(2020-07-06, 11:01)Wintermute0110 Wrote: @AndyHandy I'm sorry, the feature is already present in AEL in the development version in Github. You can install the development version (instructions on Github) or wait until I make the next release. In AEL settings go to Advanced tab, activate "Suspend/resume Kodi screensaver". This will disable the screensaver before launching (if it was on) and reenable when the launched app finishes. There is a small annoyance in with the current implementation: reenabling the screensaver does not reset the screensaver timer so the screensaver activates just after reenabling it.

(2020-07-07, 23:26)AndyHandy Wrote:

(2020-07-06, 11:01)Wintermute0110 Wrote: @AndyHandy I'm sorry, the feature is already present in AEL in the development version in Github. You can install the development version (instructions on Github) or wait until I make the next release. In AEL settings go to Advanced tab, activate "Suspend/resume Kodi screensaver". This will disable the screensaver before launching (if it was on) and reenable when the launched app finishes. There is a small annoyance in with the current implementation: reenabling the screensaver does not reset the screensaver timer so the screensaver activates just after reenabling it.

Many thanks, I will have a look

Andy

(2020-07-07, 23:57)AndyHandy Wrote:

(2020-07-07, 23:26)AndyHandy Wrote:

(2020-07-06, 11:01)Wintermute0110 Wrote: @AndyHandy I'm sorry, the feature is already present in AEL in the development version in Github. You can install the development version (instructions on Github) or wait until I make the next release. In AEL settings go to Advanced tab, activate "Suspend/resume Kodi screensaver". This will disable the screensaver before launching (if it was on) and reenable when the launched app finishes. There is a small annoyance in with the current implementation: reenabling the screensaver does not reset the screensaver timer so the screensaver activates just after reenabling it.

Many thanks, I will have a look

Andy

I have just had a look at the Github and installed AEL version 0.9.9 but I cant see the option you mention and I cant see another development version, have I missed something?

Thanks again

Andy

(2020-07-08, 09:45)Wintermute0110 Wrote:

(2020-07-07, 23:57)AndyHandy Wrote:

(2020-07-07, 23:26)AndyHandy Wrote: Many thanks, I will have a look

Andy

I have just had a look at the Github and installed AEL version 0.9.9 but I cant see the option you mention and I cant see another development version, have I missed something?

Thanks again

Andy

If you installed the development version the version string must be "0.9.10-alpha", you can check it in Kodi addon manager. Do you have that version installed?

(2020-07-08, 09:49)AndyHandy Wrote: Hi

No I couldn't find that version on your GitHub do you have a link to it?

Sorry to be a nuisance

Regards

Andy

(2017-09-02, 05:02)berlinchair Wrote:

(2017-09-01, 12:43)Wintermute0110 Wrote: Do not desperate. In Linux there is always a solution, no matter how easy (or difficult). I have been doing some research. LibreELEC runs Kodi in standalone mode using a systemd service named kodi. Also, LibreELEC applies a C++ patch to Kodi core to prevent setting Kodi into a window. This makes sense: Kodi is running in standalone mode without a window manager so turning it into a window will be detrimental.

OK, so your solution is to use a wrapper shell script that turns Kodi off before launching the application, launchs the app, and then turns Kodi ON again. This will have the advantage that Kodi will not run on the background so you will have more CPU time to run the emulator (this is especially important for emulators like Dolphin or Mupen). I have made this wrapper script example looking at the wrapper script from Gamesterter addon:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
#
# Wrapper script to run Retroarch in LibreELEC
#
RETROARCH_EXECUTABLE="/change/this/retroarch"
LIBRETRO_CORES_DIR="/change/this/libretro/"

# --- Stop KODI ---
echo "Stopping Kodi service ..."
systemctl stop kodi

# --- Run retroarch ---
echo "Running Retroarch ..."
$RETROARCH_EXECUTABLE -L $LIBRETRO_CORES_DIR/$1_libretro.so -f -v "$2"

# --- Start KODI ---
echo "Starting Kodi service ..."
systemctl start kodi

Save this code in a file named "run_retroarch.sh". Remember this wrapper script must have executable permissions (chmod 755 run_retroarch.sh). Then, to use it in AEL:

Code:

Application: '/directory/run_retroarch.sh'
Arguments: 'core_name "$rom$"'

core_name does not include _libretro.so. For example, picodrive_libretro.so becomes picodrive. If you want to launch applications other than Retroarch you will need to create wrapper scripts on the same fashion.

