Bulk Add/Remove Additional Applications

[JoeViking245]

Bulk Add/Remove Additional Applications

View File

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Thanks to the new (since v13.5) plugin feature that supports menu nesting, 2 plugins have been combined into 1.

(Bulk) Add Additional Applications         - https://forums.launchbox-app.com/files/file/2866-bulk-add-additional-applications/
(Bulk) Remove Additional Applications - https://forums.launchbox-app.com/files/file/2980-bulk-remove-additional-applications/

 

These combined plugins have both been overhauled both functionally and visually to 'keep up with the times' and have a smaller footprint plus added features.

This plugin Requires LaunchBox v13.5 (or newer)

If you haven't updated to LaunchBox v13.5 (or newer), you really should.  But until then, the original versions of the plugins (for now) still work. (see links above)

 

Installing:
After downloading the file, open the zip file and copy the contents into \LaunchBox\Plugins\
i.e.   D:\LaunchBox\Plugins\BulkAddRemoveAdditionalApps\BulkAddRemoveAdditionalApps.dll

If you didn't use 7Zip to extract the contents, 

• Navigate to the plugin folder and right-click the file. 
• Select 'Properties'  
• Click "Unblock" and then click OK.

If switching to this plugin from either of its predecessors, be sure to remove the older version(s) from your 'Plugins' folder.

 

Using:

• Select one or more games
• Right-click on one of the selected games
• Select Bulk Add/Remove Additional Apps to expand 2 more options
• Select either:
  • Bulk Add Additional Apps
  • Bulk Remove Additional Apps

Bulk Add Additional Apps 

The intent of this is to add the same Additional Application to more than one game, all in one shot.
It can also be used to add an Additional App to a single without having Edit the game.

What's new:

• UI completely overhauled for that 'modern look'
• Removed restriction requiring multiple games be selected
  • aka: You can now add an Additional App directly to a single game without having to Edit the game
• NEW Feature: Add %romfile% to the Command-Line Parameters to insert the "full\path\to\ROM\file.ext" (including quotes) when saved
  • Option: Remove quotes
  • Option: Remove file extension and folder path
  • Tip: press Ctrl+R to insert %romfile%
• Bonus Feature: 
  • Add %title% to insert the games full Title
  • Add %platform% to insert the games platform Name
  • Tip: press Crtl+T or Ctrl+P to insert these (respectively)
  • Hint: You may want to enclose these in quotes if they consist of more than 1 word
    •  %platform%   =  Atari 2600
    • "%platform%" = "Atari 2600"

Huge Thanks to @Headrush69 for the idea of adding the %romfile% option!!!   (%title% and %platform% was also his.)

 

Bulk Remove Additional Apps

The intent of this plugin is to Remove the same* Additional Application for all games in a given Platform, all at one time.

*Same is determined by the Additional Applications Application Name and Application Path.  If they match exactly, they are the ‘same’.

 

Why use this?
Quite possibly you used Bulk Add Additional Apps and you clicked “OK” before realizing you forgot to add in the Command-Line Parameters, or the Additional App is simply not needed anymore.

Using:
When opening, the plugin will default to the selected games' Platform.  You can select a different platform using the dropdown box.

By default, the plugin will 'combine' all Additional Apps that have the exact same Application Name AND Application Path, and only display one of those.  
When you remove that "one", all occurrences (having the same Name and App Path) will be removed.  Regardless of Command-Line parameters.

To separate these out by Command-Line parameters, check Split By Command-line.

Once you click Remove, there's no going back.

 

 

Some icons by Yusuke Kamiyamane

 

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• Submitter
  JoeViking245
• Submitted
  07/10/2023
• Category
  Third-party Apps and Plugins

 

[espidie79]

Hello JoeViking245,

I just want to ask you if it´s possible to add the option field "Use an emulator" like in the individual edit screen 

Thank you very much for your time and patience

 

PS: Tested the BezelLauncher beta with shaders and have no problems. Thanks a lot

[JoeViking245]

15 hours ago, espidie79 said:

I just want to ask you if it´s possible to add the option field "Use an emulator"

Of course it would be 'possible'.   But can you give me some examples of additional apps that you'd want to add in-bulk to existing games, that require an emulator? 

 

15 hours ago, espidie79 said:

PS: Tested the BezelLauncher beta with shaders and have no problems. Thanks a lot

Good to hear.  Thanks for the feedback!

[espidie79]

Thank you very much for responding. Let me explain why I asked.

In Retroarch there is a core called Windowcast. It's not available for automatic download but is downloaded from a thread in the Retroarch forum

What this core does is capture a window that can be a windows game (an exe for example) or an emulator and "transmits" it through Retroarch as if it were a core by itself. This, for example, makes emulators such as Sega Model 2, Supermodel (Sega model 3), PCSX2, Demul, etc. or Windows games benefit from the options available in Retroarch.

