[Angelscry]

Advanced Launcher allows you to start any Linux, Windows and OS X external applications (with command line support or not) directly from the Kodi GUI.
Advanced Launcher also allows you to modify and reorganize all your kODI favourites stuff as you want.
Finally, Advanced Launcher gives you the possibility to edit, download (from Internet resources) and manage all the meta-data (informations and images) related to these applications and favourites.

Addon Features :

• Run Windows, Metro, Linux, Android and OSX applications with auto-suggested arguments.
  
• Start any file from specified directory using selected application.
  
• Collect informations of applications and images and using internal module scrapers
  
• Folder recursive scan option for new added items (with images and data collect options).
  
• 3 collect options : manual, semi-automatic and automatic.
  
• Add, remove and edit options of applications directly from Kodi GUI
  
• Thumbnails and Fanarts images support.
  
• Sort launcher into custom categories.
  
• Search applications and items by name, genre, studio, platform and release date.
  
• Create launchers from Advanced Launcher search engine results. NEW!
  
• Create launchers from Kodi favourites and modify, reorganize or regroup them as you want. NEW!
  
• Kodi built in functions support for launchers (for example : directly start media files or RetroPlayer).
  
• Multi-disc selection support.
  
• Automatic and Manual data Import/export with .nfo files (compatible with RCB addon).
  
• JSON control support.
  

Included scrapers :

• Games : AllGame, GameFAQs, arcadeHITS and TheGamesDB databases.
  
• Comics : ComicVine database.
  
• Images : Google Images and HTBackdrops search engine.
  

Additional scrapers :

• Games : GameFAQs (back covers) database.
  

Bugs report and support :
If you obtain a script error message when using Advanced Launcher, please post here (using pastebin service) the content of the kodi.log file just after the error occurred. This file contain the information concerning the script error, that will help to quickly identify the problem. If Advanced Launcher is not able to start correctly an application, when reporting your problem, please post here (using pastebin service) the content of the launchers.xml file. This file contain the information concerning your launcher configuration, that will help to quickly identify the problem.

Skins supporting Advanced Launcher :

Basically, all the skins are working and are compatible with Advanced Launcher. But not all the skin are supporting all Advanced Launcher features (aka. display of all the metadata managed by Advanced Launcher). You will found here a table with the list of skins supporting (or not) Advanced Launcher : http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Com...n_features.

[olafvs]

Looks nice. I will try it this weekend

[joeranjensen]

Yes, it looks realy nice. Only tested it for about an hour. tested with SNES9x and nestopia. I realy like the scraping function, but is there a way to scrape all games in one operation instead of one at the time? Allso I wish it could launch the emulators more seamles.
Nice job and keep up the good work

[Angelscry]

I realy like the scraping function, but is there a way to scrape all games in one operation instead of one at the time?

Not yet. But it is planned for the next versions. I actually need more feedback concerning the manual scrapping. So, when the manual scrapping will be "stable" I will add the automatic scrapping.

[Robert de Clair]

angelscry

i wrote a bat file in main folder of winuae

content
winuae.exe -f "Lotus III The Ultimate Challenge.uae" -statefile="Savestates\Lotus III The Ultimate Challenge.uss"

in config file are putted disc two of game. and save state is after changing disc screen
this is working commandline from this bat so config files are automatically searched at configurations folder. savestate files must be inputet with folder just as i wrote.

so im glad to separate thread with new better launcher.
Thank you.

[Angelscry]

winuae.exe -f "Lotus III The Ultimate Challenge.uae" -statefile="Savestates\Lotus III The Ultimate Challenge.uss"

Ok, so no full path. I will try to see to wrote you a small Autoit script that will launch the game with this command line. I think it will be better than adding some conditional codes into the launcher add-on. Some users may want to use another emulators than WinUAE to launch their games or want to use WinUAE with different arguments or parameters.

[Angelscry]

@Robert de Clair: This if an AutoIt script that may works to launch Winuae with the saves states. Name it for example winuae-lancher.au3 then compile it into winuae-lancher.exe using the AutoIt free software.