Good luck!

Wintermute, you are da man!!!!! One can never despair when there is such dedicated and knowledgable developers such as yourself.

This looks fantastic, I will look at trying this out some time over the weekend.

Thanks again for all your help with this, I shall report back with results either way.

(2017-09-01, 12:43)Wintermute0110 Wrote:

(2017-08-31, 23:08)berlinchair Wrote:

(2017-08-31, 16:32)Wintermute0110 Wrote: It looks LibreELEC is running Kodi in standalone mode without a Window manager. Please do an experiment for me: Go to Kodi settings, System Settings, Display. Can you change the Display Mode from Full Screen to Windowed? If so, when Kodi is a window, can you see a window border and the minimize, maximize and close buttons? If so you are running Kodi within a Window Manager and AEL should work OK. If you don't see the window border and buttons then you are running Kodi in standalone mode and AEL won't work well.

Unfortunately, nothing in Libreelec settings to change from full screen to windowed
Ah well thanks for all the help, I may have to look for some other option as it seems with my current setup AEL is not going to be happy
Cheers

Do not desperate. In Linux there is always a solution, no matter how easy (or difficult). I have been doing some research. LibreELEC runs Kodi in standalone mode using a systemd service named kodi. Also, LibreELEC applies a C++ patch to Kodi core to prevent setting Kodi into a window. This makes sense: Kodi is running in standalone mode without a window manager so turning it into a window will be detrimental.

OK, so your solution is to use a wrapper shell script that turns Kodi off before launching the application, launchs the app, and then turns Kodi ON again. This will have the advantage that Kodi will not run on the background so you will have more CPU time to run the emulator (this is especially important for emulators like Dolphin or Mupen). I have made this wrapper script example looking at the wrapper script from Gamesterter addon:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
#
# Wrapper script to run Retroarch in LibreELEC
#
RETROARCH_EXECUTABLE="/change/this/retroarch"
LIBRETRO_CORES_DIR="/change/this/libretro/"

# --- Stop KODI ---
echo "Stopping Kodi service ..."
systemctl stop kodi

# --- Run retroarch ---
echo "Running Retroarch ..."
$RETROARCH_EXECUTABLE -L $LIBRETRO_CORES_DIR/$1_libretro.so -f -v "$2"

# --- Start KODI ---
echo "Starting Kodi service ..."
systemctl start kodi

Save this code in a file named "run_retroarch.sh". Remember this wrapper script must have executable permissions (chmod 755 run_retroarch.sh). Then, to use it in AEL:

Code:

Application: '/directory/run_retroarch.sh'
Arguments: 'core_name "$rom$"'

core_name does not include _libretro.so. For example, picodrive_libretro.so becomes picodrive. If you want to launch applications other than Retroarch you will need to create wrapper scripts on the same fashion.

Good luck!

(2020-07-12, 06:22)redshepard Wrote: Hi, i know im late here but im trying to get this working with my retropie setup. The command im using to start my retroarch/rom is retropie's runcommand.sh, that command needs a path to rom as an input.
What i was hopeing to figure out is weather or not AEL has a way to pass that onto runcommand like you passed the path to libretro into your script. Thanks for any help.

python:


        log_info('_command_run_rom() raw arguments   "{0}"'.format(arguments))

        arguments = arguments.replace('$categoryID$', categoryID)

        arguments = arguments.replace('$launcherID$', launcherID)

        arguments = arguments.replace('$romID$', romID)

        arguments = arguments.replace('$rom$', ROMFileName.getPath())

        arguments = arguments.replace('$romfile$', ROMFileName.getPath())

        arguments = arguments.replace('$rompath$', rompath)

        arguments = arguments.replace('$rombase$', rombase)

        arguments = arguments.replace('$rombasenoext$', rombase_noext)

        arguments = arguments.replace('$romtitle$', romtitle)

        arguments = arguments.replace('$apppath$', apppath)

        # >> Legacy names for argument substitution

        arguments = arguments.replace('%rom%', ROMFileName.getPath())

        arguments = arguments.replace('%ROM%', ROMFileName.getPath())

(2020-07-12, 17:34)Wintermute0110 Wrote:

(2020-07-12, 06:22)redshepard Wrote: Hi, i know im late here but im trying to get this working with my retropie setup. The command im using to start my retroarch/rom is retropie's runcommand.sh, that command needs a path to rom as an input.
What i was hopeing to figure out is weather or not AEL has a way to pass that onto runcommand like you passed the path to libretro into your script. Thanks for any help.

