mGalaxy forum

General Discussions => Need Help? => Topic started by: default_user on February 12, 2012, 02:59:11 PM

Title: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 12, 2012, 02:59:11 PM
Hi,

MAME Version: 0.143

          I am very happy with the mGalaxy frontend but I can't seem to get mGalaxy to see changes I make to MAME's mame.ini file.  I have already looked at the video setting and ROM path setting posts in the forum and I have tried the fix but mGalaxy still does not see any changes I make to mame.ini 
 
          I know that the I am making the right changes to MAME because when I click on mame.exe I can see the setting changes but when I start mGalaxy by clicking on the mGalaxy.exe file everything gets reverted to default settings.

          This is what I'm doing exactly:
          I added the rom path in the mame.ini file from "roms" to "C:\MAME ROMS"
          It looks like this:
          rompath            roms;c:\MAME ROMS

         Only problem is that whenever I launch mGalaxy it won't see the mame.ini changes.  But launching mame by itself is the only way I am able to see settings changes.

         I really want to continue using your frontend but I am not sure if this is a program bug or something I can fix.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx!
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: mgalaxy on February 12, 2012, 04:05:10 PM
That's strange! I just did the test, changing my rom's place, as you did...and it works!

When you say "everything gets reverted to default settings" do you mean that the "mame.ini" file has overwritten the settings that you applied (so, you read "rompath            roms" when you open it again)?
What mgalaxy version are you running? The "old" one, or the new v2.0
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 12, 2012, 06:35:46 PM
I am assuming that mGalaxy is in fact using the mame.ini file to configure mame.  And so I thought that it is somehow "reverting" to default settings since I am not seeing the changes in mGalaxy.

And I did check the mame.ini file after launching mGalaxy and my custom settings are still there in mame.ini file.  But like I said before it's as though mGalaxy is either not looking for a config file or is using some other file in some other directory for its mame configurations because anything I set in mame.ini does not take effect after I launch mGalaxy unless I launch mame.exe by itself.   
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: mgalaxy on February 12, 2012, 06:38:46 PM
Which mgalaxy version are you running? The "old" one, or the new v2.0
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 12, 2012, 07:14:26 PM
Version 2.0
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: Causbrite on February 13, 2012, 01:50:58 AM
Have a look for a second *.ini file. Sometimes ther's more than one. Might be in a different folder as well. I have 3, one in INI folder, and 2 were in the root folder. All the same now, and everything works OK. Just an idea.
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: mgalaxy on February 13, 2012, 01:55:28 AM
So that's OK now?

Would you please tell me
1) where the INI folder is located
2) how 2 files with the same name could be in the same folder

In other words, could you give me the full path & full name of those 3 files?

Thanks!!
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: Causbrite on February 13, 2012, 02:28:58 AM
My bad, one of the *.ini's was a mameui32.ini, the other mame.ini. I also had them in my INI folder as well. Was just trying to be helpful with the original poster.
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 02:30:06 AM
I think the "two" ini files he might be talking about are the mame.ini and mGalaxy's favorites ini.  I know they have nothing to do with each other but his thinking might lead us to where exactly this mystery configuration file(.ini , .cfg , .xml) is or what it is for that matter.

I'm not at all sure about this but it is possible that mGalaxy might have been written so that it has predefined parameters when it works with mame.exe

I don't know enough about programming to verify this possibility but it might explain why mame.exe's settings are being overridden.
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 02:43:39 AM
I have seen other users with the same problem.  One was a problem adding ROM paths and the other was concerning windowed mode setting changes. 

Strange thing is that the the mame.ini changes worked for the user with the problem adding a new ROM path.

Stranger still is that the Administrator says that windowed mode settings can't be changed at all but how can the ROM path setting work and not the windowed mode setting change?  They are both options that are changed via the mame.ini file.

Unfortunately the only answer I've seen is that the mame.ini file can be changed to work with mGalaxy but sadly that is not the case with mame ver. 0.143; unless I am wrong but I am still waiting on the Administrator's reply with a definite answer to my question abut changing these configurations.
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: mgalaxy on February 13, 2012, 02:51:28 AM
Yes indeed, mGalaxy is passing arguments to mame when you're launching a game (the mame volume and the skip gameinfo)...but it doesn't prevent other settings to be read in the "mame.ini" file. I did the test again, yesterday on my Win 7 PC and this morning on a XP PC!
In both cases, changing the rompath in the mame.ini file is successful!

