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Hi all, so a little update here.
I have been following and supporting AEL over the years, adding fixes and features where possible as it is still one of my favourite addons for Kodi. Now with the big change to Python 3 and all the new features and want-to-haves scattered around, we wanted to give AEL (and @Wintermute0110) some rest and a stable version. Both of us have many great ideas for AEL but also it should be something you all can actually use and not be bothered with too many loose ends. That being said we thought it would be better to make a new second addon (a friendly fork) of AEL where I can expand on different and new features but also you can simply install it next to AEL in your kodi installation. 

So, without further ado, we now also introduce "Advanced Kodi Launcher". You can follow further info in the separate thread here.

You can install it next to AEL, it is a separate addon. But you will feel right at home, because most of the functionalities are right there. You can simply import your categories xml from AEL into AKL.
It is still a beta version and work in progress, still have some features to be fixed and moved over. Artwork hasnt been updated yet  too(anybody some help?) so dont be fooled, it has the same AEL icons.

The goal still remains that the functionality and data in AKL will be as closely related and interchangeable as possible with AEL and I will keep on working together with Wintermute to make some great addons.
Hi there. Just installed Kodi 19.3 and AEL 0.10.1 on Windows 10. My primary reason for downloading this is for my son to be able to launch Minecraft from Kodi. I made a Minecraft shortcut, added it to AEL, launch the game (which works fine), but open closing the game, Kodi is visible but it has lost focus. I have to manually click Kodi with the mouse to regain focus.

The family typically uses Kodi with a Harmony Remote or Xbox controller, so I don’t know how well they would be able to regain focus. Any pointers?
(2022-01-18, 07:07)noiseordinance Wrote: [ -> ]Hi there. Just installed Kodi 19.3 and AEL 0.10.1 on Windows 10. My primary reason for downloading this is for my son to be able to launch Minecraft from Kodi. I made a Minecraft shortcut, added it to AEL, launch the game (which works fine), but open closing the game, Kodi is visible but it has lost focus. I have to manually click Kodi with the mouse to regain focus.

The family typically uses Kodi with a Harmony Remote or Xbox controller, so I don’t know how well they would be able to regain focus. Any pointers?

You need to use an external tool and create a BAT/CMD file. Use google to search on the forum, this questions has been asked many times and the answer is here lost in one of the pages of this thread.
Hi when scraping MegaCD with screenscraper, I get  an error which imediately stops the scraping in manage roms, download artwork.  The log file looks like it could be important (memory leaks).
Please advise

Code:

2022-03-12 07:39:02.056 T:4748     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : ******************** ROM scanner finished. Report ********************
2022-03-12 07:39:02.056 T:4748     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : Removed dead ROMs      0
2022-03-12 07:39:02.056 T:4748     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : Files checked         60
2022-03-12 07:39:02.056 T:4748     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : New added ROMs        60
2022-03-12 07:39:02.056 T:4748     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : ROMs in Launcher      60
2022-03-12 07:39:02.056 T:4748     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : ROM Audit state is OFF. Do not audit ROMs.
2022-03-12 07:39:02.125 T:4748     INFO <general>: CPythonInvoker(74, C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\addon.py): script successfully run
2022-03-12 07:39:02.160 T:20500    INFO <general>: initializing python engine.
2022-03-12 07:39:02.463 T:4748     INFO <general>: Python interpreter stopped
2022-03-12 07:39:02.626 T:20500    INFO <general>: CPythonInvoker(79, C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\addon.py): script successfully run
2022-03-12 07:39:02.940 T:20500    INFO <general>: Python interpreter stopped
2022-03-12 07:43:26.255 T:14428    INFO <general>: initializing python engine.
2022-03-12 07:43:29.789 T:14428    INFO <general>: CPythonInvoker(80, C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\addon.py): script successfully run
2022-03-12 07:43:30.124 T:14428    INFO <general>: Python interpreter stopped
2022-03-12 07:43:34.455 T:3300     INFO <general>: initializing python engine.
2022-03-12 07:43:38.855 T:3300     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : _command_edit_launcher() Rescraping ROM assets...
2022-03-12 07:43:40.955 T:3300     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : No duplicated asset dirs found
2022-03-12 07:43:40.955 T:3300     INFO <general>: AEL INFO : Scanning and caching files in asset directories ...
2022-03-12 07:43:41.107 T:3300    ERROR <general>: AEL ERROR: SingleInstance::__exit__() Unhandled excepcion in protected code
2022-03-12 07:43:41.161 T:3300    ERROR <general>: EXCEPTION Thrown (PythonToCppException) : -->Python callback/script returned the following error<--
                                                    - NOTE: IGNORING THIS CAN LEAD TO MEMORY LEAKS!
                                                   Error Type: <class 'TypeError'>
                                                   Error Contents: 'NoneType' object does not support item assignment
                                                   Traceback (most recent call last):
                                                     File "C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\addon.py", line 37, in <module>
                                                       resources.main.Main().run_plugin(sys.argv)
                                                     File "C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\resources\main.py", line 411, in run_plugin
                                                       self.run_protected(command, args)
                                                     File "C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\resources\main.py", line 501, in run_protected
                                                       self._command_edit_launcher(args['catID'][0], args['launID'][0])
                                                     File "C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\resources\main.py", line 2145, in _command_edit_launcher
                                                       candidate_asset = scraper_strategy._scanner_get_candidate(rom, ROMFile,
                                                     File "C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\resources\scrap.py", line 750, in _scanner_get_candidate
                                                       candidates = scraper_obj.get_candidates(
                                                     File "C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\resources\scrap.py", line 3550, in get_candidates
                                                       candidate_list = self._search_candidates_jeuInfos(
                                                     File "C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\resources\scrap.py", line 3782, in _search_candidates_jeuInfos
                                                       checksums = self._get_SS_checksum(rom_checksums_FN)
                                                     File "C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\plugin.program.advanced.emulator.launcher\resources\scrap.py", line 4082, in _get_SS_checksum
                                                       checksums['rom_name'] = f_basename
                                                   TypeError: 'NoneType' object does not support item assignment
                                                   -->End of Python script error report<--
                                                   
