Homebrew Loader

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spinal	Created : 08 September 2007 Edited : 15 September 2007 Homebrew Loader
I have recently started a small project. This time it's a loader menu for the nintendo DS. Currently it can launch homebrew applications and games from a GBAMP (GameBoy Advance Media Player) but I hope to eventually get a DLDI based loader working with it. As you can see visually it is based on the Apple OS-X desktop, using the dock as the main file list. On the top screen, the clock is quite cool I think and there will also be a calender, as well as some random other stuff. Thanks to Jay for helping with the icon loading and that other guy (cant find the damn post, sorry) for helping with the zooming, jay to i guess. More thanks to Jay, it now loads on dldi cards. Also, can anyone think of a name for it?

Comments
Saturday, 08 September 2007, 17:05
Jayenkai	I think it was DiablosDevil, IIRC. yup! It's looking very smart, I must say!
Saturday, 08 September 2007, 17:48
spinal	It's going to be [slightly] skinable when finished, with the default skin being stored internally.
Sunday, 09 September 2007, 09:41
spinal	Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do with all the empty space on the bottom screen?
Sunday, 09 September 2007, 09:57
Jayenkai	Well, if you can still gain access to all the nds's info, you can stick all that on there.. There's 3 lines of text, right there. In fact, maybe make it into a little window. As each icon hits the center point, make a little gui-style window pop up. (growing from the icon, up to the full window size. And maybe the last window popping back down. ) Title of the window = Filename.nds Center of the window = The 3 lines of text If you can get hold of any more info, stick that in the window, too.
Sunday, 09 September 2007, 15:06
TheMadProff	Maybe have it so when you lauch a program, it comes up with a little window, which has some info about what you're about to launch, and a launch button. Wait, that's basically Jays's idea Ok, like Jay said but instead of growing from the icon, maybe use some of these effects: https://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10165_7-5583993-1.html They're all mac effects, and you'll have to look through the video, but they all look really good Oh, but at the moment, it still looks really cool, well donne Sorry if I'm going of at a tangent
Sunday, 09 September 2007, 15:25
Jayenkai	I'm not too sure you could pull off an effect that nice. I mean, using sprites, you could probably get a blank window to pop up and down, but the text would be a lot tougher to do, without having to constantly redraw a whole bunch of sprites! Maybe have the window pop up, then draw the text on. But then, why would you do that? Why not just leave the faux-window there in the first place.
Monday, 10 September 2007, 03:18
spinal	I have already tried putting the three lines of file info on the screen, but I had trouble converting them into a string so I didn't have to put them character by character. I'll have another go at that though. As for the min/max effect, it could probably be done through sprite animation, but I agree with jay, it would be very difficult to do with the text. I'll see what I can do though.
Saturday, 15 September 2007, 15:56
spinal	Update As you can see from the screenshot, I have been working on the GFX a little. Also thanks to Jay it should now work on almost all flash cards that have Dldi capabilities. I have not gone with any fancy genie effect on the text box, just kept it onscreen permanently. Now I have to come up with a way to handle directories (currently the icon dock only lists files in the root).
Sunday, 23 September 2007, 16:59
spinal	I going to leave out directory support for now, so official card menus don't use directories anyway, so at least some people won't mind. I'm not attempting to rearrange the lower screen to add random info about the selected file (size etc.) Can anyone think of any features this menu could [feasibly] have?
Monday, 24 September 2007, 05:52
Jayenkai	You big cheat Can't say I blame you, though.. That directory switch stuff was baffling! Other features? Standard File stuff. .txt reading, mp3 playing, mod playing, yada yada.. Jotter. Let people scribble down ideas, and save them. Saves on paper! Make it work a bit like Pictochat. And.. There's a calender. So.. Let people use that, too! (possibly merging Jotter and Calender into one, so that each day has it's own "paper pad") Oh, and maybe add a stopwatch feature to work with that nice clock of yours. True, it probably won't ever get used, but if you don't go yelling about it, and keep it quiet, someone'll eventually notice it and they'll be happy that they have.
Monday, 24 September 2007, 10:51
mike_g	Don't give up on the directories dude. I had a go at fixing your directories string thing. Hopefully this should do what you need: #define MAX_PATH 255 #define ERROR_STRING_TOO_BIG 1 #include <string.h> #include <stdlib.h> //TEST PROG -------------------------------// #include <stdio.h> int GetInput(char add); int AddFolderToPath(char path, char add); int main() { char path = (char)malloc(MAX_PATH+1); char add = (char)malloc(MAX_PATH+1); path ='\0'; add='\0'; strcat(path, "/"); while(!GetInput(add)) { AddFolderToPath(path, add); printf("%s\n", path); } return 0; } int GetInput(char add) { fgets(add, MAX_PATH-1, stdin); int len = strlen(add)-1; if(!len) return 1; add+=len; add='\0';//Replace \n char return 0; } //-----------------------------------------// int AddFolderToPath(char path, char add) { int len = strlen(path); char pos = path+len; if(!strcmp(add, "..")) { int i; for(i=0; i<=len; i++, pos--) { if(pos == '/') { pos = '\0'; if(!strlen(path)) strcat(path, "/"); break; } } } else { int newlen = strlen(add); if(len+newlen > MAX_PATH) return ERROR_STRING_TOO_BIG; if(len > 1) strcat(path, "/"); strcat(path, add); } return 0; } --v
Monday, 24 September 2007, 10:58
Jayenkai	It's probably not the string thing that's causing it. If you stop the program from using, or changing any directories, the same amount of corruption occurs. It's something between loading all the file's data, making all the sprites, and then doing that each time for all the directories. Although I really don't know what, because I've gone over it 100 times already! Knowing C it'll be some really stupidly simple issue. Just... what it is, though...
Monday, 24 September 2007, 17:53
spinal	IF anyone wants to look through the code(mike?), PM me. Neither me no Jay have been able to find the problem, but it is there. And.. There's a calender. So.. Let people use that, too! It's not a real calender anymore, re-download or look at the screenshot. Txt reader seems possible, shouldn't be too hard (unless I introduce more invisible bugs. I have been thinking about how to code a calculator, everyone codes a calculator in their days, this seems like a good time for me to try. As for a scribble pad, shouldn't be any harder than saving a bitmap layer to a file.
Monday, 24 September 2007, 23:32
Jayenkai	Oh, cool! There's a new download! I hadn't noticed, sorry.. (You haven't put a link anywhere!) \|update\| Aaah, I see. You scrapped the calender... Oh well, never mind. \|update\|
Tuesday, 25 September 2007, 04:17
spinal	I decided it looked a little cluttered on the top screen.
Tuesday, 25 September 2007, 17:37
spinal	It's something between loading all the file's data, making all the sprites, and then doing that each time for all the directories. I tried without loading any of the file data, and using the default icons for everything and the same bug appears. But it has to be the strings, they're the only thing that gets messed with while loading the data.

Homebrew Loader

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