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[FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.8.6

[0] @ Piątek, 29 Stycznia 2021 22:47CET

[FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.8.6

Nowa wersja frontendu EmuLoader - nakładki, uznawanej za jedną z najwygodniejszych tego typu rozwiązań, pozwalającą ułatwić nam obsługę emulatorów Arcade  - MAME, Demul,  SuperModel i innych.

version 8.8.6 change log - January 28, 2021

Fixed

  • Splash screen's image was not loaded on a clean install
  • I forgot to remove a beep sound when loading a game MAMu_ icon

Changed

  • Night mode setting "Use Windows 10 Dark Scroll Bar in Games List" is now enabled by default; only works on Win10 build 1903 (May 2019 update) and newer (this setting might be removed in a future build)

Added

  • Per image category "no image found" added back. You can have different PNG files once again instead of Emu Loader's "orb" image
    • 17 category files, PNG format on a new "img_missing" folder ("resourcesimagesimg_missing")
    • filenames are as follow:
      • Title Snapshot: title.png
      • Game Snapshot.: ingame.png
      • Marquee.......: marquee.png
      • Flyer.........: flyer.png
      • Cabinet.......: cabinet.png
      • Control Panel.: controlpanel.png
      • Software Cover: softwarecover.png
      • PCB...........: pcb.png
      • Game Artwork..: ingameartwork.png
      • End...........: end.png
      • Boss..........: boss.png
      • Logo..........: logo.png
      • Score.........: score.png
      • Versus........: versus.png
      • Game Over.....: gameover.png
      • How to Play...: howtoplay.png
      • Select........: select.png
    • if the new file is not found "resourcesimagesemuloader.png" will be used instead (as before)
  • Support for MAME's new "history.xml" file format
    • if both "history.dat" (old format) and "history.xml" are found, the frontend will use the .XML as default
    • the first line cannot be empty as the "< ?xml " string is used to validate the XML file (otherwise the frontend will handle that file as the one with old .dat format)
    • only english text is supported (TRichEdit limitation)
    • internet links might not work if they have "%20" char as spaces (and other coded chars)
NOWSZY [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.9.4

Version 8.9.4 Change Log - October 27, 2021

Fixed

  • Search bar edit box not receiving keyboard input
    • caused by a custom function that removes "Delphi 7 hidden form trickery", making the edit box always focused and locked at startup
    • you can hit TAB key to alternate between main games list and search bar edit box
  • Games list "out of focus" at startup; fixed by moving "HideAppFormTaskBarButton" function from OnActivate to OnShow main form's event; "thank you" for this bug, Delphi 7
  • Splash screen no longer appears on top of other applications when creating/scanning games list
    • you can safely use other applications whithout Emu Loader's splash screen poping up on top of them
    • this fix only works if you create/scan games list manually after the frontend's main window shows up (games list window)
    • on a clean install, splash screen still sticks on top of other applications; I'm still trying to find a workaround for it
    • splash screen now displays properly in Windows taskbar's "thumbnail preview"
  • Visibility checkup for the splash screen, to prevent the timer from resetting in the middle of a function with multiple tasks
  • The following no longer appear on top of other applications
    • "games list filter" message panel
    •  "MAMu_ Icons Manager" window

Changed

  • Replaced TNotebook component by TPanelEx in "Run MAME Game (Extra)" screen for easier source code maintenance and future improvements
  • Updates to my ColorBoxEx drop-down button
    • moving the mouse over it doesn't make the button flicker anymore
    • replaced the mega-useless "down arrow button" by a RGB picker button (you can click anywhere in the button to open the colors listbox anyway)
    • minor drawing tweaks
  • Updates to my ComboBox2Ex drop-down button
    • moving the mouse over it doesn't make the button flicker anymore
    • minor drawing tweaks
  • Tweaks to the startup process; it's a little faster
  • Removed the .exe file extension requirement for emulators; any file extension can be used (except batch files!)... or none
  • Feature "Show Image Layout Dimensions" improvements (images popup menu)
    • panel colors are always in night mode - no more floating window, now the panel is on the games list, top/right position, and cannot be moved (floating window was always on top of other applications, just like the splash screen)
    • this is just used to fine-tune image panel sizes and is not meant to be always visible
  • If "frontend_dirtempmame_listxml.xml" / "frontend_dirtemphbmame_listxml.xml" file already exists, Emu Loader won't generate the listxml file when creating a MAME / HBMAME games lists
    • after games list is created, the listxml file is deleted to prevent left-overs and allow to create a games list for a new MAME build

Removed

  • Batch files support completely removed from the project (.bat; .cmd)
  • Checkboxes "Use Large Icons" / "Use Large Text" in several screens are no longer needed
  • Checkbox "Small Icons" in "Select Emulators" tool bar button is no more
  • Minor source code cleaning; some deprecated functions deleted
  • Font size in "Favorites Manager" screen is no longer needed

Version 8.9.3 Change Log - September 29, 2021

Fixed

  • Set fonts to default was not validating font size in Night Mode / 4K Mode ("Games List Font Settings" screen, games popup menu)
  • Search bar was not filtering games correctly with the "Have/Miss" tool bar filter
  • Settings "Show Border" and "Border Color" were not updating if you click "Update" button in "Thumbnails Settings" screen
  • View mode menu options "Game Icon Size" and "Tiles View Cell Size" were not properly initialized at frontend startup
  • Edit boxes no resizing correctly in "Supermodel Settings" screen, 4K mode

Changed

  • Tiles view "Ultra Large" cell width increased to 550 pixels

Removed

  • My custom component RichEditURL no longer needed
  • Redundant label "Filter by" removed from search bar caption text (tool bar filters)
  • Icon files no longer used (folder "resourcesmain_icons)
    • savetofile.ico
    • savestate.ico
    • toolbar.ico
    • reserved.ico

Added

  • New "Audio Compressor" setting in mame.ini ("MAME Settings" screen, Audio panel)

version 8.9.2 change log - September 01, 2021

Fixed

  • Several popup menus were not resizing to 4K
  • Fail to detect feature tags "sound", "graphic", "palette" for MAME device and bios sets when creating a games list (-listxml output)
  • Columns sorting in "Select Machine To Run Game" screen was borked (games popup menu)
  • Emulator title not showing in "Run Confirmation Dialog" message box when the emulator filename is not found (console/computer emulators)

Changed

  • Improved system icons in "console_computersystem_icons" folder
    • some icons were outdated and needed a refresh
    • added 256x256 resolution, they might be used in thumbnails view when no thumb image is shown, if thumb cell is big enough
  • If needed, game info top bar expands to show more details in message boxes (game name/game file + emulator + usage tips)
  • Main menu icons are now 16x16 when not in 4K mode, like in games popup menu, using an existing icons list (TImageList) to reduce RAM usage (used to be 24x24)
  • Tweaks to preview image hint box; and in 4K mode, icon size is increased to 32x32
  • Tiles view "details text" font size changed to 16 pixels when tiles cell size is set to "Insane 128x128" ("View Mode" tool bar button)
  • Split mameinfo.dat and messinfo.dat content into 2 separate StringLists ("Show MAME Game Documents" feature, games popup menu)
    • game info / driver info is first read from mameinfo.dat, if not found, then look for the data in messinfo.dat
    • some games were showing wrong info due to duplicate game entries (both .dat files were merged into one big list)
    • added "(source).dat file info" after the text type title so you know if the info came from mameinfo.dat or messinfo.dat
    • minor tweaks

Removed

  • Files "usagerules.ico" and "savestate.ico" are no longer used ("resourcesmain_icons" folder)
  • Setting "Larger Font Size" in "Image Hint Box" is gone ("Night Mode Settings" screen; Preferences screen)
  • Removed a couple redundant TImageList containers with duplicate icons being loaded into RAM

Added

  • MAME/HBMAME sets additional info (create a new MAME games list required)
    • cocktail mode support and cocktail status, shown in "Game Details" screen
    • driver "protection" tag, shown in "Game Details" screen
    • "requiresartwork" tag, to list all games that need external artwork to function properly
    • "lan" tag for future frontend improvements; for now, it shows "Local Network" info in "Game Details" screen
    • new "Arcade Misc Filters": "Cocktail Mode" and "Artwork Required" (tool bar buttons)
  • I missed a few mame.ini settings over the past months (oopsie)
    • Directory To Share With Emulated Machines (-share)
    • Path To Loose Software (-swpath)
    • Path For LUA Plugins To Store Data, Read/Write (-share_directory)
  • Support "ramoption" tag in -listxml output for future frontend improvements (MAME/HBMAME only)
    • new file "arcadegamesmame_ramsize.ini"
    • used in MAME machine custom settings, for machines that support RAM setting (MAME Settings screen)
    • you can no longer enter invalid RAM sizes, the edit box was replaced by a combo box showing only valid options (MAME shows an error if you do anyway...)
    • New games list files "mame_listslots.txt" and "mame_listmedia.txt" when creating MAME games list, to be used with custom parameters feature
    • minimum MAME v0.162 required; older builds will not generate these files (no software lists support)
    • do not modify the files in any way or the frontend will fail to show slots/media info in custom parameters screen
  • New "Machine Slots / Media Info" panel in "Custom Parameters" screen
    • minimum screen resolution supported 1024x768; minimum resolution recommended 1600x900 - you can see a list of all supported machines for software list / softlist game being edited
    • selecting a machine will show slots options and/or media options, you can choose which one by using the "Slots" / "Media" radio buttons
    • you can modify the command in the machines edit box to expose more details for an attached device (info not shown in MAME's -listslots output)  (to show supported file formats for Atari800 cassette device): -sio cassette -listmedia
      • the "Run Command" button will execute "mame.exe machine_name
    • -cmd_params" with CreateProcess() WinAPI but also create a "pipe" to capture MAME's console output text ("stdout"), no external temp files are created!