2022-03-12 07:43:41.473 T:3300     INFO <general>: Python interpreter stopped
(2022-03-12, 09:48)Smokeycoles Wrote: [ -> ]Hi when scraping MegaCD with screenscraper, I get  an error which imediately stops the scraping in manage roms, download artwork.  The log file looks like it could be important (memory leaks).
Please advise

...

Can you please follow the instructions of the first post to produce the log? Please do (but not only): set AEL log level to debug, Kodi log level to normal (default), and upload the FULL log to a pastebin service. With the log chunk you provided is very difficult to track down the problem.
Hi @Wintermute0110 what is the non-blocking launcher option supposed to do? Does it enable launching multiple standalone apps from within kodi? I am on linux and if that is what it is supposed to do, it does not work for me. It still tells me that another ael instance is running.
I'm having issues using screenscraper on gamecube/wii/ps2 games. I have used this scraper dozens of times in the past (most recently 2 months ago) and haven't any issues before. I also ran the utility checker for the screenscraper site and everything was "OK". I also checked screenscraper.fr to see if anything was wrong with the site but everything seems "OK".

Kodi version: 19.4 (Matrix)

Error: "Bad HTTP Status code 401"

Log: https://paste.kodi.tv/nidaceveqi.kodi
Sorry I'm new to posting logs, I have corrected it (I think): https://paste.kodi.tv/webiyudeqa.kodi
Please disregard my posts, everything is working again. It seems it was the fault of screenscraper's end.
Hi @Wintermute0110 !
Just to let you know for the list of skins on the first page, I have this one Aura mod with changes so that it has better AEL support and it also works in Kodi Matrix here: https://github.com/jmriego/skin.aura/
(2022-03-27, 16:07)okabekudo Wrote: [ -> ]Hi @Wintermute0110 what is the non-blocking launcher option supposed to do? Does it enable launching multiple standalone apps from within kodi? I am on linux and if that is what it is supposed to do, it does not work for me. It still tells me that another ael instance is running.

Sorry for the lateness. In normal operation AEL addon blocks its execution and waits until the child process (the launcher app) is finished. If you use the non-blocking option then the app is launched but control returns immediately to AEL and AEL execution finished (but not the launched app).

I need to do some tests to confirm this but I think that non-blocking should work as advertised.
(2022-04-01, 21:29)Mysticalp Wrote: [ -> ]Hi @Wintermute0110 !
Just to let you know for the list of skins on the first page, I have this one Aura mod with changes so that it has better AEL support and it also works in Kodi Matrix here: https://github.com/jmriego/skin.aura/

Hi, thanks a lot for your effort. I have updated the first post.

I recommend that you create a thread in this forum, put some screenshots (store the in Github and link to them in the forum) and some clear instructions about how to install the skin. This will dramatically increase the exposure and the number of users. Keep in mind that many Kodi users are not power users and do not know how to use Github. Also put which Kodi version/s the skin is intended for.
Anyone yet overcome the issues on Android 11 / Nvidia Shield with executing android apps from launchers?
Since the last OS update it isnt working anymore. Been investigating if we can use StartAndroidActivity(), but it lacks certain parameters.
Check and reply/bump this thread https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=367878 if you want to support this. This way we can hopefully add better android support in all the launchers.
Hi. One question, does anyone know how to put the scummvm files with retroarch, they are usually folders and I don't know how to reference them when I create the launcher.
Example: retroarch -L scummvm_libretro.so /folder/folder_game/*

Thanks!
I have a problem using latest version on kodi 18.9 on windows 11.I cant manually set artwork by useing select local image. it just gives an error to see the log (I have no idea how to do that) If i use the scaper it works. I have some artwork that is not in the scraper that I can not add right now.

any way to do this?

Update: Downgrading to 9.9 works. 9.10 does not work ether