Startcom MALA plugin - add support for "other emulators"

[csa3d]

Loadman,

I was wondering if you would be able to look into that startcom plugin you created for DaOldMan way back when, and see if you can add support for "other emulators".   Here's my dilema:

I have MALA set to rotate the layout with screen orientation.  StartCom plugin rotates the screen to the correct orientation based on printer port inputs.  This means going from Joust to Frogger turns both the screen and MALA 90.  When I exit, my MALA menu is now vertical.

Now, let's say I jump emulation menus to choose Atari emulator, which never goes vertical.  When I start the game, StartCom doesn't seem to kick in and rotate the screen from 90 back to 0.  Therefore my Atari game starts turned 90 degrees wrongly.

As a workaround, I tried setting the pre-command of that atari emulator to rotate the screen back to 0 using MRotate command line.  The problem is now when I exit the Atari Game, that my MALA menu is still in vertical mode while my monitor is rotated horizontal.

This is the last of my rotation monitor bugs, and would love to have a solution if you have some time to look into it with me.

Thanks!
-csa

[Richie Rich]

csa3d

Sorry to cut in on you post to Loadman, but I in the same dilemma as you.

My only solution on my rotating monitor cab has been to conveniently have the monitor in the correct position before going to another emulator. But it sure would nice to have startcom support other emulators but I don't know if this can be done because startcom is only working off of events in MAME.

Can Mala even take a plugin in other emulators to have an event activate a plugin to have the Mala menu orientate correctly?

Good idea on the pre-command line. How did you do the pre-command line?

Hope Loadman knows a workaround for this.

[csa3d]

csa3d

Sorry to cut in on you post to Loadman, but I in the same dilemma as you.

My only solution on my rotating monitor cab has been to conveniently have the monitor in the correct position before going to another emulator. But it sure would nice to have startcom support other emulators but I don't know if this can be done because startcom is only working off of events in MAME.

Can Mala even take a plugin in other emulators to have an event activate a plugin to have the Mala menu orientate correctly?

Good idea on the pre-command line. How did you do the pre-command line?

Hope Loadman knows a workaround for this.

I'd say that there is probably a way for StartCom to default to horizontal if it does NOT detect Mame as the emulator.  That way at least an event gets triggered which hopefully allows a rotate horizontal command to be sent.

So yeah, my only workaround I can think of, is to not allow MALA to "rotate the layout with the emulator" which means your will always have a horizontal layout.  When you launch a game, StartCom (for Mame only) will still rotate the game correctly vertical.  Then upon exit, you'd need a Post command to always rotate the monitor back to horizontal.  This would ensure that your menu orientation never gets screwed up at the annoyance of having to let the monitor do 4 rotations when switching between two vertical games. 

Inside the other emulators tab, there's a tab where you can enter pre and post commands.  Right click in one of those areas and choose the Add... option, then type in the command line argument to trigger MRotate.exe (c:\Mrotate.exe 0  or C:\Mrotate.exe 90)

Hopefully either loadman or DaOlMan can share whatever sourcecode is necessary to resolve this issue.  Maybe if you offer to donate some cash to Loadman he'd do it   I've put in my 12 pack worth of beer donation.. maybe it's time to donate a bottle of Crown instead

-csa

[loadman]

Hi,

Fixing the plug-in seems like the logical solution to me. It would be easy.

EG "If not mame then rotate to horizontal"

I don't have the source code, I think the da old man does. If I recall I gave him a few tips when he was making it. ?

[loadman]

DaOldMan just reminded me that I wrote StartCom.

It launches and external application with arguments.

In this case 'mrotate'.

I found the source and will check and report back

[loadman]

OK.

I hacked together a beta version of StartCom 1.1

It does these new things:

* If startcom.ini is missing it will create it with defaults

* It will default to Horizontal Command sent if either:
   1) Emu is not MAME
   2) No Orientation info is avaliable
 
www.malafe.net/files/download/StartComBeta.zip

Let me know if this works ok and I will make a new version with the annoying message on Startup 

[DaOld Man]

I tested your new startcom on Gens.
it does send the "rotate to horizontal" command to mrotate2, but it does not turn the Mala screen horizontal when yo exit gens.
It could well be something Im not doing right..