Notes:

  •   - changing the machine in "machines list" panel will not overwrite the one you previously chose in "Select Machine to Run Game" (games popup menu)
  •   - if you are editing a MAME machine instead of a softlist game, only one machine is listed
  •   - do not enter a machine name in machine's "Edit Command" edit box, select one from the list above
  •   - console output text is shown in the RichEdit, including MAME's error messages if you type an invalid command
  •   - "save state" info is not available in if your screen resolution is lower than 1366x768

version 8.9.1 change log - August 13, 2021

Fixed

  • An oopsie, I made. Forgot to enable PNG compression in console/computer system icons ("console_computersystem_icons" folder)
  • Panels of "Video 3" were not showing up (BGFX, HLSL, GLSL)... oopsie!
  • Forgot to include the updated and tweaked splash "logo.png" for standard resolution ("resourcesimages" folder)
  • Requirements for a software list game is empty if the required is a machine device that must be attached in a slot
  • Several tweaks to software/device requirements detection, use by software list games

Changed

  • New and improved "Nintendo Wii U" system icon ("console_computersystem_icons")

Removed

  • The following JAVA emulators are no longer supported (it requires JAVA installed in Windows)
    • Java PSP emulator "jpcsp"
    • Java Apple Computer Emulator "JACE" Notes:
    •   - removed because they only run thru .bat files
    •   - the frontend is "slowly but surely" moving away from .bat / .cmd files, it was never meant to be used as emulator filenames in the first place
    •   - MAME games/machines can use custom parameters now, .bat files are no longer needed

Added

  • New "Don't Show This Again" checkbox in message box to disable "Run Game Configurmation Dialog"
    • this checkbox only appears when running games, nowhere else
    • main menu setting "Run Game Configurmation Dialog" is enabled by default now
  • Support for "microM8 Apple II Emulator"
    • get it at https://paleotronic.com/software/microm8/
    • it can load 2-disk games from command line (untested)
    • to be used in the "Apple II" computer system
  • Support for "GSplus" Apple IIgs Emulator
    • get it at https://apple2.gs/plus/
    • both Win32 and SDL builds are supported
    • it works the same as GSport and KEGS32
  • New icon: "resourcesmain_iconsterminal.ico" used in games popup menu, "Custom Parameters" feature (so far)
  • New "Select Machine [machine_name]" item for "Select Set" sub-menu
    • for software lists, and only shows up if there is a MAME machine assigned to that software list
  • New feature: Custom Parameters (MAME only)
    • accessible in games popup menu "Custom Parameters" sub-menu
    • there is no on/off switch, this feature is always enabled
    • create a custom paramaters string to attach devices and stuff into slots (its main purpose)
    • made for software list games, software lists and MAME machines
    • media parameter and game name are added automatically at the end of the command line (only when running games)
    • if you use the game's media parameter, make sure to add it at the end or it will not work (-cart; -flop2; -cass; etc)
    • for rare cases, you may use a "< game>" tag along with the media parameter, it will be replaced by the game name
    • you can overwrite the machine name for a specific softlist game by adding the machine name before the custom parameters
    • file format is in plain .txt (ANSI only)
    • files are located in a new "arcadecustom_paramsmame" folder, and "softwarename" sub-folders for software lists
    • file contents should be "custom_params=parameters-text" format (without quotes)
    • if you create a custom parameter for the parent set, its clone sets will inherit the custom parameter
    • if you create a custom parameter for a software list, so all its games will use it (filenames are the same as .xml files from "mamehash" folder)
    • if you create a custom parameter for a MAME machine, all software lists assigned to that machine will use it
    • take a peek at the "Custom Parameters Samples" panel, you'll find some usage examples in there :)
      • files search order:
      •   gamemane.txt
      •   parent_gamemane.txt
      •   softwarelist_name.txt (in case the game is from a software list)
      •   machinename.txt (machine assigned to run the softlist game with)
  • Added "DirectX 12" an "Vulkan" options to "BGFX Backend" setting (MAME Settings, "Video 3" tab)
    • for the upcoming MAME v0.235 (got them from MAME github)
    • DirectX 12 requires Windows 10 / Windows 11
    • replaced options texts with detailed ones

version 8.9 change log - August 04, 2021

Fixed

 

  • Some top bar labels were invisible in message boxes, caused by the new 4K mode (oopsie!)
  • Heavy flickering when selecting text with mouse on my TEditEx control (it's a component bug, not a frontend bug)
  • "Arcade Systems" selector colors in main menu "View" / "Arcade ROMs Folders" were not properly set in night mode
  • Some artwork checkbox settings in "MAME Settings" screen were still enabled even though MAME doesn't support them anymore
  • Nasty bug. Every time the message box was called, "Night Mode" checkbox component would trigger the night mode's initialization function, resetting interface colors and components appearances; it's been there ever since night mode was implemented... D'OH!
  • Added "Atari 2600" to the "cassette tape" supported systems list (oopsie!)
    • this makes possible to run MAME cassette tape games with "Stella" Atari 2600 emulator
    • added "Stella CASSETTE="%s" entry in "emulator_parameters[default].ini" file
    • Fixes and improvements to my custom components "TComboBoxEx2" and "TColorBoxEx" (Night Mode only):
    • finally found a way to draw Win10 dark scroll bars, using "GetComboBoxInfo()" WinAPI to access the component's internal drop-down list handle (HWND)
    • fixed a repaint issue not triggering after mouse hover "on/off"
    • fixed an issue were the drop-down arrow was not vertically centered
  • Unicode game names and titles was not working correctly for Console/Computer/Handheld systems (ported from EmuCon)
    • the frontend will decode strings when parsing entries from games ".el" files and set the "IsUnicode" tag directly
    •   (the "IsUnicode" tag in .el files is no longer necessary (files in "console_computergames" folder)
    • games were displaying incorrect Unicode titles and filenames in games list
  • Console/Computer/Handheld games lists were being tagged as "updated with new games" if "Create a New List" checkbox was ticked, even though no new games were found
  • Frontend's button in Windows taskbar button not showing up at startup
    • a small code is executed at startup to remove the "double taskbar button" in Windows Vista and newer, caused by Delphi 7 compiler,
    • but it makes the taskbar button dissapear until the main form shows up
    • to mitigate this issue, that code is executed right before the main form is shown (this is the point where the taskbar button doubles itself)
  • Fixed from bottom color of emulator/game top bars in several screens while in light mode
  • Text color in systems list panels were not properly painted when panel is out of focus and when a system is disabled/unchecked
  • Not all games were being added in "Scan MAME/HBMAME Game Samples" feature (main menu "Games List")
  • Fixed a bug that would crash the frontend when trying to update "played info" .ini files after exiting a game
    • if the frontend still crashes after exiting a game, you'll need to clear its played info ("Reset Selected Game Info" menu in games popup menu)
  • Changing "Tiles View Cell Size" setting in "View Mode" tool bar button now changes the icon size properly (48x48; 68x68; 128x128)
  • Modifying the following settings do not reset "MAMu_ icons" cache if the view mode is not the correct one
  •  &npsp;("Game Icon Size", "Tiles View Cell Size")

