Hi-Score Competition RSS Feed

[Adultery]

So for your earlier feature request Draco, I went ahead and added the RSS Feed Editor to the Database Manager. If anyone would like to plug the feed into GameEx's already available RSS Reader, here's the URL:

http://gameinfo.hfc-essentials.com/hiscore/HiScore.rss

All that needs to be done to update this is to hit the UPDATE FEED button when the database is updated. Those fortunate enough to have access upload the new RSS feed in a few seconds (everything is generated in code). Now everyone can see the score table no matter what they're using. I hope people find it useful.

Enjoy!

[Adultery]

Here's a quick peek of the RSS feed in the Google Chrome RSS Feed Reader extension. Click the game and it shoots right over to the game's thread. Check it:

[GimmeClassics]

All that needs to be done to update this is to hit the UPDATE FEED button when the database is updated. Those fortunate enough to have access upload the new RSS feed in a few seconds (everything is generated in code). Now everyone can see the score table no matter what they're using. I hope people find it useful.

Nice work as ever Adultery ! Updating the RSS feed is working like a charm !

I went ahead and added the RSS Feed Editor to the Database Manager. If anyone would like to plug the feed into GameEx's already available RSS Reader, here's the URL:

http://gameinfo.hfc-essentials.com/hiscore/HiScore.rss

Could someone perhaps explain how to install the GameEx RSS reader and how to plug Adultery's created RSS Feed editor into GameEx's already available RSS reader ?

Thank you guys

GC

[Draco1962]

Just do a search via Setup Wizard for News. Next, select an open feed # from the dropdown and paste the URL that Adultery provided, then click next and exit. You should be good to go!

[hansolo77]

This is really cool! Thanks Adultery!

[Adultery]

No prob Bob!

[Adultery]

I have a spot on my theme for RSS too... most do but you need to approach that a bit differently. You need to go in and directly edit the theme via Theme Wizard. I hooked this one into MAME's page so the scores scroll on the game select screens. Lots of ways you can use the feed.

[DazzleHP]

I have the ticker at top of MAME Select This is too cool!

I know it's gonna start sounding like i worship you Adultery but...

*drops to knees*

Thank you thank you!

[rtkiii]

this sounds neat! I did not enable the RSS Feed because I didn't understand why I would want that...but I will definitely enable this going forward. Not sure if my generic layout has a spot for it or not. I'll check that out this weekend. I think I stuck with the most basic least flashy design

[GimmeClassics]

I have a spot on my theme for RSS too... most do but you need to approach that a bit differently. You need to go in and directly edit the theme via Theme Wizard. I hooked this one into MAME's page so the scores scroll on the game select screens. Lots of ways you can use the feed.

I have the ticker at top of MAME Select This is too cool!

@Adultery / Dazzle: I'd love to know how to achieve this !! I've been trying to incorporate the RSS feed in Adultery's theme but with no luck. If you guys could help me out that'd be great

Thanks !

[DazzleHP]

I've been trying to incorporate the RSS feed in Adultery's theme but with no luck. If you guys could help me out that'd be great

Open the theme in the theme editor, Click Edit> Scroller, then click wich page you wan't the feed to appear on then paste the feed url. Click Ok then File> Save.

Feed url:

http://gameinfo.hfc-essentials.com/hiscore/HiScore.rss

Depending on the theme you may have to move the scroller into view, as a common trick to hide elements is to move them offscreen

If you can't locate it on screen then choose "Layout" in the Object Browser then select "Scroller", then in the X,Y, boxes in bottom left put 0,0 then it will be in top left corner ready to drag to where you want it

[GimmeClassics]

Open the theme in the theme editor, Click Edit> Scroller, then click wich page you wan't the feed to appear on then paste the feed url. Click Ok then File> Save.