Specifically what I'm trying to do is launch the Sega model 2 games through Launchbox, run sega model 2 as an additional app before the main app, and then retroarch with the windowcast core.

I have tried adding the M2 emulator exe in bulk but it doesn't work. Adding it as an emulator (after some configurations) has worked. If it could be added in bulk it will not be necessary to configure the games one by one.

I have given Sega Model 2 as an example, but the same would be for the rest of the standalone emulators.

I hope I have been able to explain the topic well.

Thank you so much

[JoeViking245]

2 hours ago, espidie79 said:

In Retroarch there is a core called Windowcast.

I'm not familiar with WindowCast (but I have heard 'of' it).  Can you share some screenshots of how you set it up?  Edit game, then the Details, Launching, Emulator, and Additional apps sections, and also if you need to add something in one of the other tabs of the [Edit] additional app.  I don't need any of the configurations from inside RA itself.  Just what's needed to launch all that (RA, the game and emulator) stuff from LB.  Please.

Just want to get a visual of what's all involved if I do add the 'Emulator' option, is case something else is necessary too.  Thanks.

[espidie79]

Hello JoeViking245

Here´s the information with the game "Behind Enemy lines" from Sega Model 2 as an example:

Launching: 

Complementary info: I have created txt files with the rom name fpr each game. Inside the txt files there´s the names of every game . This is for the windowcast core and the way it handles the game or emulator 

Emulator:

Complementary info: I have imported the txt files as roms, selecting Retroach as an emulator with the wgc_libretro core

Additional Apps:

Named M2 the "app" and selected the "txt rom file" as a rom. And then click on  "USe Emulator", select " Sega Model 2" and click in "Run automatically before the main application" . Previously i have configured the emulator

 

With this configuration you can launch the game throgh Launchbox

Hope this information is usefull tou you. If you need more info, just tell me

Finally i just have to say that i saw this method from a user named p3st in the windowcast thread at Retroarch Forums

Thank you very much

 

 

 

Edited March 7 by espidie79

[JoeViking245]

14 hours ago, espidie79 said:

Hope this information is usefull tou you. If you need more info, just tell me

That definitely helps. Thanks.

So, (correct me if I'm wrong) the process as I see it is:

1. Launch the game via its emulator ("Behind Enemy lines" - "emulator_multiplecpu.exe" (The M2 emulator))
2. Then, launch RA

Because of the name of the text file you passed to RA, along with the contents of the text file, RA know to look for 'that games' window'.

For all that to work, you create a text file for each game (ROMname.txt).  And in the text file is the name of that game.  Or?, it's one text file with all the game names for that platform, and that text file is copied and renamed to each of the ROM's ROMname.txt. (Doesn't really matter.  "A bunch of .txt files need to be created".)

 

And this is so you can add a bezel [and shader] to emulators that don't support them?  Or does it do more than that?  I ask because, if it's just for bezels and shaders, I hear there's a plugin called BezelLauncher that can do that. Without having to have two emulators running at the same time and without the need to create text files.

 

All that aside, and not to get out of more work for me , I believe you can do what you want with the existing options. For example:

Let me know if this method works.  If it does, and you stick with the RA + actual emulator (i.e. emulator_multicpu.exe) route, you won't even have to add these 'extra' emulators to LB.  (Just a thought. )

[espidie79]

Hello Joeviking245, thank you very much for your response. Indeed the process is like this. And the method you suggested with the existing options worked. I didn't realize it could be done like that, so I apologize for that.

On the other hand, I am using bezellauncher and it has worked very well for me (in fact I have several of your plugins installed since I consider them very useful). I just also like to try different alternatives and configurations.
So I thank you very much for your explanations and I apologize for the delay in responding.

Thanks a lot

[JoeViking245]

29 minutes ago, espidie79 said:

Hello Joeviking245, thank you very much for your response. Indeed the process is like this. And the method you suggested with the existing options worked. I didn't realize it could be done like that, so I apologize for that.

.... I just also like to try different alternatives and configurations.
So I thank you very much for your explanations and I apologize for the delay in responding.

Thanks a lot

You're very welcome!

Rumor has it, you can alternately add the AHK commands to start RA in the emulator's (Model2 in this case) Running Script.

Run, "D:\Emulators\RetroArch\retroarch.exe" -L "D:\Emulators\RetroArch\cores\wgc_libretro.dll" -f "D:\Emulators\WindowCast\SegaModel2.txt"

Process,Wait,retroarch.exe 
WinActivate

This will launch the game 'normally' (using the M2 emulator and the games .zip file), and at the same time, start RA.. loading the core and the txt file holding all the game names for that platform.

Courtesy in part by @SpoonyOrbit via Discord.