associate disk image(s) to configuration file

[Toni Wilen]

(was posted in 1.6.1 news thread)

This is getting close to frontend's feature but perhaps it can be part of winuae..

Possible solutions:

a) new configuration file entry that lists CRC32/SHA1 of disk images. Doubleclick adf with included checksum = load matching configuration and insert doubleclicked file in DF0:

b) same as a except checksums are in separate file, only path to file in configuration file.

c) something else. (must be checksum based, name based won't be accepted)

(finding correct configuration won't be problem, configuration.cache can include checksums in single file for best performance, no need to look each config which would be really slow)

Comments/suggestions? Is this even worth the trouble?

[TCD]

The seperate file solution sounds good. I guess it would still be 'user based', so maybe even an automount feature for DF1 and so on could be stored. If you save the config (or however the list is filled) the first disk is inserted in the association list and disks in the other drives go into the automount part of the list.

Nice feature of course Would save a lot of redundant configs for me

[seuden]

Wow, I may have contributed to WinUAE? Awesome.

It would certainly help towards not having to have loads of config files per image file(s). I personally think it would be worth it as long as it wasn't too much trouble. I think option b would be the best option.

Maybe there is a way to auto create a checksum and store it into a particular path?

[Marcuz]

i'm not positive that this would be a semplification, even if it is an interesting possibility.

it would be practical if the relevant configurations were real few and each would be tied to the largest number of adfs possible. but that would also mean that the whole games directory should be unarchived, so that could be a bit difficult to manage.

imho, given also the fact that external frontends are quite developed, AND most importantly that winuae changes how it handles and stores stuff inside configurations quite frequently, the actual configuration files directly managed by Winuae should be kept at a bare minimum, for instance frequently used HD setups;

therefore such a feature you propose, could be useful, as it would be quicker than quickstart mode.

a possibility would be to rename all the zips with a different extension, and let associate that one. but it would made things harder to clrmame and tosec people...

[TCD]

I think you talk about something else marco If done right (which I'm sure Toni will) you would hardly notice any difference, except that you can double click on a disk and WinUAE will load the right config

[seuden]

Originally Posted by StingRay

That means I have to store the images 2 times which is a bit annoying.

Would shortcuts to the images work?

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by seuden

Would shortcuts to the images work?

Yes but it wouldn't make much of a difference. I'd still have to create a shortcut to the images and this extra work is what I find annoying.

[seuden]

Originally Posted by StingRay

Yes but it wouldn't make much of a difference. I'd still have to create a shortcut to the images and this extra work is what I find annoying.

It would save disk space and at least you could select all disk images and create shortcuts in one go but I do see where you're coming from.

[Marcuz]

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

I think you talk about something else marco If done right (which I'm sure Toni will) you would hardly notice any difference, except that you can double click on a disk and WinUAE will load the right config

TCD, sorry mate, i don't see the difference: of course the matter at hand is how to associate an adf to a configuration, right?

the purpose is to simplify things, and if it doesn't, maybe, as i was saying is not worth the work to do it.

all i was saying is that i'm not sure this would be a simplification, if adfs are to be extractred from zip files and if you have to tweak anyway Winuae settings afer the game is started for to accomodate variable things such inputs and/or resolutions.

therefore, in this case, it looks to me that the quickstart feature, with dragging and dropping zipped adfs is already more than enough for easy of use.

of course, clicking on a zipped adf and starting automatically the game without to adjust configurations, would be great, hence i suggested to rename the .zip to something like .adz or .wuz or .whatever...

[TCD]

I think the main purpose would be to have only one config file per 'real' configuration and that a disk (zip, whatever) would know which config it would load when started 'directly'. This would make changing certain things settings for all configs much easier. Think about it as different 'default.uae' configs.

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

I think the main purpose would be to have only one config file per 'real' configuration and that a disk (zip, whatever) would know which config it would load when started 'directly'. This would make changing certain things settings for all configs much easier. Think about it as different 'default.uae' configs.

Exactly. Perhaps even only "mapping" disk checksum to quickstart configurations and host-side configuration still comes from default.uae.

[Marcuz]

yeah i got that, but still, having to use adfs instead of archives is unelegant, imho.

since GUI redesign is out of the scope or interest, (therefore a directory listing inside winuae would not happen) then i see this as a cool but with little impact project.

i say this just to articulate better, not that i'm against this feature per se.