Changed

  • New "Show Grayscale Icon In Game With Missing ROMs/CHDs" setting (preferences screen, "Games List" panel)
    • by default, available games with missing ROMs/CHDs will show colored icons from now on
    • these sets have a custom font to help you see the "have with missing ROMs" status
    • why should a gray icon be displyed for sets you have, but there might be ONE tiny ROM missing ?
    • it looks better this way; I myself confuse them with "missing sets" quite a lot (sets you don't have)
    • for arcade systems only, including MAME software lists
    • you can go back to the old gray icon by ticking the new checkbox setting in preferences screen
  • Color of "disabled" button state updated with darker colors and a black font; the old one was too bright (night mode)
  • Massive frontend icons update ("frontend_dirresourcesmain_icons" folder tree)
    • added 128x128 resolution icons for the 4K mode (and some 256x256 icons for future use... maybe)
    • icons texts color changed to white as default: "image category", "layout category", "tool bar filters", "arcade filters" icons
    • overlay icons "image category" and "layout category" icons are no longer required, no need for this trickery anymore as the frontend can change text font color of .ico files on the fly!   (folder "main_iconsoverlayimg_dark" and files are no longer required)
    • "background band" behind texts in tool bar icons are no longer needed
    • replaced text silver pixels by a 25% opaque pixels in 32x32 and 48x48 tool bar filter icons
    • image category 32x24 icons are no more; it hasn't been used in quite a while
    • image category 32x32 icon new size; it's used in images tool bar and in 4K mode
    • all frontend icons must be 32-bits color depth or hell will break loose (crashes all around and all kinds of weird behavior)
    • if the .ico file doesn't have the requested icon resolution, icons are automatically upcaled thanks to the "PrivateExtractIcons() WinAPI
  • Proper 10 pixels border for game info/emu info top bar (4K mode)
  • Disabled systems are now painted with 25% blend, it makes them easier to spot in systems lists (EasyListView)
  • Thumbnail view updates and fixes:
    • support for 48x48 system background icons when thumb cell if smaller than 68x68
    • minor tweaks and fixes in the thumb generation/loading functions
    • painting bug fix in EasyListView if thumbnail cell is too small
    • minor tweaks to fix misaligned overlay icons, specially if you use overlays of different sizes
  • Moved checkbox "Create a New List" to the center of the lower bar so it's easier to spot ("Create Console/Computer/Handheld Games List")
  • Removed "IsUnicode" tag from games list files (console/computer/handheld systems)
    • this tag is now validated and set at runtime (tag might be removed in a future build)
    • the following files will be updated automatically at startup (done only once)
      •   - games files in "console_computergames" folder
      •   - played games files in "console_computerplayed_games" folder
      •   - games extra info files in "console_computergames_extra_data" folder
    • Modified TntCustomEdit component to fix heavy flickering when selecting text with mouse (TNT Unicode Delphi Components Pack)
    • same fix as my TEditEx component was applied here
    • Source code files for all 4K mode forms are stored in "source4K" folder
    • RAM usage will not increase since forms are initialized only when used, then freed from RAM on exit
    • files not used by the project, but used for layout designs are stored in "source4Kdesigns" folder
  • Library "unitExIcon.pas" has been replaced by Microsoft's "forbidden" WinAPI "PrivateExtractIcons()"
  • there's a weird bug in ExIcon unit that causes "out of resources" error under Windows 10... this unit is sooo old; great, but old  (I've been using this unit for many years and never had any problems, until I started using Windows 10!)
    • the API PrivateExtractIcons() can extract icons of any resolution from 16x16 to 512x512 with just a couple lines of code, and is so much easier to use than ExIcon library; I hope Microsoft doesn't remove this API from Windows
    •   (why Microsoft never created an "official" WinAPI capable of doing this job, is beyond me!)
    • "Load MAMu_ icons" functions are still using TExIcon; it requires a rewrite
    • Game Details updates
    • fixed a crash when calling this feature for the same game twice in a row (open/close details screen, open it again... BOOM!)
    • other minor fixes and tweaks here and there
  • A couple more tweaks to "MAME Game Docs" parsing routines, they are 12ms faster
  • New "TNT Unicode" component "TntEditEx", based on "TntEdit" but with custom frame drawing, just like my "EditEx" component
    • an edit box that can display Unicode texts, used in "Rename Game Image" feature, for console/computer games
    • new "TntEditEx.pas" file added to the TNT's "runtime" package (same package as "TntStdCtrls.pas", easier to compile and cleaner code)
    • this component was made for the "Night Mode"
    • better to create a new component and leave the original "TntEdit" unmodified
  • Several edit boxes replaced by TTntEditEx component in the project to accept Unicode texts (Engligh / Non-Engligh mixed)
  • Changes, updates and fixes to Delphi components: TAdvOfficeCheckBoxEx / TAdvOfficeRadioButtonEx / TEasyListView
    • added support for 23x23 HD CheckBox/RadioButton icons, used by the new 4K mode (it looks sooo pretty...)
    • new component property "CustomEnableIconHD" to toggle "HD icons" on/off (NOT available as a frontend setting)
    •   (this only works with external icons, not with Windows themed ones)
    • fixed CheckBox/RadioButton vertical alignment code in EasyListView component, so "HD icons" align correctly
    • icons are now extracted from .ico files using "PrivateExtractIcons()" WinAPI
    • new component properties "CustomIconsImages" and "CustomIconImagesHD" to assign external TImageLists, so the same CheckBox/RadioButton icons set can be shared by hundreds of CheckBox/RadioButton/EasyListView controls in the same TForm using a single TImageList (one for regular 13x13 icons and one for HD 23x23 icons)  (this prevents every control from loading the same set of .ico files; imagine a TForm with 50 CheckBox components in it... loading the same 12 icons!)
    • added a small tutorial text in "TAdvOfficeCheckBox" source code, with instructions on how to use custom icons and the new external TImageList properties
    • all .ico files from "resourcescheckbox_radiobutton" folder tree updated with the new 23x23 icons
  • Tons of source code optimizations and removal of duplicate functions
  • Custom CheckBox / RadioButton default profile changed to "Night Mode 1 Black" (as it should have been from day 1)
  • Custom CheckBox icons set in "Customize Night Mode" and "Customize SplashScreen" changed from "Night Mode 1" to "Night Mode 1 Black"; it looks better (cannot be customized)
  • Custom CheckBox/RadioButton "Night Mode 1" icons profile is gone (folder resourcescheckbox_radiobutton)
  • Updates/changes to "Night Mode Settings"
    • setting "Use Windows 10 Dark Scroll Bar in Games List" removed
    • removed "Floating Panel" / "Caption Font" setting from "Search Games Panel Colors"
    • source code optimizations, some internal fixes and improved stability
  • Splash screen optimizations
    • Form is now created directly in the project's DPR file before anything else, including the main Form
    • it should show up faster
    • some functions moved from main unit file to splash screen's unit file
    • moved splash settings from "ini_fileslightmode.ini" into a new "ini_filessplash.ini" file (done once at startup if "splash.ini" is not found)
    • settings are the same for normal mode, 4K mode and "4K extra" mode, except "Version Info" label position and "Shadow Distance" settings
    • you can drag and drop the version info text with mouse instead of using the Left/Top position bars (experimental)
    • you can drag the splash screen around with the mouse now
    • logo image updated with new sprites and some minor tweaking
    • simplified the initialization code
  • Updates and fixes to "View Missing ROMs/CHDs" feature (previously known as "Arcade Scan Results")
    • some ROM types were not detected correctly, fixed ROM/CHD types validation list and included "vgmplay" software list detection
    •   (games scan/validation rountine was not affected by this when creating a games list)
    • fixed flicker on systems tool bar buttons
    • added new checkboxes filtering options
  •   "CHDs Only": show/hide sets with CHDs, with or without ROMs (HDD, CD, Flash Card, VHS)
  •   "Device ROMs": show/hide sets that have device ROMs
  •   "Bios ROMs": show/hide sets that have bios ROMs   NOTE: unchecking "ROMs" filter will hide sets that only have game ROMs (no CHDs, devices, bios)
    • renamed options in "MAME set type drop-down" filter to "Arcade Games" and "Software List Games"
  • The following tool bar filter settings were moved from "EmuLoader.ini" to "ini_filesgames_filters.ini"
  • thumbnail view settings; "Machines/Systems Filter"; "Systems Quick Filter"; "MAME/Arcade Games Filter"; "Misc Filters"
    • so you don't lose them in a clean install or if "EmuLoader.ini" gets deleted
    • filters moved into proper sections so they are not all mixed up into a single section
    • this process is done once at startup, if "games_filters.ini" is not found
    • improved: tool bar settings are saved into the .ini file right after you change them (safe mode ON)
  • Udpdates to "Arcade Controller Layout" images ("Browse Games With..." sub-menu in main menu "Games List")
    • files moved to a new "imagesbrowse_controls" folder
    • file format changed from JPG to PNG, because they just look better
    •   "X-Arcade.png"; "HotRodSE.png"; "SlikStik.png"; "Devastator2.png"
    • images updated, some buttons captions were wrong and/or no longer assigned to anything
  • Main menu "View" removed to prevent clutter, its items moved to proper sub-menus