Feed url: http://gameinfo.hfc-essentials.com/hiscore/HiScore.rss

Depending on the theme you may have to move the scroller into view, as a common trick to hide elements is to move them offscreen

If you can't locate it on screen then choose "Layout" in the Object Browser then select "Scroller", then in the X,Y, boxes in bottom left put 0,0 then it will be in top left corner ready to drag to where you want it

@Dazzle > thank you buddy for your explanation. This helped out a lot...

I have succesfully added the hi-score rss feed using GameEx Theme editor. See picture below:

There however seems to be some kind of error when GameEx is trying to show the correct scroller message per GameEx menu.

EXAMPLE 1 - Scroller working OK

GameEx is showing the GameEx news feed at the Start menu, the hi-score rss-feed at the Mame select screen (see picture below) and at the Mame menu the message: "MAME is a software application designed to emulate the hardware of arcade game systems ...etc"

>>> I've attached my log and config files after having encountered this outcome (log_1 etc....)

EXAMPLE 2 - Scroller not working OK (see attached files)

GameEx is showing (after having switched back and forth to Start menu, Mame select menu and Mame menu) the hi-score rss feed in every menu instead of just the Mame Select menu See picture below:

>>> I've again attached my log and config files after having encountered this outcome (log_2 etc...)

EXAMPLE 3 - Scroller not working OK (see attached files)

GameEx is showing (after having switched back and forth to Start menu, Mame select menu and Mame menu) the GameEx news feed in every menu instead of just the GameEx start screen. See picture below:

>>> I've again attached my log and config files after having encountered this outcome (log_3 etc...)

Usually at the beginning GameEx is showing the right scroller message at every menu but after having switched back and forth the different menu's GameEx seems to lose focus and doesn't show the correct feed anymore...

Does anyone maybe have an idea how to fix this. Maybe Dazzle or Adultery ?

Thank you in advance

GC

GameEx_1.ini

log_1.txt

Theme_1.ini

GameEx_2.ini

log_2.txt

Theme_2.ini

GameEx_3.ini

log_3.txt

Theme_3.ini

[rtkiii]

that is a pretty sweet theme...anyone know where I can get it? I DLed other Adultery themes butI could not find this exact one...thanks

[Adultery]

That's not my theme. Its Draco's.

This may be a GameEx issue as opposed to a rss issue... Can anyone else duplicate?

What happens if you don't use rss or use another feed?

[rtkiii]

mine appears to be okay once i figured out what the hell was going on inside that theme editor.

Iended up adding a news page to my frontend and using the WarGames theme. Tweaked accordingly for now. I like that you can view the games in a list menu once you get into the news side of things but I do not like when you click "more" it takes you to a forum page...I think it should stay inside of GameEx...just my imo...but the ticket seems to work great!

[DazzleHP]

@GC - this is just a hunch and i could be way off the mark but:

Have you by any chance put both feeds on them/all pages by accident? If you have more than one feed dedicated to a page it will switch between them as you navigate back and fourth

If you are sure you only have the news feed on the Start page, and only the HiScore feed on the MAME screens then it way well be a GE issue

[GimmeClassics]

that is a pretty sweet theme...anyone know where I can get it? I DLed other Adultery themes butI could not find this exact one...thanks

@rtkiii: the Theme is called Blue Neon LCD (download link). It's created by Draco. It's a very nice theme. Switching between this theme and Adultery's MegaMame 2.2.

@GC - this is just a hunch and i could be way off the mark but:

Have you by any chance put both feeds on them/all pages by accident? If you have more than one feed dedicated to a page it will switch between them as you navigate back and fourth

If you are sure you only have the news feed on the Start page, and only the HiScore feed on the MAME screens then it way well be a GE issue

@Dazzle: I have double checked this and I only have the news feed on the Start page and the HiScore feed on the Mame select screen. Seems to be a GE issue.

That's not my theme. Its Draco's.

What happens if you don't use rss or use another feed?