[loadman]

I tested your new startcom on Gens.
it does send the "rotate to horizontal" command to mrotate2, but it does not turn the Mala screen horizontal when yo exit gens.
It could well be something Im not doing right..

I did not know it was supposed to.

I am working blind here. 

Perhaps csa3d and yourself can discuss exactly what you want it to do and I will modify the code. Thanks

[DaOld Man]

Well, I think the problem csa is having (correct me if Im wrong Chris), is that when the screen is vertical from playing a mame game, and you select another emulator that only has horizontal games, the monitor rotates to horizontal, but when you exit the horizontal only game, the mala screen is still vertical, even though the monitor is now horizontal.

In other words, when you send the rotate to 0 command to mrotate2 because the game is not a mame game, you also need to switch mala orientation to horizontal.

Can you send me the source code to your new startcom? I worked for about 2 hours last night downloading the turbo delphi and all the support files it needs, just got it licensed so Im ready to take a crack at it, if you want.
Ive been looking through the source code for the first startcom, and it may take me a while, Im not used to C++.

[loadman]

Well, I think the problem csa is having (correct me if Im wrong Chris), is that when the screen is vertical from playing a mame game, and you select another emulator that only has horizontal games, the monitor rotates to horizontal, but when you exit the horizontal only game, the mala screen is still vertical, even though the monitor is now horizontal.

In other words, when you send the rotate to 0 command to mrotate2 because the game is not a mame game, you also need to switch mala orientation to horizontal.

Can you send me the source code to your new startcom? I worked for about 2 hours last night downloading the turbo delphi and all the support files it needs, just got it licensed so Im ready to take a crack at it, if you want.
Ive been looking through the source code for the first startcom, and it may take me a while, Im not used to C++.

In the last version the monitor never rotated to horizontal for other emu's. That is what I fixed.

OK I just added a line to rotate MaLa as well when the game starts.

If this does not work you might move/copy that section of code to the 'MaLaGameQuit' section

Here is the Code:

Code: [Select]

library StartCom;

// This a .dll that needs to be renamed to .mplugin after
// it is compiled and built


uses
  SysUtils, Dialogs, ShellApi, Windows, Messages, Forms, inifiles,
  eventdata in 'eventdata.pas',
  ExtLaunch in 'ExtLaunch.pas';

 
const
MALAMSG_ROTATE0= WM_USER + 93;

var
GameOri, CurrentEmu :string;
LaunchMethod: Integer =1;
Prog: String = 'c:\mrotate.exe';
Ininame: String = 'plugins\StartCom.ini';

{*******************************************************************************
*
*******************************************************************************}
procedure MaLaStart(); cdecl;
var
 IniFile : TIniFile;
begin
// Load Data from Ini File
if FileExists(extractfilepath(application.exename)+IniName) then
begin
  IniFile := TIniFile.Create(extractfilepath(application.exename)+IniName);
  Prog := IniFile.ReadString('LaunchProg','Path','c:\mrotate.exe');
  LaunchMethod := IniFile.ReadInteger('LaunchMethod','MethodNumber',2);
  IniFile.Free;
end
else
  begin
    ShowMessage((extractfilepath(application.exename)+IniName)+' not found! Defaults will be used');
    // Write default Data for Ini File
      IniFile := TIniFile.Create(extractfilepath(application.exename)+IniName);
      IniFile.WriteString('LaunchProg','Path','c:\mrotate.exe');
      IniFile.WriteInteger('LaunchMethod','MethodNumber',2);
      IniFile.Free;
  end;
  ShowMessage('Loading StartCom Beta 1.1');
 end;
{*******************************************************************************
*
*******************************************************************************}
procedure MaLaGameSelected(g: TPEventGame); cdecl;
begin
  GameOri := g.VideoOrientation;
end;

{*******************************************************************************
*
*******************************************************************************}

procedure MaLaEmulatorSelected(e: TPEventEmulator); cdecl;
var
 IniFile : TIniFile;
 MameName : string;
begin
// Load Data from Ini File
if FileExists(extractfilepath(application.exename)+IniName) then
  begin
    IniFile := TIniFile.Create(extractfilepath(application.exename)+'mala.ini');
    MameName := IniFile.ReadString('Mame','Title','Mame');
    IniFile.Free;
  end;

if MameName = e.Name then
  CurrentEmu := 'Mame'
  else
  CurrentEmu := 'NotMame';

end;