Added

  • Support for "PNG compression" tag in .ico files, "PrivateExtractIcons() WinAPI supports this
    • 256x256 / 128x128 / 68x68 icons in .ico files now have the "PNG compression" tag enabled
    • .ico file sizes reduced quite a bit; some file sizes are now half of the what they used to be
    • no loss of quality since PNG format is lossless
    • icons loading speed remains the same (from my tests)
  • Added "Network Board" options to "Supermodel 3 Emulator Settings" screen
    • you need to create Supermodel3 games list again
    • no support in custom game settings yet since this is an emulator WIP feature
  • Added "merge" ROM tag detection for Demul; you don't need to have parent ROMs in the clone set anymore, I think (just like MAME)
    • it requires latest WIP Demul build 180428, date: April 28, 2018
    • you need to create Demul games list again
    • this feature was quietly implemented in the frontend a while ago, but now it's official
  • New TEasyItem property "ReportFirstColumnIndent"
    • for TEasyListView component, it will add a blank space in the first column, when in report view mode
    • huge improvement for grouped view mode; no more blank icon trickery to indent clone games
    • favorite icons can finally be displayed in grouped view mode
    • this property only works in "report view"
  • New "Mega Large" (68x68) game icons size for details and grouped view modes
  • for the 4K mode and "multi-line captions" in games list, when game font size is 16 or bigger
  • internal indexes for "Game Icon Size" have changed, you must change this setting again (View Mode tool bar button)
  • this also makes it a lot easier (and faster) to display arcade/console/computer/handheld 68x68 system icons in TImage components, used everywhere
  • New "Ultra Large" (128x128) game icons size for tiles view mode
    • useful for 4K mode and "multi-line captions" in games list, when game font size is 16 or bigger
    • internal indexes for "Tile View Cell Size" have changed, you must change this setting again (View Mode tool bar button)
    • this also makes it a lot easier (and faster) to display arcade/console/computer/handheld 128x128 system icons in TImage components, used everywhere
    • Implemented 4K layouts in all screens
    • setting "Enable 4K Mode" is no more, 4K layouts are now integrated into the project and used by default
    • minimum screen resolution required is 3840x2160 (anything lower will disable 4K feature completely)
    • if your Windows DPI screen scale is higher than 100%, either disable DPI scale for "EmuLoader.exe" properties in Windows (recommended) or disable 4K mode in the frontend (main menu)... or set DPI scale to 100% in Windows
    • image hint panel settings, image category type and image resolution, were adapted to show larger texts and icon (night mode settings and preferences "light mode")   (when in 4K mode, hint always use large font sizes and large icon, even if setting "Large Font Size" in "Image Hint Box", is disabled) - 4K screen layouts might look different than standard layouts
    • there's a "Disable 4K Mode" setting in main menu if you insist in not using the awesome 4K layouts........ WHY!?
    •   - some screens require you to restart the frontend after disabling 4K mode ("Preferences" screen, "Customize Night Mode")
    • 4K splash screen!
    • big logo image 1960x1200 with adjustments and tweaks to sprites and background scenario
    • new "4K Ultra Size x2" setting; HUGE splash screen with a 2940x1800 logo image (insane mode)
    • a few sprites were remade from high resolution sources, and are a lot more detailed :)
    • most small sprites were resampled to high resolution without disortion of loss of quality (no image filters were used)
    • 4K logo file: "resourcesimageslogo-4K.png"
    • 4K "insane" logo file: "resourcesimageslogo-4K_extra.png"
    • alternate image files are also supported: "logo2-4K.png" or "logo2-4K_extra.png"
    • if you're not going to use the 4K mode, files "logo-4K.png" and "logo-4K_extra.png" can be safely renamed/moved/deleted
  • New "Mega Large (68x68) System Icon" for thumbnails view ("System" icon size selector in "Customize Thumbnails")
  • New "Available + Missing ROMs/CHDs" games filter option ("Have/Miss Filter" tool bar button)
    • so you can view available games and games with missing ROMs/CHDs at the same time
    • new file "filter3_05_have_and_missroms.ico" (folder "resourcesmain_iconstoolbar_filters")
    • file "filter3_05_miss_and_missroms.ico" renamed to "filter3_06_miss_and_missroms.ico" (folder "resourcesmain_iconstoolbar_filters")
  • Support for "Ryujinx: Nintendo Switch Emulator"
    • there is no command line or emulator setting to auto-exit after clicking ESC key (I think)
    • emulator must be configured before using it with the frontend
    • website: https://ryujinx.org
    • github: https://github.com/Ryujinx
  • Added a new "VersionHelpers.pas" unit to the project, to detect the Windows version properly
    • old code used the deprecated "GetVersionEx()" WinAPI
    • minimum supported Windows version is now Windows Vista (frontend will NOT run on WinXP, no matter what you do)
    • validation code runs BEFORE the application initialization commands

version 8.8.8 change log - March 09, 2021

Fixed

  • RichEdit controls had garbage RTF text in some screens
  • Natural sorting of "Version Info" column was not working as it should

Changed

  • RichEditURL component replaced by the Unicode ready "TntRichEdit" (from "Tnt Delphi Unicode Controls" library)
    • show Unicode texts (English and non-English mixed together)... as long as you have a proper richedit20.dll file "richedit20.dll" v5.50.99.2010 file is supplied with the frontend, from the freeware "Microsoft Word Viewer" (if you have Microsoft Office 2010 or newer installed, this file might not be needed)
    • MAME game docs can display non-English texts correctly now (mameinfo; history)
    •  message boxes can display non-English filenames in "command line" texts; mostly for console/computer games (not from MAME softlists)
    • component class "TTntCustomRichEdit" modified by me to support "URL click" event, and other minor updates (TntComCtrls.pas)
  • Command line texts in "Run Game Confirmation Dialog" now show a "run>" tag prefix
    • it's a cosmetic feature and to look cute
    • but it also fixes a weird "auto-font" bug from "RichEdit20W" class, depending on the .dll you're using (blaim our dear Microsoft for that!)
  • function uCommon.CallShellExecute() updated to support UTF-16 WideString URLs; using ShellExecuteW() WinAPI
  • Rewrite/optimization of functions to parse game docs dat files (mameinfo, history)
    • game entry detection from "history.xml" is now blazing fast... no more 2 seconds lag when selecting games with "Game Docs" feature enabled   ("history.xml" is now the preferred file and should be used instead of "history.dat")
  • Text and text color tweaks to "Run Game Configuration Dialog" feature (on/off in main menu)

Removed

  • RichEditURL component is no longer needed, removed from the entire project, replaced by TntRichEdit

Added

  • Updated Atari800 cartridge mappers list to include new entries; for .rom raw cart files without "cart header" (for Altirra, Atari800 only)
  • New setting: "Enable 4K Mode (2160p)"
    • Larger fonts, buttons, icons and other controls
    • only message boxes are supported for now
    • feature intended for monitors with 4K resolution (3840x2160) and screen DPI scale of 100%
    • in the future, some screens/dialogs will be so much bigger than current implementation and will only fit in a 4K screen resolution (crazy mode on)  (this is my personal "dream come true" feature) :) :)
→ [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.8.5

version 8.8.5 change log - September 30, 2020

Fixed

  • Changing between image categories / image layouts in a fast pace was causing the frontend to crash; "previous/next" buttons are now disabled until the process finishes
  • A StringList variable was initializing twice and the 2nd ".Create" call was using wrong HashedStringList format. "FATALITY!"
    • feature affected: parse MAME multiple folders into a StringList, used by many functions ("mame.ini" and "ui.ini")
  • MAMu_ icons folder could be set to "empty" in Preferences screen; MAME requires a default folder named "icons"
  • ShellTreeView Win10 dark theme fix on "Browse for Folder" dialog (selection bar, text color, scroll bar)

Changed

  • New "Skip" button in "Clean Install" dialog so you can skip it and go straight to frontend's main screen
  • Renamed a few source code filenames (.pas files)

Removed

  • Animated GIF in clean install dialog is kaput! It was just an experiment
    • replaced by a static "clean_install.png", like in splash screen and about screen
    • minor font color tweaks

Added

  • Multiple paths scan support for zipped images, MAMu_ icons, video previews and thumbnails view mode (MAME/HBMAME only)
    • I forgot about this completely... oopsie!
    • only the first path was used by the frontend
    • zipped images (snaps, titles, cabinets, etc)
    • thumbnails view: not even unzipped images were supported
    • video snaps: only the first path was scanned; also, videos in "snap" folder were not detected correctly (mixed with images)
    • MAMu_ icons: only the first path was scanned
    • updated "MAME Images Manager" to scan all paths and fixed a "dusty" bug on "Scan Invalid Images": valid images were added to the list (DUH!)
    • updated "MAMu_ Icons Manager" to scan multiple paths
    • updates to "Delete MAME and Arcade Clone Images":
      • scan multiple paths
      • resizeable window and image panel
      • folders scan function was incomplete
      • code optimizations
  • Support MAME 0.225 new "mame.ini" settings
    • "beam_dot_size" - "speaker_report" - "debugger_font" - "debugger_font_size"
  • Support MAME 0.225 new "ui.ini" settings (emulator default settings only)
    • "skip_warnings"

version 8.8.4 change log - May 21, 2020

Fixed

  • Frontend crash due to unsupported " " HTML entry in game "colasm" from "cgenie_cass.xml" software list
  • Since Emu Loader cannot show multi-lines "usage tips" texts, all those entries will be replaced by an empty space... for now
→ [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.8.3

version 8.8.3 change log - December 07, 2019

Fixed

  • 4th image panel internal vars not emptied when no image is showing
  • Word wrap was not working on image filename label (Rename/Delete Game Image screen)
  • Proper word wrap on labels, specially very long and spaceless CHD filenames (Game Details screen, left panel)

