CoinOPS - best/easiest way to get a shortcut created to launch from the Root of XBMC4Gamers dashboard?

[wiiggy]

Hi all,
I'm hoping there's a reasonably simple way to add CoinOPS launch icon alongside the Applications, Games, Emulators folders/icons on the Root of the dashboard?

I've tried adding the source to have the CoinOPS icon (folder) appear on Root, next to the Applications, Games and Emulators icons. Then within the CoinOPS folder I created a shortcut .xbe within its own folder that points to the defaultsplash.xbe used by CoinOPS, this does point to and loads CoinOPS from its actual location but is a bit messy imo. I also don't know how to create an icon picture for this, within Xbe Shortcut Maker 2.0, it asks for Custom Icon (.xbx), I've tried googling where to go from here but can't find anything relevant to help. I've found some .xbx files and tried using them but nothing shows for the icon, also tried small .jpg files etc.
I also tried copying your _resources folder for CoinOPS 8 from the Artwork Installer to this folder which does show the artwork, but also when accessing this folder from the dash root it  shows the "_resources" folder as an option to open which I ideally want to be hidden. There must be a better way to create this icon within XBMC4Gamers?

How have you all got this simplified to just work?

Hope you don't mind tagging you @Rocky5 ? I'm sure the question has come up before and you'd know if there's an easy way to add a shortcut without much mess

[wiiggy]

Hope you don't mind tagging you @Rocky5 ?

[HDShadow]

Not sure why you used a "shortcut .xbe within its own folder". Surely if you add a new Source you might just as well use the primary CoinOps boot XBE.

If I understand correctly what you're trying to do is create a Source XBE on the main menu rather than a Source folder with the CoinOps boot XBE inside. Yes? I'm not sure if that is possible, at least not without messing around with one of the, many, XML files that make up XBMC and its variants.

All you should need for the folder icon is to put a "Folder.jpg" inside the folder concerned. This can actually be a PNG but I think this is one of XBMC's quirks that in just this case it must have the .JPG extension even if it is a PNG.

For an XBE icon itself you'll probably need to use "Default.tbn" ie. thumbnail extension or 'same name as the XBE'.tbn in the same location as the XBE. Again it can be JPG or PNG and, I think BMP too.

Be aware that with TBNs there is a TBN permanent cache which will hold precedence even if you replace the icon. You have to find the old thumbnail in the UserData folder and delete it manually before the new TBN will be used.  

https://www.ogxbox.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8464-preferred-artwork-size-and-resolution/&do=findComment&comment=45367

 

[nikeymikey]

1 minute ago, HDShadow said:

If I understand correctly what you're trying to do is create a Source XBE on the main menu rather than a Source folder with the CoinOps boot XBE inside. Yes? I'm not sure if that is possible, at least not without messing around with one of the, many, XML files that make up XBMC and its variants.

 

Yep, That is what @wiiggy is trying to do. I have tried many times to get this working and no joy. Although I haven't actually messed with any xml's or source code.

I think the reason it doesn't work is down to XBMC being, at its heart, a media player. IIRC (its been a while since I messed with basic xbmc) the sources were always meant to be used for folders full of media (be that games, music, video etc) or for paths/urls for online sources for media or addons and never designed for actually launching a program/file directly. 

Hopefully Rocky will drop by and confirm this either way. 

I do know that you cannot use the XBMC4Gamers style _resources media in the root, but again that is down to XBMC itself.

[NokSueCow]

I can't find it, but Rocky helped someone with this on reddit a while back. I can't remember the solution. This is the only thing I found so far.

For the icon, just press White and choose thumbnail.

[wiiggy]

3 hours ago, NokSueCow said:

I can't find it, but Rocky helped someone with this on reddit a while back. I can't remember the solution. This is the only thing I found so far.

For the icon, just press White and choose thumbnail.

Yes I saw that and thats what got me using a shortcut, I followed the method in a fashion, but it isn't perfect and thought there must be a better solution.

[wiiggy]

8 hours ago, HDShadow said:

Not sure why you used a "shortcut .xbe within its own folder". Surely if you add a new Source you might just as well use the primary CoinOps boot XBE.

If I understand correctly what you're trying to do is create a Source XBE on the main menu rather than a Source folder with the CoinOps boot XBE inside. Yes? I'm not sure if that is possible, at least not without messing around with one of the, many, XML files that make up XBMC and its variants.

All you should need for the folder icon is to put a "Folder.jpg" inside the folder concerned. This can actually be a PNG but I think this is one of XBMC's quirks that in just this case it must have the .JPG extension even if it is a PNG.

For an XBE icon itself you'll probably need to use "Default.tbn" ie. thumbnail extension or 'same name as the XBE'.tbn in the same location as the XBE. Again it can be JPG or PNG and, I think BMP too.

Be aware that with TBNs there is a TBN permanent cache which will hold precedence even if you replace the icon. You have to find the old thumbnail in the UserData folder and delete it manually before the new TBN will be used.  

https://www.ogxbox.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8464-preferred-artwork-size-and-resolution/&do=findComment&comment=45367

 

I'll have a play around, I haven't tried using a .tbn file within the contents, this could be the solution, Thanks

[PRince404]

For quick launching stuff I just use dashloader, I've set it up to launch mame on the black key. Maybe that might work for you as well.

[wiiggy]

I've figured this out the best I can and happy with my solution...

CoinOPS 8 Massive is installed to 'F:\CoinOPS8Massive'
Created another folder and subfolder - 'F:\CoinOPS\CoinOPS 8 shortcut'
Within 'F:\CoinOPS\CoinOPS 8 shortcut', I created a forwarding shortcut 'default.xbe' with 'Xbe Shortcut Maker 2.0' which points to 'F:\CoinOPS8Massive\defaultsplash.xbe'. Along with which I copied the '_resources' folder, artwork, icons and thumbnail files etc to 'F:\CoinOPS\CoinOPS 8 shortcut'. The files are set out like other artwork content:

default.tbn, default.xbe, fanart.jpg, icon.jpg. Then the '_resources' folder has 'artwork', 'media', 'screenshots' folders, as well as the default.xml which has the <titleid>ARCADE80</titleid> that I set the default.xbe up with earlier.

On the root of dashboard, I added a source, pointed it at 'F:\CoinOPS', changed it's thumbnail so it shows the CoinOPS artwork used in the previously copied poster.jpg (from the artwork folder).

To start CoinOPS - click A on the root CoinOPS folder, and the artwork is picked up correctly for the CoinOPS shortcut, including synopsis and background picture, then click the 'CoinOPS 8 Massive' icon and it launches fine.

I was probably complicating things by not understanding how things worked, but glad I've figured it out