{*******************************************************************************
*
*******************************************************************************}

procedure MaLaGameStart(); cdecl;
begin

  if GameOri = 'vertical' then
  Begin
  If LaunchMethod = 1 then
    ExtLaunch.Execute(prog,'90');   // Launches but does not wait or report errors
  If LaunchMethod = 2 then
    ExtLaunch.ExecuteAndWait(prog,'90');   // Checks, Launches and waits
  end;

  if (GameOri = 'horizontal') or (GameOri = '')  or (CurrentEmu <> 'Mame') then
  Begin
  // Send message to MaLa to Rotate to Horizontal
   PostMessage(FindWindow(nil,'MaLa'), MALAMSG_ROTATE0, 0, 0);
//  Send Command to prog
  If LaunchMethod = 1 then
    ExtLaunch.Execute(prog,'0');   // Launches but does not wait or report errors
  If LaunchMethod = 2 then
    ExtLaunch.ExecuteAndWait(prog,'0');   // Checks, Launches and waits
  end;

end;

{*******************************************************************************
*
*******************************************************************************}
procedure MaLaGameQuit(); cdecl;
begin
     // Do Nothing
end;
{*******************************************************************************
*
*******************************************************************************}
function PluginName(): PChar; cdecl;
begin
     result := PChar('StartCom Version 1.2 BETA');
end;

{*******************************************************************************
*
*******************************************************************************}
function PluginCopyright(): PChar; cdecl;
begin
     result := PChar('2009 by Loadman & DaOld Man');
end;

exports
  MaLaStart,
  MaLaGameSelected,
  MaLaEmulatorSelected,
  MaLaGameStart,
  MaLaGameQuit,
  PluginName,
  PluginCopyright;

{$R *.RES}

begin
end.

[DaOld Man]

I have a new found respect for you Loadman!
I cannot get this plugin to work.

From what I can tell, this line is not working (it doesnt rotate mala to horizontal)

PostMessage(FindWindow(nil,'MaLa'), MALAMSG_ROTATE0, 0, 0);

I tried placing it at several different places in the code, but it doesnt seem to be doing anything.

[csa3d]

I tried downloading the SDK from MalaFE.net, but looks like the link to the plugin download is incorrect, and currently points to a local dev branch:

Code: [Select]

file:///Users/sloader/Desktop/files/download/MaLaPluginSDKv1.62.zip
I also checked the wiki and didn't see any trace of the MALAMSG_ROTATE0 message event.  Maybe these are posted in the release notes or something..

DaOldMan:
Maybe it's possible the command below wasn't missing a comma after ROTATE and before the first zero..

Code: [Select]

PostMessage(FindWindow(nil,'MaLa'), MALAMSG_ROTATE, 0, 0, 0);
or perhaps the command arguments need to be encapsulated in ' marks such as:

Code: [Select]

PostMessage(FindWindow(nil,'MaLa'), 'MALAMSG_ROTATE0', '0', '0');
Mabye it's a combo of both of the above.  At any rate, I'm gonna go test the plugin on my system here in a bit. 

-csa

[csa3d]

Well, I think the problem csa is having (correct me if Im wrong Chris), is that when the screen is vertical from playing a mame game, and you select another emulator that only has horizontal games, the monitor rotates to horizontal, but when you exit the horizontal only game, the mala screen is still vertical, even though the monitor is now horizontal.

In other words, when you send the rotate to 0 command to mrotate2 because the game is not a mame game, you also need to switch mala orientation to horizonta

You hit the nail right on the head.  I'm curious to see if the menu rotation code should happen upon game exit like suggested earlier.  I'll let you know in a bit after I test the latest version.  Thanks everyone for looking at this!   

-csa

[csa3d]

Just tried the 1.1 beta.  Appears DaOLdMan is correct in that the Mala menu fails to orient properly upon returning to Mala.  Seems like the physical monitor rotation is spot on.  Almost there!!

