many thanks!!!

Edited September 23, 2022 by Flames

[thewhite]

I updated the software with the choice for same folder or a subfolder.

[Flames]

Works Great!!!! Now I can handle with thouse infernal systems with thousands of files (Amstrad, Spectrum, Commodore 64, ...) Many thanks. Very helpfull

Edited September 24, 2022 by Flames

[torpider]

Thanks I have saved a lot of work, I think it doesn't work well when you have to manage more than 10 files in one m3u.

[thewhite]

I don't see what can go wrong, my code compare line 1 with 2, then 2 with 3... Maybe the filename are not correct in the file 1list.txt.
Can you try with only one game that have more than ten files, put them in a folder, does it works? If not, can you give me the filename, so i can test on my side?

[torpider]

It has happened to me in several games of amiga that creates two or three m3u files but they are few it is not a problem I have corrected it by hand

I think it's a problem with how the files are named.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis - The Graphic Adventure_Disk9

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis - The Graphic Adventure_Disk10

a suggestion, it would be great if it also created m3u files from the simple files

Edited January 18, 2023 by torpider

[thewhite]

No, it will take too much time to rewrite the code in batch file as i don't know well this code.

[thewhite]

For the filename;
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis - The Graphic Adventure_Disk9
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis - The Graphic Adventure_Disk10

It doesn't work because the length are not the same. "Disk9" should be "Disk09" to work.

[zealvix]

1. Possible to set some search term (maybe make it optional) for 'disc' and 'disk'?

The below from PSX got wrongly generated into "Cool Boarders 2 (USA).chd.m3u" :

Cool Boarders 2 (USA).chd
Cool Boarders 3 (USA).chd
Cool Boarders 4 (USA).chd

 

Generating the m3u then without the search term (disc and/or disk) would be good too, example a single "Final Fantasy IX (USA) (Rev 1).m3u" for the below.

Final Fantasy IX (USA) (Disc 1) (Rev 1).chd

Final Fantasy IX (USA) (Disc 2) (Rev 1).chd

Final Fantasy IX (USA) (Disc 3) (Rev 1).chd

Final Fantasy IX (USA) (Disc 4) (Rev 1).chd

 

2. generating m3u for single disc files will be helpful for frontend to just configure to ignore the original iso/chd as well.

 

 

[thewhite]

@zealvix

It's a good idea, i was not sure to be able to do this, but it's done in the new version. If you set "disc" in the search box and there is 2 or less different character for the first line compared to the second line, it will be considered as the same game and add it in the m3u file.

[zealvix]

On 8/20/2023 at 11:29 PM, thewhite said:

@zealvix

It's a good idea, i was not sure to be able to do this, but it's done in the new version. If you set "disc" in the search box and there is 2 or less different character for the first line compared to the second line, it will be considered as the same game and add it in the m3u file.

Thanks!!

Works much better now with the keyword search, at least I don't see any false results (unrelated games grouped together)  yet from brief checks.

I prefer the m3u to be saved without " (Disc 1)" or the original extension (e.g chd) in the filename, but that is a small issue, can easily mass delete them with other file-renaming tools, so all good。

Edited August 25, 2023 by zealvix

[denjel]

great tool, they should implement it standard in launchbox.

[C-Beats]

1 hour ago, denjel said:

great tool, they should implement it standard in launchbox.

Automatic M3U file creation has been a feature in LaunchBox since version 10.10 which was released in Jan 20, 2020. Was there something you thought that feature was missing?