Changed

  • Added a new "WordWrapSpaceless" property to my TShadowLabel component
    • word wrap works properly on long texts with no spaces
    • this is done by using "DT_EDITCONTROL" flag in the DrawTextW() WinAPI
    • it even works with Unicode texts
    • for this to work, "WordWrap" property must be enabled and "AutoSize" property must be disabled
  • Updates to "MAMu_ Icons Manager"
    • buttons bar use same colors as games filters tool bar
    • replaced all buttons by my custom TBitBtnEx and TSpeedButtonEx components
    • removed bottom status bar and moved its contents to top bar
    • updated missing games list to use same font colors and selection ribbon colors of main games list
    • added support for night mode colors
    • several source code tweaks and updates
  • Tweaks to selection bar's inactive colors on EasyListView controls (night mode only)

Added

  • Support for new "mame.ini" setting: "Low Latency" ("MAME Settings" screen)
    • located in "Video 2" tab, "Performance" box
    • only enabled if setting is found in "mame.ini"

 

→ [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.8.2

version 8.8.2 change log - September 30, 2019

Fixed

  • Setting "Use Image Single Background Color" not restored at startup
  • Screens "MAME Driver Filter" and "Miscellaneous Filters" not updated when changing between night mode profiles
  • Font color of hint texts not restored when switching back to light mode ("Miscellaneous Filters" tool bar button)
  • Several CheckBox and RadioButton controls still had shadow text enabled in night mode
  • A nasty bug in my TCheckBoxEx / TRadioButtonEx components: the icon area was not cleared when drawing new icon states, overlapping existing icons and causing a "left-over" pixels effect, mostly noticeable in "RadioButton"
  • Startup crash when validating emulator binary if the .exe file is missing
  • Screen "Machine Type and System Filters" was not resizing correctly for resolutions lower than 1920x1080 (tool bar button)
  • Ansi WinAPI FileAge() doesn't work well on Windows 10, replaced by the Unicode API FileAgeW()
  • Play video preview feature was not working at all for the past 10 months... HOORAY!
  • Text of selected game was black color when editing fields directly in EasyListView controls (night mode only)
  • Game thumbnails fail to load in thumbnails view even if game snapshot file exists
  • No auto-update game thumbnails after changing game snapshot folders in "Image Category Settings" screen (thumbnails view only)

Changed

  • Tweaks to "Delete/Copy/Move Selected Games"
    • size of "Delete" and "Cancel" buttons reduced
    • size of "Destination Folder" edit box increased
    • if less than 13 files are selected, only one column is shown to prevent waste of space
    • checkboxes "Overwrite Files" and "Add System Folder" moved above "Destination Folder edit box"
    • fixed controls alignment in bottom bar
  • Darker color tweak to gradient bottom bars in night mode
  • Removed italic font style from texts in help message boxes
  • Text fonts tweak in several screens
    • reduced size to 9 pixels
    • changed fonts from "Segoe UI" to "Trebuchet MS" with "bold" style and removed "italic" style
    • color tweaks in night mode
  • Replaced all "ExTrackBar" controls by "XiTrackBar" from the "XiControls" pack; thanks "Eugene Genev"
    • no more flickering
    • colors customized for night mode
    • used in "Customize Thumbnails", "MAME Settings" and "RGB Quick Edit" screens
    • I've made some minor tweaks to XiTrackBar component, you need my modified version to compile the frontend
  • New layout for "RGB Quick Edit"
    • replaced TShape components by my flicker-free TPanelEx component (new color/current color boxes)
    • added XiTrackBar controls for easier RGB color editing
    • added form caller title to the caption bar so you know what screen you're currently editing
    • internal code tweaks

Removed

  • Shadow font setting of labels in "Search Games Panel Colors" is no more ("Customize Night Mode" screen)

Added

  • Custom CheckBox and RadioButton icons for night mode ("Customize Night Mode" screen)
    • you can use custom icon files instead of Windows themed ones
    • icons sets are located in "frontend_pathresourcescheckbox_radiobutton" folder
    • each set must be placed in its own sub-folder and the folder name is used as the set's title (no Unicode folder name support)
    • icons must be 13x13 pixels but can be at any color depth
    • each night mode profile can have a different CheckBox / RadioButton set
    • icons are applied to CheckBoxEx / RadioButtonEx / GroupBoxEx / EasyListView controls
    • if an icon filename is missing, the Windows themed icon will be used instead
    • New "Use Windows 10 Dark Scroll Bar in Games List" checkbox setting ("Customize Night Mode" screen)
    • this is a hack to force Win10 dark themed scroll bars by using the Win10 API "SetWindowTheme(hWnd, 'DarkMode_Explorer', null)"
    • dark scroll bars can be used even if Windows 10 is not setup with a dark theme
    • it currently works on ListView, RichEdit, Memo, WebBrowser controls
    • no support for ComboBox, ColorBox dropdown buttons as there's no way to access the ListBox control used internally (still working on this)
    • horizontal scroll bar colors are bugged and it's caused by Windows 10, not the frontend
    • there's a white box painting bug if both horizontal and vertical scroll bars are visible (fix your sh@t, Microsoft!)
    • only Windows 10 build 1809 and newer builds are supported
  • Customize splash screen (main menu "Customize Splash Screen")
    • change font color of each text
    • text shadow colors are now "black", it looks better
    • remove text shadows with "Enable Text Shadows" checkbox (untick)
    • new left-aligned texts layout with "Use Alternate Layout" checkbox
    • use an alternate logo image with "Use Logo2 File" checkbox; filename must be "logo2.png" and located in "resourcesimages" folder
    • change version info text position (text is right-aligned); useful when using a different logo image
    • progress bar replaced by the new XiProgressBar component to allow custom colors
    • customize progress bar colors with several pre-defined color schemes or create your own color scheme (minimum resolution required 1280x720 / 1336x768)
    • settings are in the right side of the splash screen
    • close the splash screen with the "Close" button at bottom/right or with ESC key
    • drag the splash screen with the mouse
    • fixed "Lucida Console" font to match the font size of "Terminal" font
      NOTE: the "Terminal" font used in Emu Loader is the "vgaoem.fon" file from Windows 7; Windows 10 doesn't have this font
  • Support MAME v0.214 new "mame.ini" settings

 

→ [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.8.1

version 8.8.1 change log - August 18, 2019

Fixed

  • Icons in web info tool bar buttons were not loaded as disabled; font colors of disable buttons were wrong in night mode
  • Function to delete/copy/move files was in debug mode, not working... again

Changed

  • none

Removed

  • none

Added

  • none

version 8.8 change log - August 14, 2019

Fixed

  • Fixed a bug in "TCustomColorBox" Delphi 7 class, "SetSelected()" procedure
    • it was not repainting the control properly, and it was not caused by the frontend (damn you Delphi 7!)
    • my custom TColorBoxEx component was also affected due to this "Delphi 7" bug
    • the fix was taken from "Code Gear Delphi 2010" source code ("vlcExtCtrls.pas")
  • Event "OnSelect()" was not properly executed on TColorBoxEx components (color dropdown buttons)
  • A few default settings in "EmuLoader.ini" and "nightmode.ini" were causing problems on a clean install
  • Colors for "Game Docs Status Bar" not updated when switching between light mode and night mode
  • Fixes for the night mode
    • search bar background had gradient always enabled even if the gradient setting was not ticked
    • floating panel gradient background colors were not properly set, specially at startup
    • TColorBoxEx were resetting to default colors at frontend startup when viewing the "2 pages" in night mode screen
  • Hint box colors and style not updated when switching between light mode and night mode
  • Control "Buttons" was listed twice in "Game Details" screen when a game have multiple controls + buttons
  • Game selection bar colors and font colors were not correctly set in several screens, including in "Customize Game Fonts"
  • Font of column header was not properly set when night mode is enabled (MAME Machines Filter Panel)
  • My custom component TEditEx was not repainting the frame color when required
  • Pressed button custom colors were not applied to buttons in night mode
  • Font "Terminal" is used in a few places and if it's not installed in Windows, it will be replaced by "Lucida Console" (Windows 7 users don't have to worry about this)
  • App crash when trying to show game images if image category folders are not successfully loaded
  • Updates to my TAdvCheckBoxEx and TAdvRadioGroupEx components
    • fixed icons positions as they were not drawn at the same position on Windows 7 and Windows 10
    • RadioGroup icon updated with a 13x13 sized image when working with Delphi 7 in design time (easier to align controls)
    • added a couple commands to get the correct CheckBox/RadioGroup icon sizes from Windows theme
  • Metadata files are no longer used when mounting images on a "virtual drive" app (.cue, etc...) even if "use .cue" tool bar button is enabled (console/computer games)
  • Game image files failed to mount on a virtual drive, returning an error to the user (console/computer games)

