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[urherenow]

Recap from the mameworld news forum:

I previously never created different profiler "folders" for profiles. Always left it on [PROFILES]. I had 2 profiles, pointing to the same MameUI64.exe (mame 0.229) file. One profile was created without importing sofwarelists, and the other without. This was with clrmame 4.0.40.

I grabbed clrmamepro 64bit 4.041   (zip) (6022kb), and extracted it over my clrmame folder, overwriting all files as usual. Also as usual, when opening, it noted the new version and that chache files were removed. While running the listxml, it got most of the way through until it finally stated "An error occured while reading information from: G\Mameui64\MAMEUI64.exe  You either stopped the loading process or the file is corrupt". (problem 1)

I then deleted the entire clrmame directory, and extracted it again. Pointed it to the same path\file, and created the first profile (without importing softwarelists). Worked fine. I closed that, then created a new profile again, hoping to import softwarelists to this new profile. It seemed to just skip over the listxml bit. The new-named profile was created instantly, and double-clicking it opened up what I'm guessing was the original profile's cache (the one I had just made without importing softwarelists). (problem 2)

I closed that, then created a new folder when creating a new profile, instead of using the default [PROFILES]. This operated normally, taking care of problem 2.

My 3rd problem isn't really a problem, but more my desire to be as lazy as possible. If I add my Software folder to the roms path, the AutoAssign seems like it is actually recursively checking  all subfolders like I would hope it would. BUT... will not assign any path unless that path is explicitly assigned in the  ROM-Paths, under settings. In my case, it will assign all softwarelist things to \Software. The fact that arcade games have both a .zip file AND a folder for the .chd file(s), probably makes the logic troublesome, but is there any way possible that the autoAssign can at least ask you if you want to add a detected path (like... all dc images are located in \Software\dc... "should \Software\dc be added to ROM-Paths?")? Perhaps apply that bit of logic only to softwarelist sets to help avoid confusion?

[Roman]

1) I can't repeat the "An error occured while reading information from: G\Mameui64\MAMEUI64.exe" at all. This error only appears when cmpro can't access the redirected -listxml or -listsoftware output file or the file itself holds xml bugs. As I said...I cannot repeat this behaviour at all...sorry.

2) Using the same executable for 2 profiles (-listxml and -listxml + -listsoftware) is not intended and will create problems. cmpro reads the xml files and stores the data in a cache file (based on the exe checksum). So you will have one and the same file for both, or if you created one with software lists and load your profile without you get in trouble. Cmpro checks if the exe changed (hash), if yes it shows you a prompt and will reimport data, if not, it loads the cached information.
Either you need 2 not binary-identical exes or use a dat for one and exe import for the other. Or you need to clean the cache all the time before loading a profile...The better way for software lists is anyway to keep them in separate profiles (simply drag'n drop MAME's hash folder in the profiler).

3) auto assign sysdefpaths. Let me tell you how it works. First you need to add rompaths. Rompaths can't have subfolders with other files. You cannot add the root of all your software lists. You need to have them separated. You can simply drop all your folders in the settings folder of course. So settings -> rompaths should show a list of paths....and not one. Then you go to systems and hit auto assign. The auto assign works as follows: Runs through all rompaths (not subpaths!), tries to match the setname against the databasis...each match increases a counter (per bios/softwarelist) and after scanning all rompaths cmpro checks which rompath scored best for bios/softwarelists XY (highest count). So for Atari2600 your 6 rompaths score 0, 1, 1, 10, 200, 7, the rompath with the 200 is assigned ...and so on.

4) nothing of the above actually has changed in years. Regarding the fix for the autodetection, that feature broke a version before so it was just a quick fix to get it up working again.

Setting up softwarelists paths in a combined profile is really a pain...yes...that's why I advice people to not use it (I actually already though of removing it). Using separate profiles is in my opinion the better way to go through it (especially with the batcher)


Regarding 2, I can think of a way that cmpro is able to support 2 different cache files though....one with and one without software lists


(actually I'm working on modifying the hash so that a) the name of the datfile/mame exe, b) the binary content and c) combined or single mode is reflected by it...so you would be able to have differnt cache files for identical mame binaries in combined/not combined mode and/or different caching files for byte-identical files in different positions)....)

[urherenow]

OMG. You know what? It never clicked in my head, about the drag&drop feature of the settings, until now.  I spent over an hour yesterday adding paths one by one, and at some point I accidentally clicked on the "set default" button, tried to cancel it (but like an idiot, clicked NO instead of cancel), and the result was a completely blank path list.

I just now highlighted all of my folders within Software, and dragged them all at once... and the paths were added instantly! And not knowing this has been my #1 issue for a long time. I feel stupid. And relieved.

Thanks!

[Bad A. Billy]

Setting up softwarelists paths in a combined profile is really a pain...yes...that's why I advice people to not use it (I actually already though of removing it).

Just a thought on an easier way to achieve this for a complete all-system software list scan. In the settings menu under the dropdown for ROM-Paths, Sample Paths & the like, add 1 for the Software Lists folder. Just use that as the main directory for all of the software list folders. When CLRMAMEPRO goes through that main folder, if a sub-directory matches a MAME software list, use it, if not, ignore it altogether. If someone has an oddly named folder , let them change that in the System list or simply add it as another directory either in the new Software List Folder window. The vast majority of people have things set up how MAME wants it "software/system-name/item-name" so that would cause the least amount of trouble I would think.

Get rid of the Auto-Assign, just use the user assigned Software List path to start in & then look for the MAME assigned folders in there.
Suggestion:
Leave the System Button in there for the [Standard], [Mechanical], [Devices] & [Bios] directories. And either leave the [Soft] in there, put them under a different button, or get rid of them altogether & only allow the changes to be made under the NEW Software Lists dropdown in the Settings menu.

Just a couple of quick thoughts for you that don't seem like they'd be too difficult to do. But then again, I'm not the one who has to deal with the code!

Thanks for everything! You've made rom-life a lot easier for A LOT of people...

[Roman]

Well, actually the combined mode is crap. Period I got a couple of ideas on paper which actually match somehow your ideas a bit....but currently no real time to implement it.....but time will tell....Thanks for the feedback!