LaunchBox Multi Monitor and BigBox +3rd monitor plugin

[JoeViking245]

LaunchBox Multi Monitor and BigBox +3rd monitor plugin

View File

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LaunchBox Multi Monitor and BigBox +3rd monitor plugin

 

This plugin adds support for 2nd (and 3rd) monitors in LaunchBox to display game images while navigating your collections.  If you have LaunchBox version 13.1 or newer, Platform, Platform Category or Playlist images will be displayed when making a selection on the left navigation pane.

With BigBox, you already have use of a 2nd display (marquee monitor) for displaying images.  For those who have a pinball-cab (or a fancy desktop setup) with 3 displays, this plugin will allow you display an image on the 3rd monitor while navigating BigBox.

 

Some details:

-  The image displayed changes based on the Platform, Platform Category, Playlist or game you are viewing for both BigBox and LaunchBox.
-  To view Platform, Platform Category and Playlist images in LaunchBox, LaunchBox version 13.6 is required.  BigBox will work with any version.
-  When a game is launched, the image(s) will be hidden and then reappear after exiting the game. (default)
-  Optionally (new v1.1.0), you can select Keep image(s) visible during gameplay.
        The exception is Steam games that are launched via "steam://rungameid/xxxxxx". Their images will not stay visible nor reappear.
-  You set the default image type (i.e. Box-Front) to use for all games.  Or you can set individual image types to use on a per Platform basis (new v1.1.2).
 

 

Q&A:

• Why would I want to display an image on a 3rd monitor?
  • Because you can.
• What image would I put on a 3rd monitor?
  • That's entirely up to you.  You can choose from pretty much any image type in your collection.
• Can it display a video on the 3rd (or 2nd-or-3rd in LB) monitor? 
  • No.
• Can it show a pdf file on the extra monitor? 
  • No.
• Can it display 3D models for boxes? 
  • Yes (new v 1.2.0)

 

Installing:

• Download the plugin zip file.
• Right-click the zip file, select Properties and check Unblock (if present). Click OK.

              

• (With LaunchBox/BigBox not running,) Open the zip file and extract the included folder into your /LaunchBox/Plugins/ folder.

 

Setting up:

Start LaunchBox.

Click Tools, MultiMonitor Setup

 

Monitor Configuration:

• Select which monitor # you want the images displayed on from the pull-down list.
• Click Identify Displays to confirm which monitor corresponds with which monitor number.
• Toggle On or Off to see images on the respective monitors.
• (v1.1.0) If you wish to keep the images up during gameplay, check Keep image(s) visible during gameplay.
• (v1.1.1) In LaunchBox, if images aren’t displaying correctly on you marquee monitor, check Stretch images to fill screen (LB 2nd only). This only works on LaunchBox 2nd monitor.

 

Image Selection:

• Select the default image type you want displayed based on which View you're in.
  • Default Game Images:
    • BigBox 3rd Monitor and LaunchBox 2nd Monitor use the "Game View (BB 3rd/LB 2nd)" image.
    • LaunchBox 3rd monitor uses the "Game View (LB 3rd monitor)" image.
    • The image selection *Game Controls looks for game-specific images in your "/Images/platform_name/Arcade - Controls Information/" folder.
    • In LaunchBox, if LaunchBox 3^rd Monitor is turned off and the Game View 2^nd monitor image doesn’t exist, it will attempt to use the Game View 3^rd monitor image.
    • In BigBox, if the Game View 2^nd monitor image doesn’t exist, it will attempt to the Game View 3^rd monitor image.
    • Set custom game image per Platform (new v1.1.2)
      • Pretty self-explanatory.
• Click Save after you're done making changes.

 

Custom Folder:  (new v 1.2.0)

You can use a Custom Folder to search for game images.  This will search for game images in /your_Custom_Folder/game_platform/game.png
Select *Custom Folder as the Default Game Image, then click Set Custom Folder to set your folder.

Image* files can be named the same as:
    games' Title**
    ROM filename
    games' LaunchBox Database Id #
    games' Platform***

*Image file names with suffix -xx (i.e. myImage-01.png) are OK (aka. copy/paste from existing LaunchBox Images). However, the plugin will ONLY ever use one of the images if you have multiple.  i.e. myImage-01.png and myImage-02.png

**Game images using its Title must have invalid characters replace with _ (underscore).  See Invalid Characters below.
Most common is when the Title has a : (colon).

 Example:  Title = Disney-Pixar's Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!
           image = Disney-Pixar_s Toy Story 2_ Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!.png

***If a game specific image can't be found, the plugin will look for an image named after the games platform in the Custom Folder. NOT inside the platform folder.  i.e.  /your_Custom_Folder/game_platform.png
 

Invalid Characters below

Spoiler

<  (less than)
>  (greater than)
:  (colon)
"  (double quote)
/  (forward slash)
\  (backslash)
|  (vertical bar or pipe)
?  (question mark)
*  (asterisk)
'  (single quote) Not technically invalid (post-DOS), but consistent with LaunchBox character replacement

 

Other Notes:

LaunchBox:

Platform/Category/Playlist images will only be displayed if using LaunchBox version 13.6 or newer. 

BigBox:

Changes to image selections etc. can only be made in LaunchBox through Tools, MultiMonitor Setup.