If I use another feed at the Mame select screen the same thing happens. I've for example added the GameEx news feed to the Mame Select screen instead of the hi-score feed and the same thing happens when I go back and forth from start menu to the Game select menu. Attached is the log and ini where GameEx is showing the GameEx news feed at every menu (see log_blueneon etc...). Also see picture below:

TESTING WITH MEGAMAME THEME

I've also tested this scroller issue with the MegaMame theme. I'm switching between Draco's Blue Neon theme and your MegaMame theme. Both very nice !

EXAMPLE 1 - Scroller not working OK (see attached files)

GameEx is showing (after having switched back and forth to Start menu, Mame select menu and Mame menu) the GameEx news feed in every menu instead of just the GameEx start screen. See picture below:

>>> I've again attached my log and config files after having encountered this outcome (log_mm1 etc...)

EXAMPLE 2 - Scroller not working OK (see attached files)

GameEx is showing (after having switched back and forth to Start menu, Mame select menu and Mame menu) the hi-score rss feed in every menu instead of just the Mame Select menu See picture below:

>>> I've again attached my log and config files after having encountered this outcome (log_mm2 etc...)

Sometimes I get the correct scroller messages > GameEx news feed at the Start menu, the hi-score rss-feed at the Mame select screen and the message: "MAME is a software application designed to ...etc at the Mame (game)menu. But this is only working for a very short time. When going back and forth through the different GameEx menu's GameEx either shows the hi-score feed at every menu or the GameEx news feed.

I hope you guys can help me out... I'd really like to make use of the scroller messages, but it has to work correctly....

Thank you guys so far for helping me

GC

GameEx_blueneon.ini

log_blueneon.txt

Theme_blueneon.ini

GameEx_mm1.ini

log_mm1.txt

Theme_mm1.ini

GameEx_mm2.ini

log_mm2.txt

Theme_mm2.ini

[Krakerman]

Love the Hi-Score feed!! Be nice to expand it for console/handheld/pinball systems.

[ehuonder]

Thanks for the Hi-Score feed! It's awesome! I just need to play more games...

[Draco1962]

Love the Hi-Score feed!! Be nice to expand it for console/handheld/pinball systems.

Not so sure it can be done for consoles/handhelds as hi-score storage varies to great degrees even within individual systems. Pinball may be doable as hi-score support has recently been enabled in PinballX, but to what extent it can be done in GameEx and translated to a feed would be up to the authors to comment.

[rtkiii]

Hey guys...again a GREAT feature but as always I have a question. I love to see I am top dog at 1944 every time I get to the point in my FE where it starts scrolling...BUT is there anyway to randomize what game is listed first, 2nd, 3rd??? Or maybe instead of starting with 1944 it starts with the "Leaderboard" and then goes alphabetically?

Nothing big I still like it.

[hansolo77]

Can't see why not, this would have to be something Adultery would need to tweak a bit though in the Database Manager program. Perhaps instead of listing alphanumerically by game, it could sort by most recent addition/last modified table?

[Adultery]

It should go by node order, so not sure how I would go about doing this... May require some code sorcery, perhaps I can just dump them into an array and sort it. Best I can promise is listed alphabetically, which shouldn't be a huge deal. Randomizing it would be impractical since it would need to be uniquely generated for each user.

I'll look into it though.

[hansolo77]

We'll I don't know anything about programming this kinda stuff. I just figured it would be a simple matter of seeing what was recently changed/updated, and just putting that title at the beginning of the RSS feed. I thought the way RSS worked though was that it put news items as most recent first anyway. But we're not really doing a full-on RSS, it's more just using the RSS as a means of injecting information. All we do is submit an update, and it remakes the entire RSS on the fly, rather than appending.

[Adultery]

I'm not sure because I don't have the code in front of me, but it probably just goes in the order the nodes are in the database. It might even be alphabetical already, but I don't think I added a sort.

Could you do me a favor and post a plain text copy of the current rss for me to look at here in the forum?