Using Mala layouts

[Devospeed]

Hi all
I'm having trouble figuring out how to use the alternate layouts in Mala. What do I do with the .rar files downloaded from the layouts. For some reason I can't figure it out. Thanks for any replies!

[loadman]

.rar files are like Zip files. Use a prog like WinRar to de-compress

In the .rar file you will find a *.mll file. This file needs to go into the mala folder.

If there are graphics files for that layout they need to go into the mala folder too

Note:  (this is where some get stuck)
* By default the graphics (and other files if supplied) need to go in a sub-folder with exactly the same name as the layout (to keep things neat)
* Alternatively you can turn off the checkbox (see attached pic) and then you can just have the graphics in the mala folder (a bit messy but easy)

Hope that helps

[Devospeed]

That helps alot. Thanks for the reply, now onto the Ledwiz plugin!

[loadman]

That helps alot. Thanks for the reply, now onto the Ledwiz plugin!

Hello!

Prioritize   

Get yourself a Profile Pic as I'm hopeless with names   

[acevedor2]

Ok, I too am having problems using the layouts.  Mala is installed, roms/snaps/everything pointed correctly, and mala works fine.  I downloaded both the "Blue" theme and the "VCP03" theme.  I extracted the files from the rar and then put them each in their own folders, underneath mala folder.  So basically I have:
 - MALA
   --Blue
   --VCP03

Then in the options under GUI I pointed the layout tab to the respective layout.  I tried them both and neither give me the expected result.  I get the list of games and the snap, but no background image.  I went into each of the folders, and they are there.  I also tried doing away with  the layout fodlers and put all of the files from each layout under the Mala folder.  Same result.  Anyone have any ideas?  Thanks

[loadman]

Ok, I too am having problems using the layouts.  Mala is installed, roms/snaps/everything pointed correctly, and mala works fine.  I downloaded both the "Blue" theme and the "VCP03" theme.  I extracted the files from the rar and then put them each in their own folders, underneath mala folder.  So basically I have:
 - MALA
   --Blue
   --VCP03

Then in the options under GUI I pointed the layout tab to the respective layout.  I tried them both and neither give me the expected result.  I get the list of games and the snap, but no background image.  I went into each of the folders, and they are there.  I also tried doing away with  the layout fodlers and put all of the files from each layout under the Mala folder.  Same result.  Anyone have any ideas?  Thanks

I'm sure it's just one simple step you are missing  .. Hang in there

When I get time tonight I will load up those layouts from scratch and write a guide for you (and then put on the Wiki for all to enjoy)

Unless someone else can do it earlier for you 

[acevedor2]

Awesome - Thanks Loadman!  Happy St. Patrick's.

[loadman]

Sometimes it is just a matter of dragging a folder and a file into the Mala directory
But all layouts are not necessarily always quite this straight forward to install.

This is because often the Layouts creator is nice enough to cater for various options (Not just the what they happen to personally use) such as Orientation and resolution that other users may want to use. Also a custom font may need to be installed.

Anyway It won't take you long to get a Malay layout up and running in any case. I the following info will assist you to do so.


Quick Background:
To use a layout you Must have a *.mll file. This file contains all the details of the layout including what graphics and sounds that are associated with it.
The local of these *.mll files can be set in Mala-Options-GUI-Layout. If no directory is set here then Mala will look for them in the Mala root folder.
The location of the graphics and sounds can either be:
1) Default – In a subfolder of the directory specified with exactly the same name as the layout
2) Just in the directory specified (ie no extra folder)
The way Mala will search for them is determined by the setting options Options-GUI-Layout ‘checkbox- Use layout name for directory names’


I will now show a set by step directions on setting up layouts downloaded from the Mala website.  The two examples I will use is ‘BLUE’ and VCP03’

Layout Example 1:BLUE

This is a blue.rar file. A .rar file is similar to a .zip file and needs to be decompressed using appropriate software such as WinRAR.
 
Once decompressed you will find a ‘blue’ folder which contains a number of files and folders. Depending on what resolution you wish to run your layout at will determine what files are of use to us.

The files and folders are:
blue640.mll
blue800.mll
blue1024.mll
blueexample.jpg
blue640 (folder)
blue800 (folder)
blue1024 (folder)
Font (folder)

NOTE: This particular layout is a ‘Fixed Size Layout’ meaning it will only look and work correctly in the version(s) provide by it’s author. The upside of fixed size layouts is they look a lot sharper as they are never stretched or compressed 

In my case the resolution I will use is 1024 (to match my Windows resolution) so the files/folder of use are:
blue1024.mll
blue1024 (folder)
Font (folder)

I ‘choose’ to have my graphics in a subfolder (which is what mala is set-up for by default in Options-GUI-Layout ‘checkbox- Use layout name for directory names’)  and as folders are already created for me this ‘BLUE’ set-up will be very very easy.