General:

If after making changes in MultiMonitor Setup (AND clicking Save) images aren't displaying or there's some other plugin issue, try restarting LaunchBox.

Disclaimer:

This has only been tested on a 2-monitor setup. Neither of which were marquee monitors.    So.....  Good luck!  

 

As always, comments, suggestions and requests are welcomed and encouraged.

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• Submitter
  JoeViking245
• Submitted
  11/16/2022
• Category
  Third-party Apps and Plugins

 

[Kalish777]

Thank you so much, very useful plugin! 😁

 

[Retrofrogg]

Great plugin! Please consider enabling 3D rotatable box on the 2nd monitor

[Retrofrogg]

Also....could you add box - front - recontruction to the options list please?

[JoeViking245]

1 hour ago, Retrofrogg said:

Also....could you add box - front - recontruction to the options list please?

Box - Front - Reconstructed is not specifically exposed in the API.  But if you chose Box Front, and you set your Box Front Priorities (in LaunchBox) to have Box - Front - Reconstructed at the top of the list, that's what will show.

[Retrofrogg]

Thanks @JoeViking245 . But that’s not really a workaround - then all the box-front-reconstructed images will show in the main games list, when it should show box-front. 

[JoeViking245]

On 12/9/2022 at 1:40 PM, Retrofrogg said:

could you add box - front - recontruction to the options list please?

Unofficial release: v1.0.1b      MultiMonitor2022 (v1.0.1b).zip

- Renamed "Check Displays" to "Identify Displays" (MultiMonitor Setup)
- (not really a change, just never mentioned)
    In BB, if "Game View (BB 3rd/LB 2nd)" image does not exist, it will try to use "Game View (LB 3rd monitor)" image.
- Added to Game image choices:
    Box-Front-Reconstructed
    Fanart-Box-Front

[Retrofrogg]

Thanks @JoeViking245 - but I don't see the reconstructed one in the list?

[JoeViking245]

15 minutes ago, Retrofrogg said:

Thanks @JoeViking245 - but I don't see the reconstructed one in the list?

Download the file attached in my previous post.

[Retrofrogg]

Same -

[JoeViking245]

1 hour ago, Retrofrogg said:

Same

Hmmm....  When you click Tools, does it show that it's version 1.0.1b?

[Retrofrogg]

No -

Edit: I just ran through the process again, and this time it works - thanks! Looks great

Edited December 12, 2022 by Retrofrogg

[Offy]

Excellent!

[antcade]

Love this! It works great! Any chance that future versions will let the image stay instead of disappearing when a game is launched?

Edited December 13, 2022 by antcade

[JoeViking245]

15 hours ago, antcade said:

Love this! It works great!

Thanks!  Glad you like it and thanks for the feedback.

 

15 hours ago, antcade said:

Any chance that future versions will let the image stay instead of disappearing when a game is launched?

Yes.

 

New in v1.1.0  (Click here to go to the download page)

New Feature - Added option to not hide image during gameplay
Improvement - In LB, if monitor #3 it turned off and the "Game View (BB 3rd/LB 2nd)" image doesn't exist, it will try to use "Game View (LB 3rd monitor)" image
NewOldStock - In BB, if "Game View (BB 3rd/LB 2nd)" image does not exist, it will try to use "Game View (LB 3rd monitor)" image. (Already existed. Never mentioned)
New Options - Added Game View image options:
                 Box-Front-Reconstructed
                 Fanart-Box-Front
Change      - Renamed "Check Displays" to "Identify Displays"

[garrett521]

Looks great!  I am using to display my game marquees on my marquee display while in LB.  However, they are compressed, and are not taking up the entire screen as does happen in BB.  Is there a way to stretch the image to fit the entire screen?  Thanks.

[JoeViking245]

1 hour ago, garrett521 said:

Looks great!  I am using to display my game marquees on my marquee display while in LB.  However, they are compressed, and are not taking up the entire screen as does happen in BB.  Is there a way to stretch the image to fit the entire screen?  Thanks.

Thanks! Glad you like the looks. 

The plugin is designed to set the image width and height to the monitors width and height.  Can you share a screenshot of what you're seeing?

Are your marquee images all wider that they are tall?  like 1920 x 280 or a factor thereof.  In the BigBox Options - Marquee Screen, do you have either of the 2 toggles turned on (they're off by default) or the Screen Hardware Compatibility Mode set to something other than None?

[garrett521]

I have attached some pictures of what I am seeing.  First is marquee image in BB, second is marquee settings in BB, third is marquee image in LB.  Monitor is 1920×254.

[JoeViking245]

40 minutes ago, garrett521 said:

I have attached some pictures of what I am seeing.

Thanks. That helps.  So it looks like BB is stretching the image to fit to the marquee screen width (per your checked setting).  I had something similar in a different plugin, but it was causing issues between various 4:3, 16:10, 16:9 monitors.  So I "fixed" it. lol  Maybe I can add a stretch-toggle in the setup menu.

I'll see if I can do some digging and play around with it a bit.  Problem is I don't have a marquee monitor to do testing with.  So I'll have you be my guinea pig.   I'll see if I can conjure up something.  BTW, nice looking cab. 😎

[garrett521]

Thanks.  Appreciate the support with your awesome plugin.  It is much appreciated.  I will gladly be your guinea pig.