Code:

if $CmdLine[0] = 1 Then
    $path = StringSplit($CmdLine[1], "\")
    $romname = $path[$path[0]]
    $savename = StringReplace($romname, ".uae", ".uss")
    Run ( 'winuae.exe -f "' & $romname & '" -statefile="Savestates\' & $savename & '"' )
EndIf

Then modify your launchers.xml file and replace winuae.exe by winuae-lancher.exe for the application tag and remove all the content of the arguments tag. The AutoIt script works like this : When you start for example the command line :

Code:

winuae-lancher.exe "c:\program files\winuae\roms\romname.uae"

the script will extract the name and start winuae with the right command line:

Code:

winuae.exe -f "romname.uae" -statefile="Savestates\romname.uss"

I'm not sure that my autoit script will works at 100% but it is the idea.

[Rob Loach]

I absolutely love what you did with this, and the direction you're taking it.

Thoughts:

• Assignable key in the Addon Settings to quit the running application... Would probably need the Subprocess management to check if the key is pressed. Would be extra cool if you could quit and choose a new game using the controller, no need for the keyboard.
  
• Automatically fill in the file arguments dialog for a given set of emulators... Maximus Arcade has a few arguments setup for some emulators.
  

[scalpel]

Hi angelscry.
Could you check this skin why launcher or rom info is not displayed? Its have this option in skin. Maybe you find solution and nate will correct this.
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=82065

Regards

[Robert de Clair]

I think idea is perfect, but something is wrong

background:
emulator files are E:\Emulatory\WinUAE\
there are folders like a:
Configurations (with config uae files)
Savestates (with saved states)

a romfolder for Advanced Launcher Application (ALA) - is Savestates (E:\Emulatory\WinUAE\Savestates)

compiled autoit script launched by ALA just run winuae and doesnt load uss or uae file so may there is missing or too much " ' or other signs whos meaning i dont understand :>
additionally after launch autoit script ALA take back XBMC to foreground :/ (in background are still staying winaue)

[Robert de Clair]

additionally there is something strange in windows 7 i can't run anything with winuae when if using bat or from commandline
same commands as in xp and doesnt work with 7 32 bit.
Im happy cause my primary xbmc machine basing on xp os but a problem occours

EDIT: found a reason, newest winuae solve crash from commandline with windows 7
EDIT2: now im confused from compiled script under windows 7 working. same script with xp loaded winuae and do nothing more.
Thank you angelscry for help.

[Angelscry]

Assignable key in the Addon Settings to quit the running application... Would probably need the Subprocess management to check if the key is pressed. Would be extra cool if you could quit and choose a new game using the controller, no need for the keyboard.

I'm not really sure that it will be possible. Actually how the XBMC/launcher add-on works is that when you start an application, XBMC go directly into background and it is the application which take the control (and also the keys control). It must be like this because we do not want to control the application and XBMC at the same time with the same keys. When the application is closed (by itself), XBMC take the control back. It may be possible to use a third-party script to check if key are pressed or not... but I'm not sure it will works directly form XBMC or from the launcher add-on. I will think about this.

Automatically fill in the file arguments dialog for a given set of emulators... Maximus Arcade has a few arguments setup for some emulators.

There's too many emulator applications, OS systems and also too many users (with their proper manner of using emulators) to add this kind of option into the launcher. The first goal of the launcher is to start applications... most applications possible. The automatically arguments fill appears like a limited function. And it exists on Maximus Arcade only because a limited selection of emulators are include in it.

[Angelscry]

Could you check this skin why launcher or rom info is not displayed? Its have this option in skin. Maybe you find solution and nate will correct this. http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=82065

The launcher and roms info are not displayed on this skin just because the skin do not support it. The skin supports the infos display only for movies, series and musics, but not for programs.

[jolid]

I have a strange problem when using this addon.

When prompted to choose the location of the emulator there is only one folder existing (D:/livetv, where i keep my recorded shows). I can´t go back/up in the folderstructure to where my emulators is (D:/games)

Is anyone experiencing this aswell or even better has a solution? I´m at work right now so no debug at this moment.

[Robert de Clair]

Jolid

well i think a problem could be similiar to my problem
http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=642...tcount=940

there was a few ideas to solve
http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=645...tcount=973

but for me reason and solution was simpliest
http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=646...tcount=990