1)   Copy the ‘blue1024.mll’ and ‘blue1024’ to your mala directory (or the alternate directory specified in (Mala-Options-GUI-Layout)
2)   Open the font folder. In this folder you will find a file ‘slicker.ttf’. Copy this file to you windows font directory (In my case using Win XP pro that folder exist at C:\WINDOWS\Fonts.  When you have copied it there you may see a window pop up confirming the font has been installed.
3)   Launch Mala.
4)   In Mala-Options-GUI-Layouts- There will will be a list box containing Available layouts’Amounst those should now be ‘blue1024’. Select this and click OK

You are done :-)

Layout Example 2:VCP03

This layout differs from the one above in two ways:
1)   It is not a ‘fixed size layout’ which means it can be scaled to any screen size/resolution
2)   This layout includes vertical version in case you have your monitor orientated that way.
3)   Depending on what game is selected the pic of the controls will change to the appropriate number of buttons
4)   Depending on what EMU is selected the entire layout will change slightly (Well only Mame, ePSXe and ZSNES in this particular case)

This is a blue.rar file. A .rar file is similar to a .zip file and needs to be decompressed using appropriate software such as WinRAR.
 
Once decompressed you will field a ‘VCP03’ folder which contains a number of files and folders.

The files and folders are:
Mame.mll
ePSXe.mll
ZNES.mll
VIEWME.jpg
README.TXT
ePSXe (folder)
Mame (folder)
ZSNES (folder)
I ‘choose’ to have my graphics in a subfolder (which is what mala is set-up for by default in Options-GUI-Layout ‘checkbox- Use layout name for directory names’)  so this mean I can leave the files in there folders.

5)   Copy the all these files to your mala directory (or the alternate directory specified in (Mala-Options-GUI-Layout)
6)   Open the Advocut.Zip file. In this zip you will find a file ‘Advocut.ttf’. Copy this file to you windows font directory (In my case using Win XP pro that folder exist at C:\WINDOWS\Fonts.  When you have copied it there you may see a window pop up confirming the font has been installed.
7)   There are a few extra clever things this layout does and to set that up to work correctly you need to set up ‘Definables’ Please refer to the README.TXT on details on how to do that. There are also a few other basic MaLa set-up tips for this layout to work at it's full potential
   Launch Mala
9) So that the layout will change when you change EMU's make sure in Options-GUI- layout that the Auto Layout switch - Emulator checkbox is ticked.
10)Launch Mala.

The new layout should have automatically select (as you have the Auto Layout switch - Emulator checkbox ticked).

Enjoy

[acevedor2]

Thanks loadman.  Got that to work great.  Now I am having a problem with the disclaimer screen.  I click on "skip disclaimer" but it won't skip then.  It puts a check mark in the box as it should.  Then when I click ok and exit out the disclaimers are still ont he games.  So I go back into the mala setup againa nd the disclaimer box is UNCHECKED!!!!  I have done this several times.  It's as if it won't save that checkbox.  Any ideas?  Thanks again.

[loadman]

Thanks loadman.  Got that to work great.  Now I am having a problem with the disclaimer screen.  I click on "skip disclaimer" but it won't skip then.  It puts a check mark in the box as it should.  Then when I click ok and exit out the disclaimers are still ont he games.  So I go back into the mala setup againa nd the disclaimer box is UNCHECKED!!!!  I have done this several times.  It's as if it won't save that checkbox.  Any ideas?  Thanks again.

On the later versions of 'Mame' you can't skip some screens... 

Searching the threads in this forum will reveal soulotions

Or if it is not such a version open MAME.ini with notepad and change the appropriate line

[acevedor2]

The problem is it won't let me skip ANY screens.  Also, that still doesn't explain why the check mark keeps going away in maLa under the "skip disclaimer" config setting.  I have checked the mame.ini and there is no "skip_disclaimer" or "skip_warning" lines in there.

I tried adding the following:

skip_disclaimer             1
skip_warning                1

That didn't fix it.  I have definitely searched the forum and threads in it.  That said, none of the threads mentions why MaLa (and in particular this latest version) is not letting me skip the disclaimers.  Now one thing you said might make sense.  If Mame (v.113) is not allowing the change for disclaimers than that could potentially be the issue.

Any idea if mame .113 prevents skipping the disclaimer?  Thanks again.

Well it's not a mame issue because I used Gameex and it skips the disclaimer just fine.  So it's either a MaLa issue or it's an install issue (something got scrwed up).  I am going to reinstall Mala and mame tomorrow and see if that does the trick, but I have already done that once so I don't beleive that's it.  My next step will be to try to install this on a different computer just to make sure it's not a freaky windows issue.  All of that said, if skipping the disclaimers works in Gameex, it should work in maLa...

[loadman]

Indeed.  It does not make much sense to me 

You may want to start a new post with a subject line that like 'skip Mame .113 warning screens using  MaLa' or something to see if anyone else has got an idea. 

Or just use GameEX as that is a cool FE too!