Changed

  • Night mode is now enabled by default on a clean install or if "EmuLoader.ini" file is missing
  • Shadow texts are disabled in light mode for panel texts, tool bar panels, floating panels; it looks better this way
  • Improvements to night mode settings (night mode screen)
    • added "Shadow Enabled" checkboxes for texts in "Search Games Panel Colors", so you can disable shadow texts
    • added "Shadow Enabled" checkboxes for texts in "Panels Colors", so you can disable shadow texts
    • added preview panels (click the "Preview" buttons) so you can see your color customizations
    • Games List Selection Bar
    • Panels Colors
    • Image Hint Box
    • Search Games Panel Colors
    • tweaks to the layout
  • Rounded corners in GroupBox frames are disabled for night mode
  • The overlay folder "Dark Gray" is no longer needed, these icons are now the default for night mode ("resourcesmain_iconsoverlayDark Gray" folder can be deleted)
  • Blue overlay icons moved to a new "Blue" folder ("resourcesmain_iconsoverlayBlue")
  • If overlay files of a sub-folder are not found, the "Tool Bar Overlay Icons Folder" setting will reset to "Default" (night mode screen)
  • Improvements to "Image Hint Box" (preferences screen, night mode screen)
    • setting "Show Unzipped/Zipped Icon" is gone, the icon is now mandatory
    • added a "Italic" font style checkbox, so you can disable the italic style (disabled by default)
    • text font size reduced to 10 pixels
    • added a new "image resolution (image type)" text below the image category title; only font color can be customized
    • added a "Larger Font Size" checkbox, for a 14 pixels font size like it was before (disabled by default)
    • added a "Box Position" setting to choose where the hint box will appear; default position is "Middle/Left"
    • fixed "middle vertical" position, it was not taking the hint box height into account
  • Selection bar of menus/popup menus is a little darker, around 10%
  • Moved settings panel to a popup menu ("Favorites Manager" settings button)
  • Game details screen changes
    • removed shadow of texts in the left panel (night mode)
    • removed dual border from ROMs list
    • minor improvements to make sure border spaces are pixel perfect
  • Removed shadow of texts in system title bars and replaced yellow font color by orange, on all screens (night mode only)
  • Removed shadow of texts from labels and checkboxes in almost all screens (night mode)
  • Color tweaks to texts font colors in "Delete/Rename Game Image File" screens (night mode)
  • Several source code optimizations to remove redundant duplicates, mostly for the night mode
  • Modified my TShadowLabel component to not show the shadow text if component is in "disabled" state and the "ShadowEnabled" property is unchecked
  • If a "Label", "CheckBox", "RadioButton", "GroupBox" component is in disabled state and the "ShadowEnabled" property is unchecked, the shadow text is no longer displayed
    • it looks a lot better in night mode
    • in light mode, the "3D effect" no longer applies, but texts still look good
  • Games list in "Delete Multiple Games Files" screen now uses the same colors / background image as the main games list
  • Replaced "Consolas" font by "Calibri" in "MAME Game Docs" panel
  • Tons of interface tweaks, specially texts and their colors
  • New interface for preferences screen
    • cleaner and easy to navigate, also to prevent waste of blank space
    • page 1 is for frontend settings, page 2 is mostly for colors
    • tweaks to existing settings so they are better aligned with panels
    • Several settings moved from "EmuLoader.ini" to a new "ini_filesLightMode.ini" file (preferences screen, mostly)
    • they are all exclusive to the light mode
    • now you can do a clean install and restore these settings easily
    • most key names in .ini file were renamed to match key names from night mode preset files, you must modify your light mode settings again (sorry)
    • some "MAME Game Docs" settings moved from "el_extras.ini" file into "LightMode.ini"
  • Removed
  • The following is removed to simplify the interface
    • frames of games list panel, images panel and game docs panel is kaput!
    • setting "Games List Frame Colors" (preferences screen, night mode settings screen)
    • setting "Games List Status Bar, Inner/Outer Frame" (preferences screen, night mode settings screen)
    • setting "Games List Status Bar, Font Shadow Color" (preferences screen, night mode settings screen)
    • setting "Game Docs Splitter Style / Colors"; same style/colors as image splitters is used, as it was before (preferences screen, night mode screen)
    • setting "Image Panel Frame Colors" (preferences screen, night mode settings screen)
    • setting "Enable Edit Box Custom Frame Color" is no more; custom frame is always enabled in night mode (night mode screen)
    • setting "Games List Splitter" style is gone for night mode; only a single color is supported (night mode screen)
    • setting "Tool Bar Inner/Outer Frame" is no more (night mode screen)

Added

  • New games list background images, for both night mode and light mode ("resourcesimages")... thank you Fabian for the new images
  • New setting "Disable Aspect Ratio", to stretch the image on the entire image panel; requires "Image Stretch" setting to be enabled (popup menu "Images")
  • New setting "Round Corners" to "Games List Selection Bar" colors (preferences screen, night mode screen)
  • Night mode colors support for arcade emulator setup screens: MAME, HBMAME, Supermodel, Daphne, SEGA Model 2, ZiNc
  • New "Left Align Emulators Info and Games Info" setting to show message box texts aligned to the left instead of centered (preferences screen, "General" panel)
  • New setting to customize games filters tool bar in light mode (preferences screen)
    • you can use gradient or solid colors
    • new "Windows Theme" checkbox, so you can disable Windows themed tool bar painting
  • Support for multiple night mode profiles
    • change profiles with the new "Night Mode Profiles" box ("Customize Night Mode" screen, access thru main menu)
    • all profiles are now stored in "frontend_pathnightmode" folder
    • file "nightmode.ini" moved to the new "nightmode" sub-folder and renamed to "Default.ini"
    • setting "Tool Bar Overlay Icons Folder" can be different for each profile
    • setting "Menus / Popup Menus" frame color can be different for each profile
    • current profile is automatically saved to .ini file when switching between profiles or when closing the "Customize Night Mode" screen
  • New "RGB Quick Edit" for color dropdown boxes "TColorBoxEx" (popup menu, mouse right-click)
    • for an easy and quick way to select a RGB color manually
    • screens that support this new popup menu
      • Customize Night Mode
      • Image Category Settings
      • Customize Game Fonts
      • Customize Thumbnails
      • Preferences screen
  • Added "Show Font Name" setting in "Customize Game Fonts" screen
    • access in popup menu (disabled by default)
    • useful for high resolution screens (1080p or higher)
  • Added a custom game fonts set for night mode, split from light mode
    • have a set of game fonts for light mode and another for night mode
    • light mode filename: "ini_filessysgamecustomfont.ini"
    • night mode filename: "ini_filessysgamecustomfont_nightmode.ini"
    • updated "Customize Game Fonts" screen to load the night mode font settings if this mode is active (games popup menu, main menu "Games List")
    • if file "sysgamecustomfont_nightmode.ini" doesn't exist, it is generated from "sysgamecustomfont.ini" at startup (useful for night mode)
  • New "Use A Single Background Color" setting for image categories
    • select a background color that will be used for all image categories ("Image Category Settings" screen)
    • you no longer need to select the same color on each category if you want to use the same color for all of them
    • toggle setting in main menu "Images", images popup menu or in "Image Category Settings" screen (disabled by default)
  • Added options to customize games list header colors in night mode
    • text font
    • column background color, hot color, disabled color, pressed color
    • settings in Night Mode screen, "Games List Column Header" panel
  • MAME v0.212 support
→ [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.7.8

version 8.7.8 change log - June 24, 2019

Fixed

 

  • Event "OnChange()" was not executed in "TFontDialog" component after frontend recent changes
  • Black frame painted in tool bar filters background when gradient setting is disabled
  • Severe painting problems in my TPanelEx since last component update... damn you BitBlt()!