-csa

[loadman]

MALAMSG_ROTATE0 is relatively new.

I am not at home right now but possibly it only works with version 1.6 +

[DaOld Man]

Alright!
Its working!
I put the MALAMSG_ROTATE0 in game exit section, also it only appears to work on my version 1.62d.

I also went ahead and removed the popup box at game start.

Let me know what you think.
(Source code is available upon request.)

A big thank you to Loadman!!!

Update: Startcom Version 3.1 has been uploaded to malafe.net and should be available for download shortly.
If you cannot download it from there, PM me your email and I will send it to you.

(Download the file, unzip it and place it in the mala/plugins folder.)
Also, in mala options, make sure mala is set to rotate with mame.

[csa3d]

arg! I don't seem to be able to DL the attached .zip!  Tried IE and firefox..
-csa

[DaOld Man]

I tried uploading with IE instead of firefox, try to download again.

[loadman]

I can't get it with Safari Either...

Seems to be a bug with this forum

email it to me or upload to malafe.net and I can post it on the site if you want

[csa3d]

I tried uploading with IE instead of firefox, try to download again.

Nah, downloading is still broken.  Like loadman said, think it's a forum issue.

Tested the new plugin, works pretty good!  One more request:  Can we test a version that rotates the Mala menu only upon game EXIT and not before game LAUNCH?  If you have a full screen startup image set to display instead of the "launching" dialog box, the order of events is as follows:

1. Select game
2. Full screen startup image appears
3. StartCom rotates the Mala Menu (and makes the startup image dissappear)
4. The game starts.

I'd like to see if removing the menu rotation before game starts allows a full screen launch image to stay on top instead of disappearing.

Thanks so much!  This makes me super happy, you have no idea!
-csa

[DaOld Man]

I will see what I can do either tonight or this weekend.

[loadman]

I tried downloading the SDK from MalaFE.net, but looks like the link to the plugin download is incorrect, and currently points to a local dev branch:

Thanks, Link Fixed 

Obviously not may people have been downloading the SDK lately 

[dungbeetle46]

the link for controls.ini on malafe.net doesnt work either, anyone know where to get the latest, i need ini not xml
cheers

[DaOld Man]

Update:
I think I have the bugs ironed out on startcom V3.1
I have uploaded to malafe.net. It should be available for download soon.
If it is not available, drop me a PM with your email addie and I will send it to you.

[loadman]

Update:
I think I have the bugs ironed out on startcom V3.1
I have uploaded to malafe.net. It should be available for download soon.
If it is not available, drop me a PM with your email addie and I will send it to you.

It's now on the site

Too make it more sexy you could add 'Config' support and direct coms to the parrale port so you would not even need mrotate. 

[DaOld Man]

Thanks Loadman.

I wrote mrotate to work with different frontends, but I do like the idea of config support...

[loadman]

Thanks Loadman.

I wrote mrotate to work with different frontends, but I do like the idea of config support...

email me the modified source and I will add basic config that you can expand, better yet or have a go yourself 

Refer to the example in the SDK

http://malafe.net/files/download/MaLaPluginSDKv1.62.zip

[DaOld Man]

Email sent, and thanks..
Also, if you see any thing I did that doesnt look right, let me know.

[DaOld Man]

Just wrote a new version startcom, V4.0.
This will allow you to make a list of emulators that need to run in vertical mode to the startcom.ini file.
(Requested by Richie Rich)

I'm waiting on richie to test it for me, once it passes his tests, I will upload it to malafe.net

Loadman, the more I think about it, I think it would be a good idea to merge mrotate2's functions into startcom.  Having just the plugin would be better.
I can still keep mrotate2 available for other front ends.
Just give me some time.

[loadman]

Loadman, the more I think about it, I think it would be a good idea to merge mrotate2's functions into startcom.  Having just the plugin would be better.
I can still keep mrotate2 available for other front ends.
Just give me some time.

Cool,

Have fun!   

[Richie Rich]

Hi DAOld Man, I just sent you a PM.

This looks awsome!!!