Have you done a test with a couple of rom in a 'roms' folder in the root folder of mGalaxy?
I mean, have you tested that it works under "normal" use!
It may sound you a stupid question...but I want to be sure ;-)

I remind you that the minimum files needed by mGalaxy are:
- mGalaxy.exe
- mGalaxy.exe.config
- mame.exe

Please create a folder somewhere and add those file into it.
Then, add to this folder a 'roms' folder and put a couple rom in it....check if it works.
Then move the 'roms' folder only and adapt the mame.ini file accordingly and see what happens.

Thanks
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 02:54:19 AM
Okay I'll try the fix now
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: mgalaxy on February 13, 2012, 02:57:13 AM
Oooops I forgot a 's' in 'rom' folder...I 've corrected my post.
So the folder containing roms must be named 'roms'
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 03:07:02 AM
Same problem

But after using the files you asked I did find something odd:

If I add the mame.ini file windowed mode works with mame
But causes a conflict in mGalaxy; mGalaxy freezes and I checked my task manager and mame.exe seems to be running in the background.

If I remove the mame.ini file mGalaxy works but only with the arguments that it was written to work with.
Full screen only no windowed mode
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 03:09:37 AM
I'm going to see if I can add a ROM path using this method
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 03:16:10 AM
I can now confirm that mame.ini is allowing the option to set windowed mode and new ROM paths.

But mGalaxy is overriding any changes to mame.ini
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: mgalaxy on February 13, 2012, 03:38:01 AM
Would you please download this file and extract it:
http://www.mgalaxy.com/other/rompath_test.zip (http://www.mgalaxy.com/other/rompath_test.zip)
Run mGalaxy from this folder and see if you can launch "005" game
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 03:47:00 AM
You're right mGalaxy is seeing the new Rom path

The reason I thought it wasn't was because I was using the "show available roms filter"

Why is it filtering out games that are available?
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 04:06:09 AM
It is not only filtering out all my working games that are in my new ROM path but also your 005 game as well.

And transferring games between folders isn't fixing the error either.
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: mgalaxy on February 13, 2012, 04:12:38 AM
I thought that you couldn't LAUNCH the game...not that you couldn't SEE it in your list!!
I would have directed you to the "show available roms" option directly!  ;)

mGalaxy's "Show available roms" is ONLY looking into the "roms" folder residing at the same level than mGalaxy!
So, it won't check into a renamed "roms" folder or a folder moved somewhere else!
As you know, mgalaxy has been written to be as "simple" as possible (and it is loved for this same reason ;-)...so, unfortunately there's no "complicated" configuration menu!
But I understand that the functionality that you're looking for may seem a very basic requirement to you!?
So, if many user might want it, I could add this option (and others) in "mGalaxy Runway".
mGalaxy Runway could become a "mGalaxy's Preference" application and manage keyboard mapping and other options like the one you need now.
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 04:29:51 AM
I am sorry but you do have to keep in mind that if I can't see it in my list how can I even attempt to launch it?

No matter; I understand its limitations.  And I agree your frontend is by far the best designed one on the web. 

But maybe there is a fix to this problem, can I use the favorite tab to add a custom list without having to view every single MAME game that was ever created!?

And I can tell you that adding these features to a new version would be useful improvement to myself and many others who are using mGalaxy.

Thank You for your help its pretty late where I am so I am grateful.
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 04:45:08 AM
Nevermind I just read your post about the "Favorites tab" being the only way to see a custom list of games.

Thank You Very Much

P.S. Windowed Mode would be really nice on the next version ;D
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: mgalaxy on February 13, 2012, 05:03:21 AM
But maybe there is a fix to this problem, can I use the favorite tab to add a custom list without having to view every single MAME game that was ever created!?
Yes you can. It's simply a matter of editing the "mg_favorites.ini" file...but you'll have to know the EXACT name of the game. Or you can use the "search" window to quickly browse to the game you want (typing the first 3-4 letters might be sufficient) and add it to your favorite by pressing the corresponding button ("Ctrl", by default).

Quote
And I can tell you that adding these features to a new version would be useful improvement to myself and many others who are using mGalaxy.
You mean adding custom path to roms folder..or "use the favorite tab to add a custom list without having..."?
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 05:15:47 AM
Yes! the favorites list works like a charm.

I am very happy with your frontend

But I would like to see more options like windowed mode in the next version  ;D
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 05:18:27 AM
Does mGalaxy V2.0 let me use the multi-threading option?
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: default_user on February 13, 2012, 06:50:53 PM
Just found out that ALT + ENTER switches to windowed mode so I guess there isn't that much to complain about other than the available ROM's filtering fix
Title: Re: mGalaxy Not Seeing Changes Made In mame.ini
Post by: Kenshin on September 06, 2012, 03:46:16 PM
how about autosaving.

I set the option autosaving to 1 in mame.ini, but nothing happenes.. testes it with one rom, left the game, restarted it.. no saving done..