Changed

  • Icons of disabled menu items are now drawn with 50% blending effect instead of a grayscale icon, which looked terrible
    • - Delphi's TImageList component messes up with the icon's alpha channel
    • - source files "ImgList.pas" and "CommCtrl.pas" updated with new constants and functions for better support on Windows 7 and newer
  • Replaced TToolBar + TToolButton controls by my custom TSpeedButtonEx so the buttons can have white font in night mode ("Favorites Manager" screen)
  • More tweaks to popup menus draw routine
  • Modified "TRangeBar" / "TGaugeBar" components from "Graphics32" library to add a custom color for the arrow, it was using the same color as the border color
  • Night mode updates
    • - moved all settings from preferences screen to its own window and updated its interface with dark colors; you'll find it on main menu "Customize Night Mode Colors"
    • - added new settings so you can have different ones from the light mode
      •   - games list splitter colors
      •   - images splitter colors
      •   - game docs colors and splitters
      •   - image background color and image
    • - new layout showing all settings without pages; high resolution only: 1280x1024 and higher
    • - added a new "Show Preview" button, showing a new floating window so you can see you customizations in real time
      •   - "Games List Selection Bar"
      •   - "Panels Colors"
      •   - "Image Hint Box"

Added

  • Game Docs status bar (preferences screen, "Game Docs" page)
    • - for those who go berzerk on the fact that the bottom of the game docs panel is not aligned with the games list panel
    • - there's no useful info displayed there yet
→ [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.7.7

version 8.7.7 change log - June 07, 2019

Fixed

  • Popup menus can now display Unicode texts, but this implementation is far from perfect
  • Copy/move/delete game ROMs was not working due to an "Exit" command I forgot to remove, preventing further code from executing
  • Removed some beeps playing while creating games lists
  • Fixed bad Windows theme painting in my TPanelEx component, affecting all components in it... highly noticeable in light mode
  • Hint text of separator lines were missing in popup menus

Changed

  • Improvements to my TBitBtnEx component
    • font color is forced to black if button is not in "custom mode" and Windows theme is enabled
    • BitBlt() function used to paint bitmap buffer into button canvas instead of Canvas.Draw() function
    • replaced "Glyph" property by "Images" (TImageList container), for 32-bit+alpha channel icons (.ico)
  • Improvements to my TSpeedButtonEx component
    • font color is not changed when clicked (only applies if button style is set to "flat")
    • font color is forced to black if button is not in "custom mode" and Windows theme is enabled
    • BitBlt() function used to paint bitmap buffer into button canvas instead of Canvas.Draw() function
    • replaced "Glyph" property by "Images" (TImageList container), for 32-bit+alpha channel icons (.ico)

Added

  • Custom border for menu/popup menus
    • night mode only
    • you can customize the border color in preferences screen "Night Mode 2" page
    • experimental feature, might be buggy on Windows 10

version 8.7.6 change log - May 31, 2019

Fixed

  • Crash caused by my custom TBitBtnEx / TSpeedButtonEx components when frontend is in light mode (default theme)

version 8.7.5 change log - May 30, 2019

Fixed

  • Buttons font color was black when in night mode

version 8.7.4 change log - May 29, 2019

Fixed

  • Media type of Daphne games was not set to "Disc"
  • Game icons/systems TImageList containers were not emptied before reloading icons
  • Hint box colors of image panel #4 were not updated after exiting preferences screen
  • Game files of many MAME software list games were not recognized, tagging the game as "Game With No ROMs" ("a800.xml" software list for one)
  • Tweaks to prevent splash screen from hiding/showing multiple times when creating games / auditing games; this fix also prevents the timer from resetting

Changed

  • First atempt to set the correct media type icon for MAME arcade games with CHD files (HDD, Disc, Compact Flash Card, Game Video Tape VHS)
    • added an extra "ArcadeCHD_MediaType" game info tag just for this; tag is set when loading the ROMs database
    • the new media type icons are used everywhere: game status bar, run game dialog, last played games, delete game snapshot dialog, thumbnails view and others
    • HDD media type is set for games with multiple CHD files (HDD, CD, flash card) if at least one of them is HDD
    • you must re-create MAME games list to update the frontend ROMs database files
  • Improvements to the thumbnails view
    • icons are no longer drawn in the thumb image
    • icons are handled as overlays and, from now on, they are drawn in the top/left or top/right of the cell (depending on the "align" setting)
    • added a "Media Type Icon" to the mix
    • The system icon for MAME software lists is now the UME icon ("emu_ume.ico"), so you know that it's a MAME game but not arcade
    • when changing icons settings but not the thumb cell dimensions, only the icons are updated in main games list; thumbnails already created no longer have to be re-created
    • new setting "Show Icons With No Thumbnail", will display the overlay icons (system, game, media, favorite) even if no thumbnail is available
    • Media type icon is now drawn after the system icon, moved the game icon below it
    • new media/game/favorite icon size drop-down selection, no more fixed 24x24 size
  • Further tweaks to the night mode

Added

  • New alternate sub-folders for frontend icons, arcade/console/computer systems and arcade games icons so you don't have to replace frontend's default icons
    • toggle alternate icons on/off with the new "Use Alternate Frontend Icons" setting in main menu
    • console/computer system icons go in a new "frontend_dirconsole_computersystem_iconsalternate" folder
    • frontend icons and arcade system icons go in a new "frontend_dirresourcesmain_iconsalternate" folder
    • arcade game icons go in a new "frontend_dirresourcesgameslist_iconsalternate" folder
    • message box icons go in a new "frontend_dirresourcesmain_iconsmsgbox_iconsalternate" folder
    • NOTES:
      •   - tool bar filter icons, image category icons and image layout icons are not supported (basically all icons that use overlay icons)
      •   - all icons must be 32-bits color depth (RGB + alpha channel)
      •   - all required resolution icons must be added to the .ico file, or the frontend will show an "icon not found" error message
      •   - if you enable alternate icons without having them, the frontend will load the default ones
  • New media type: "Video Game Music"
    • initially used in MAME's "VGM Player" software list
    • new icon file "resourcesmain_iconsmedia_videogamemusic.ico"
  • New feature: "Special" tag
    • you can tag a game for any reason: finished games, games you want to play, games you hate, games you are playing, games you want to hide...
    • games list is stored in a new "ini_filesspecial.txt" file and the file format is the same as favorites files so if you are using favorites list for things like this, you can safely copy and rename the favorite profile to this new filename
    • there's a new column in details/grouped view named "Special"
    • add/remove games to/from special list in games popup menu (below "Add/Remove Favorite" menu items)
    • filter the games list with the new drop-down filter "Special List" in "Miscellaneous" tool bar filter
    • you can enable/disable the special icon for thumbnails view ("thumbnail settings" screen)
    • you can modify this new icon to your needs ("resourcesmain_iconsspecial.ico" file)
  • Night colors support for image hint boxes (preferences screen, "Night Mode 2" page)
    • separate colors from light mode
    • settings saved in "nightmode.ini" file
→ [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.7.6

version 8.7.6 change log - May 31, 2019

Fixed

  • Crash caused by my custom TBitBtnEx / TSpeedButtonEx components when frontend is in light mode (default theme)

version 8.7.5 change log - May 30, 2019

Fixed

  • Buttons font color was black when in night mode

version 8.7.4 change log - May 29, 2019

Fixed

  • Media type of Daphne games was not set to "Disc"
  • Game icons/systems TImageList containers were not emptied before reloading icons
  • Hint box colors of image panel #4 were not updated after exiting preferences screen
  • Game files of many MAME software list games were not recognized, tagging the game as "Game With No ROMs" ("a800.xml" software list for one)
  • Tweaks to prevent splash screen from hiding/showing multiple times when creating games / auditing games; this fix also prevents the timer from resetting

Changed

  • First atempt to set the correct media type icon for MAME arcade games with CHD files (HDD, Disc, Compact Flash Card, Game Video Tape VHS)
    • added an extra "ArcadeCHD_MediaType" game info tag just for this; tag is set when loading the ROMs database
    • the new media type icons are used everywhere: game status bar, run game dialog, last played games, delete game snapshot dialog, thumbnails view and others
    • HDD media type is set for games with multiple CHD files (HDD, CD, flash card) if at least one of them is HDD
    • you must re-create MAME games list to update the frontend ROMs database files
  • Improvements to the thumbnails view
    • icons are no longer drawn in the thumb image
    • icons are handled as overlays and, from now on, they are drawn in the top/left or top/right of the cell (depending on the "align" setting)
    • added a "Media Type Icon" to the mix
    • The system icon for MAME software lists is now the UME icon ("emu_ume.ico"), so you know that it's a MAME game but not arcade
    • when changing icons settings but not the thumb cell dimensions, only the icons are updated in main games list; thumbnails already created no longer have to be re-created
    • new setting "Show Icons With No Thumbnail", will display the overlay icons (system, game, media, favorite) even if no thumbnail is available
    • Media type icon is now drawn after the system icon, moved the game icon below it
    • new media/game/favorite icon size drop-down selection, no more fixed 24x24 size
  • Further tweaks to the night mode