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by marco pedrana

yeah i got that, but still, having to use adfs instead of archives is unelegant, imho.

since GUI redesign is out of the scope or interest, (therefore a directory listing inside winuae would not happen) then i see this as a cool but with little impact project.

i say this just to articulate better, not that i'm against this feature per se.

I don't see how GUI redesign can help running archives when most users have archives associated with some archiver software.. It is Windows limitation (if you can call it "limitation").

WinUAE will not become some kind of explorer replacement so we have to play with Windows "rules".

[Toni Wilen]

Another idea, add entry to right click menu (when right clicking on associated disk image like adf, dms etc..) "associate with configuration" that opens list of all configurations (and of course, "remove association"), click correct config. done.

No GUI changes needed and would be really easy to use.

[Toni Wilen]

More ideas, perhaps do it automatically by checking file name for "key words"?

KS1.2, 1M chip, AGA, etc.. Default would be KS1.3 quickstart setting. (Does for example TOSEC have standard naming for these?)

This would be 100% automatic

(I guess I am getting off-topic in my own thread..)

[Marcuz]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Another idea, add entry to right click menu (when right clicking on associated disk image like adf, dms etc..) "associate with configuration" that opens list of all configurations (and of course, "remove association"), click correct config. done.

No GUI changes needed and would be really easy to use.

except that if you leave that to the user, then probably many games would not run.

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

More ideas, perhaps do it automatically by checking file name for "key words"?

KS1.2, 1M chip, AGA, etc.. Default would be KS1.3 quickstart setting. (Does for example TOSEC have standard naming for these?)

only for compatibility variants of the same game possibly. check the zip in this old post, i could not find a quick more recent naming convention list, now:
http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=22862&postcount=4


This would be 100% automatic

(I guess I am getting off-topic in my own thread..)

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

More ideas, perhaps do it automatically by checking file name for "key words"?

KS1.2, 1M chip, AGA, etc.. Default would be KS1.3 quickstart setting. (Does for example TOSEC have standard naming for these?)

This would be 100% automatic

(I guess I am getting off-topic in my own thread..)

I have also thought about it for JAmiga (there is this greyed out 'Setup configuration' button ). With the TOSEC naming convention a pretty good 'guess' can be achieved. I think this would be a great feature for people who don't know which Amiga models they should choose from quickstart

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by marco pedrana

except that if you leave that to the user, then probably many games would not run.

Uhmm? It was about letting users to associate some configuration with some disk image. Users already do the exact same thing, only manually..

(if you don't like this, which is completely acceptable, don't reply or reply something constructive at least)

[Marcuz]

Toni, after a couple of years of exchanges with you in winuae betatesting, i have renounced to believe that we can ever understand each other: because of lack of english skill on my part, surely, and also because you refuse to to hear whatever you don't like to. that aside, which i may even accept, because of our different fields and ways, if i partecipate to a discussion, usually is because i think what i can contribute is costructive.

back on topic, in your first post you ask if this new idea is something worth the hassle (your hassle, as you are the programmer) and i replied with some reasoning why this, imho, of course, it would change little to winuae use: i may be wrong but that's the point of giving you feedback: the whole of feedbacks you receive let you decide what to do, not the single ones.

in my last post, my argumentation is that if you let the user assign a disk to a given configuration, this would be exactly like to use the GUI to to the job, almost as it is now: it would be quicker, right, but also it would eventually happen that a disk would be assigned to a wrong configuration.

this is perfectly acceptable, as then the user would correct manually the configuration after noticing the error.

and this was my point: if this new procedure adds nothing to the streamlining of the configuration process, it's possible it's not worth the hassle.

please do add it nevertheless! what do i care? just do not ask if you don't like the answers!

[Toni Wilen]

Oops, sorry (again). I forgot I asked in OP if this is worth the trouble. I didn't mean to write it that way because it is 100% my problem to decide it (not worth the trouble = technically complex and I am not interested..)

Manual association when doubleclicking: single button in WinUAE GUI somewhere, proper handling of right button menu appears to be technically too annoying. (if this feature even happens, still waiting for feedback)

Autodetecting configuration: if doubleclicked, look for configuration 'hints' in filename and select "correct" qs config. Probably worth the trouble because it is technically very easy to do and wrong guess won't break anything (most likely it would have been wrong even without guessing..)