Edit button Theme Editor

[alexdelarge]

Hi,

I'm trying to design my own theme based on the 'GameroomEX v2' theme. Some things I can't figure out:

1) The 'edit' button in Theme Editor is not working. Known problem or is it my configuration (Win 7). If it is working, what does it do?

2) Is it possible to adjust the menu-structure of a theme? It's a bit unclear to me how I can change the structure and delete items. Do I have to use GameEx or Theme Editor for doing so? How do the two programs relate to each other anyway?

3) I assume that Theme Editor is a bit out-dated?

Gr. Michel

[DazzleHP]

Hi alexdelarge and welcome

1) The edit button will open whatever image (ie a background) you are viewing directly in an image editor (default is MS Paint), however you must have have an image based module selected in the tree menu on the left. If for instance you have a layout module selected the button has no function. You can also specify which editor the images open with, in Edit> Options> Editor tab. I have mine set to GIMP:

2) The only way to change the menu structure is to use the Custom Menu utility (All Programs> GameEx> Configuration), here's a guide. Unfortunately you can't currently make theme based menus.

3) Although not the most intuitive interface, you can still create and edit all functions of a theme using it I think most of us only use it for specific tasks, like adjusting the layout of items and editing scrollers etc, and edit all the graphics directly from the theme's folder. At least that's how i do it

[Draco1962]

Ditto to Dazz's response. I edit all of my buttons, background and foreground images via GIMP and only use the Theme Editor for font selections and item placement within the theme.

[alexdelarge]

Thanks guys. I played a bit with the theme editor and the gameex wizard and things are getting more clear now.

One thing though, how can you get objects from the Objects Browsers onto the canvas? Or do I have to use the .ini files to accomplish that?

[alexdelarge]

Can anyone tell me the purpose of the Object Browser? I cannot drag&drop objects from there onto the canvas. How can I add or delete objects / items from the canvas?

At the Mame All games list, I want to add the 'By category', 'By year, 'By manufacturer' menu. How can I do that?

[Draco1962]

Within this version of GameEx, 'By category', 'By year, 'By manufacturer' options are hardcoded to display in the menu bar. These are not options you can add to the integrated MAME, Daphne, or Emulator sections independently.

[DazzleHP]

Within this version of GameEx, 'By category', 'By year, 'By manufacturer' options are hardcoded to display in the menu bar. These are not options you can add to the integrated MAME, Daphne, or Emulator sections independently.

Yes, that menu bar is dynamic in that it changes depending on which page you are viewing in GameEx. To change its position expand Layout in the Object Browser then select Menu. Anything you position in the "Layout" tree will be applied across all pages, unless you specifically alter the other pages to be different from Layout.

[alexdelarge]

I now use a theme that displays the 'By category', 'By year, 'By manufacturer' options. It works, but the 'Category' is blanc. I used the catver.ini from the DATA folder. Anyone a idea why Categories is blanc? The ini file is filled and I've configured GameEx to this file

[Draco1962]

Did you open the catver.ini file and, if so, are there any entries? If not, you may need to obtain another copy of that file.

[alexdelarge]

Did you open the catver.ini file and, if so, are there any entries? If not, you may need to obtain another copy of that file.

I opened the catver.ini and it was full of entries. GameEx uses the catver.ini file from the DATA folder. Could my theme be the cause? The other options, like by year and by manufacturer are working.

[nullPointer]

I believe you mentioned in another post that you are using Mame 0.154. I'm relatively certain that the catver.ini included with GameEx is not current with MAME 0.154, and may in fact be a few versions behind. I'd recommend trying it out with a current copy of catver.ini tailored to your version of MAME to see if that helps.

Having said all of that, I would be surprised if the older version of catver.ini was completely incompatible with your ROM set so their may yet be something going wrong here.

[alexdelarge]

Thanks for the link nullPointer. I tried the current copy of the ini file but it did not help.

[u-man]

You also need to update your MAME list.... this option is found in the MAME section of GameEx (where the show "all games", "show 4player games" etc. is) and is on the bottom (last item). Its not enough to just set the catver.ini path in the setup-wizard and I agree with nullPointer... there must be at least some entries.

[alexdelarge]

Thanks u-man, I will update the MAME list. I'll let you know if it works.

[alexdelarge]

Updating the MAME list did the trick, I now have the categories! Thanks!