Added

  • New alternate sub-folders for frontend icons, arcade/console/computer systems and arcade games icons so you don't have to replace frontend's default icons
    • toggle alternate icons on/off with the new "Use Alternate Frontend Icons" setting in main menu
    • console/computer system icons go in a new "frontend_dirconsole_computersystem_iconsalternate" folder
    • frontend icons and arcade system icons go in a new "frontend_dirresourcesmain_iconsalternate" folder
    • arcade game icons go in a new "frontend_dirresourcesgameslist_iconsalternate" folder
    • message box icons go in a new "frontend_dirresourcesmain_iconsmsgbox_iconsalternate" folder
    • NOTES:
      •   - tool bar filter icons, image category icons and image layout icons are not supported (basically all icons that use overlay icons)
      •   - all icons must be 32-bits color depth (RGB + alpha channel)
      •   - all required resolution icons must be added to the .ico file, or the frontend will show an "icon not found" error message
      •   - if you enable alternate icons without having them, the frontend will load the default ones
  • New media type: "Video Game Music"
    • initially used in MAME's "VGM Player" software list
    • new icon file "resourcesmain_iconsmedia_videogamemusic.ico"
  • New feature: "Special" tag
    • you can tag a game for any reason: finished games, games you want to play, games you hate, games you are playing, games you want to hide...
    • games list is stored in a new "ini_filesspecial.txt" file and the file format is the same as favorites files so if you are using favorites list for things like this, you can safely copy and rename the favorite profile to this new filename
    • there's a new column in details/grouped view named "Special"
    • add/remove games to/from special list in games popup menu (below "Add/Remove Favorite" menu items)
    • filter the games list with the new drop-down filter "Special List" in "Miscellaneous" tool bar filter
    • you can enable/disable the special icon for thumbnails view ("thumbnail settings" screen)
    • you can modify this new icon to your needs ("resourcesmain_iconsspecial.ico" file)
  • Night colors support for image hint boxes (preferences screen, "Night Mode 2" page)
    • separate colors from light mode
    • settings saved in "nightmode.ini" file
→ [FRONTEND] EmuLoader 8.7.3

version 8.7.3 change log - April 30, 2019

Fixed

  • Parent .ico file not showing up in clone sets if clonename.ico doesn't exist ("MAMu_ icons" feature)
  • Buttons "OK" / "Cancel" were invisible when viewing the simpler "arcade system select" dialog
  • Wrong read/write of game info "playtime" / "last played" / "times played" if your have multiple games in the same system with same zipped filename but of different media types
    • example: 2 files named "Elevator Action (1995) (Nidecom).zip", both MSX1 games, one is cartridge media type and the other is floppy disk
    • wrong game info written in played games files after exiting a console/computer game
    • wrong game info read from played games files when loading games lists at startup
    • the media type was missing when searching for the game entry
    • bugs related to files located in "console_computerplayed_games" folder
    • arcade systems and MAME software lists do not suffer from this bug
  • Wrong "extra game info" data parsing for "Games Editor" (main menu "Console/Computer")
  • Night mode was not toggled on/off correctly with the checkbox in messages dialog
  • PaneEx "inner border color" was not set correctly in procedure uCommon.SetPanelNightColors() causing it to be the same as outer border color
    • MAME arcade input files were not handled correctly in "Run Game (Extra Parameters)" screen
    • files "arcade_name.inp" in the "inp" root folder were not added to the files list, only "inpgamename*.inp" files
    • for arcade games only, excluding MAME softlist games
    • MAME save state files were not handled correctly in "Run Game (Extra Parameters)" screen
    • files from "stamachine_namesoftwarenamegamename" folder were completely ignored
    • for MAME software list games only, excluding arcade games
  • The image layout currently in use could be disabled in "Layout Settings" screen, causing corruption in layouts .ini file read/write routine
  • Extra title/machine type text color of selected systems were hard to read in night mode; light gray color replaced by dark gray
  • Selection bar was not red color for CHDs with bad checksum ("Arcade Audit Results" screen)
  • "CPU Filter" edit box was not correctly painted in night mode
  • Search games floating panel was not showing up at startup

Changed

  • Improvements to "version info" detection in "Arcade Emulators Setup" screen and at frontend startup
  • Changes and tweaks to AlterMAME feature
  • RAM variables were not initialized at startup, it could cause the frontend to crash
  • added a second AlterMAME slot so you can use two alternate emulators to run MAME games ("Arcade Emulators Setup" screen)
  • new "Autorun Game With AlterMAME 2" checkbox ("Arcade Emulators Setup" screen and games popup menu)
  • if game cannot be run with "AlterMAME 1", it will try again with "AlterMAME 2"
  • new "Run Game With AlterMAME 2" option in games popup menu to run games directly with AlterMAME 2
  • added proper detection for "FinalBurn Alpha" and "Raine" emulators in "Arcade Emulators Setup" screen and when running games
  • FBA website: https://www.fbalpha.com
  • Raine website: http://raine.1emulation.com
  • for Raine emulator, the "-nogui" parameter is added automatically to the execution command line and there's no way to toggle it off
  • better handling of CreateProcessW() exit codes "0, 1, 2, 5" after exiting emulators
  • Tweaks and fixes to texts in "run game confirmation" and "execution error" dialogs
  • Renamed file "image_category_overlay.ico" to "image_category_overlay_light.ico" ("resourcesmain_iconsoverlay" folder)
  • Image category/layout icons updated to support overlay icons ("resourcesmain_icons" folder)
  • Icon files "option_check.ico" and "option_radiogroup_on.ico" replaced by better versions, suitable for light and dark backgrounds ("resourcesmain_icons" folder)
  • Changes and fixes to menu/popupmenu drawing colors
  • fixed a couple painting bugs in the selection bar outer border
  • fixed unreadable shortcut text color in selected items
  • added "help text" and "selected help text" in the colors array, changed them to "gray" to fix unreadable texts
  • added inner frame color to the selected items, slightly darker than menu background color
  • Replaced TEdit standard component by my custom "TEditEx" component, to be used in "night mode"
    • new properties: "Color Frame", "Color Frame Focused", "Color Frame Disabled", "Round Frame"
    • property "Use Custom Border" for an easy on/off toggle when changing between light/dark backgrounds; this property if OFF by default
    • allow custom frame colors instead of the fixed Windows themed frame
    • remove the fixed white inner frame when setting edit box background color to anything other than white
    • Improvements to my custom "TShadowLabel" component for dark backgrounds compatibility
    • added new "Disabled Font Color" and "Disabled Font Shadow Color" properties so you can change font colors when the component is in "not enabled" state
    • added new "Use Disabled Font Color" property for an easy on/off toggle when changing between light/dark backgrounds; this property is OFF by default
  • Modified image category/layout .ico files, removed monitor frames / texts to use with overlay .ico files ("resourcesmain_icons" folder)
  • Moved "Tool Bar Overlay Icons Folder" setting to "Night Mode" page since this feature is not for the light mode (preferences screen)

Removed

  • All code related to "AlterMAME Default Emulator Settings" and "AlterMAME custom ini settings" completely removed from the source code

Added

  • New night mode .ico overlay files for image categories/layouts ("resourcesmain_iconsoverlayimg_dark" folder)
  • Support custom game icons for MAME software list games; "MAMu_ Icons" feature
    • file "softwarenamegamename.ico" in arcade "icons.zip" is no longer supported
    • zipped icons for each software list must be in: "user_mame_icons_pathsoftwarenameicons.zip" filename or
      • "user_mame_icons_pathsoftwarename.zip" filename (alternate .zip name, exclusive Emu Loader feature!)
    • unzipped icons must be in:
      • "user_mame_icons_pathsoftwarenamegamename.ico" or
      • "user_mame_icons_pathiconssoftwarenamegamename.ico"
    • minor tweaks to improve RAM usage and .zip files handling
    • don't know what this is ? see this thread in MAMEWorld's "News" forum:
  • http://www.mameworld.info/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=380709&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1&new=1549010727
  • New setting "Show MAME Machines Status Bar" so you can hide the status bar of the machines list panel (setting is in machines list popup menu)
  • Night mode colors for several dialogs and screens; colors are fixed and cannot be customizable
  • Custom frame color settings for the edit box in search bar (preferences screen, "Night Mode" page, "Search Games Panel Colors" group box)
  • New handheld system to the "Console/Computer" list: "Nintendo Switch"
    • only Yuzu emulator is supported: https://yuzu-emu.org
    • you must use "yuzu-cmd.exe" file
  • Tool bar menus, filter dialogs and popup menus in dark colors for the night mode
    • you can disable the dark menu with "Show Dark Menu in Night Mode" setting in main menu if you prefer light colors
    • colors cannot be customized
    • tweaks to selection bar, made it a bit darker
    • fixed function uMain.AddDefaultIcons(), it was not reloading overlay icons properly when switching between light/night modes and when changing "ToolBar Overlay Icons Folder" setting in preferences screen
  • New setting "Use Italic Font Style in System Title Bars" so you can disable italic fonts in system title bars (enabled by default)
  • Added support for "VisualBoyAdvance-M" emulator and updated "console_computeremulator_parameters[default].ini" file
wstecz29/01/2021 22:47
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