Better late than never AEL has a lot of variables you can use in your arguments to call the application. You can have a look at the list here. I will reproduce it here for your convenience:

python:


log_info('_command_run_rom() raw arguments "{0}"'.format(arguments))

arguments = arguments.replace('$categoryID$', categoryID)

arguments = arguments.replace('$launcherID$', launcherID)

arguments = arguments.replace('$romID$', romID)

arguments = arguments.replace('$rom$', ROMFileName.getPath())

arguments = arguments.replace('$romfile$', ROMFileName.getPath())

arguments = arguments.replace('$rompath$', rompath)

arguments = arguments.replace('$rombase$', rombase)

arguments = arguments.replace('$rombasenoext$', rombase_noext)

arguments = arguments.replace('$romtitle$', romtitle)

arguments = arguments.replace('$apppath$', apppath)

# >> Legacy names for argument substitution

arguments = arguments.replace('%rom%', ROMFileName.getPath())

arguments = arguments.replace('%ROM%', ROMFileName.getPath())

If you need a variable not in there tell me with an example what you need, I will create it.

(2020-07-13, 04:43)Wild_Tom Wrote: Hi, I am a new user of this addon and I cant create a subcategory, is it even possible to do this?
Thanks, Wild Tom

(2020-07-13, 01:00)redshepard Wrote: you are awesome man, thankyou for your quick reply.
i still cant figure this out and im sure im messing up on something simple here.

in the cli i can run this to open gba files:


/opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh 0 _SYS_ gba /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/gba/ROM


so i have tried making a .sh to launch roms and this is what i have so far:


#!/bin/sh

sudo kodi-send --action="Quit"

/opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh 0 _SYS_ $1 $2

kodi


and in AEL under arguments i have:


gba "$rom$"


im not sure what im doing wrong, i thought the $1 and $2 would pas in the gba and /path/to/rom to the runcommand.sh.
thanks again for all your time.

(2020-07-13, 12:52)Wintermute0110 Wrote:

(2020-07-13, 01:00)redshepard Wrote: you are awesome man, thankyou for your quick reply.
i still cant figure this out and im sure im messing up on something simple here.

in the cli i can run this to open gba files:


/opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh 0 _SYS_ gba /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/gba/ROM


so i have tried making a .sh to launch roms and this is what i have so far:


#!/bin/sh

sudo kodi-send --action="Quit"

/opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh 0 _SYS_ $1 $2

kodi


and in AEL under arguments i have:


gba "$rom$"


im not sure what im doing wrong, i thought the $1 and $2 would pas in the gba and /path/to/rom to the runcommand.sh.
thanks again for all your time.

The code you posted should do the job, just put quotes on the ROM name and the system name (just in case there is spaces):

Code:


#!/bin/sh

sudo kodi-send --action="Quit"

/opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh 0 _SYS_ "$1" "$2"

kodi


Also, open the Launcher context menu, select "Edit Launcher", select "Advanced Modifications", make sure the setting "Non-blocking launcher" is ON. Otherwise, sudo kodi-send --action="Quit" will not work. Also, when you type sudo in the CLI are you asked for a password? If so the script won't work.

Finally, what is exactly the problem you have? Kodi not exiting? Retroarch not launching? Please describe it better. Also, if you can provide a debug log following the instructions of the first post that will be great.

(2020-07-14, 00:09)redshepard Wrote: you are an absolute champion.
That was exactly what i needed. I'm not sure what the non blocking launcher setting does but it solved all my problems. I wasn't able to see the error logs in my runcommand log file because it wasn't getting called, kodi was crashing on the kodi-send event, I had assumed the event went through and quit kodi when it was actually just crashing. The only other thing i had to do was quote out the $rom$ in the arugments menu as the "$2" wasn't enough. everything is working amazingly now, thanks for all your help. I will be shareing this with the other raspberry pi lovers and hopefully try to steer some to this awesome addon.