[csa3d]

A couple of issues with 4.0 beta:

1.  I've gotten an "Exception EInOutError in module MonOri.mplugin at 0005B276" while boot to and staying in side the Mame emulator, triggered when flipping back and forth between frogger and joust.  I cannot seem to pinpoint what causes this to happen.  Is this another "focus stealing" issue?

EDIT:  This issue seems to only occur w/ .ini setting of "Method = 1", and a non-issue for Method = 2.

2.  Setting "Malarotate=2", being vertical in mame menu, swapping over to Atari "Stella" emulator, and selecting a game:

        a. launch img shows, rotates
        b. menu overtakes fullscreen image
        c. menu rotates
        d. game never appears to launch......
        e. alt-f4 out of Mala
        f. notice stella emulator behind it

        (this does not seem to happen for NES "Nestopia" emulator)

3. EDIT: (clarity)  Setting the Malarotate=1 appears to perform the following ordered events:
        a.  Choose game
        b. show launch game full screen image (you have to enable this opion, its off by default)
        c.  launch image is rotated to new orientation (you can see it flip.. ugly)
        d. game list appears, hides launch image (not ideal)
        e. game list takes proper orientation (would like operation to be transparent to user)
        f.  game starts

        Malarotate=2 has the same "disappearing launch image" syndrome.

Other foods for thought:
- Would having the windows taskbar "autohide" contribute to any of the above problems?
- Would having the windows taskbar "always on top" vs "not always on top" contribute to the above problems?


-csa

[DaOld Man]

Is the monitor actually turning? or are you testing on your desktop PC?
Make sure the path to mrotate2 is correct in startcom.ini.

Do you have Mala V1.62 or greater? (I only have v1.62D, havent downloaded the latest yet, but I do plan to.)

try auto hiding the taskbar, it sure wouldnt hurt to try.

Startcom works great on my desktop PC. But when I moved it to my arcade PC I had to delete mala.ini and reset up mala before I could get mala to start. I tried removing startcom and got the same thing, so I think I screwed up my mala.ini playing around with the tree function a while back. Dont really think it was startcom related.
I do notice that on my arcade PC, when I rotate to vertical, quit the game, the screen is still horizontal, blanks out, then turns vertical. It doesnt do this when I switch from vert to horz. Quit horz game, when mala comes back it is horz, no visible flipping.
So I am aware of a small bug there, and that may be what you are seeing with your screen image. Although the kicker for me is that it works great on my desktop, which has an LCD monitor, the arcade has a CRT, but I wouldnt think that would matter.
Oh well, back to the drawing board.

[DaOld Man]

Ok I just did a little testing and I get the EInOut error if I am using a launch image.
It does fine with the launch image not selected.

Any ideas Loadman?

I also tweaked on my bug of screen being horizontal for a few seconds after quitting a vertical game. The screen is vertical when I quit the vertical game now, but the mala screen is about half the size. You can see windows desktop all around it, the mala screen is in upper left corner of the desktop.

 

[loadman]

Ok I just did a little testing and I get the EInOut error if I am using a launch image.
It does fine with the launch image not selected.
Any ideas Loadman?

I don't get this error?  When did the errors start.?  Try reversing some of your changes to work out what the trigger is for them?

Sorry, What do you mean 'launch image'?  What is an 'image' (in this context)

Loadman, the more I think about it, I think it would be a good idea to merge mrotate2's functions into startcom.  Having just the plugin would be better.
I can still keep mrotate2 available for other front ends.
Just give me some time.

As you later PM'd me for some help.....

Anyway, I have just emailed you back an example of using config on the version of startcom you sent me.

Have fun 

[csa3d]

Is the monitor actually turning? or are you testing on your desktop PC?

Testing directly on the arcade cab.  Monitor rotation is spot on for versions 3.0 and 4.0 (skipped 3.1 testing)

Make sure the path to mrotate2 is correct in startcom.ini.

For every new release, I have deleted the startcom.ini, made a new one by starting Mala with the new plug-in, exited, verified path to mrotate2 (i'm using your default path of c:\mrotate2.exe)

Do you have Mala V1.62 or greater? (I only have v1.62D, havent downloaded the latest yet, but I do plan to.)

I'm on 1.62G currently

try auto hiding the taskbar, it sure wouldnt hurt to try.

I've tried every combination of start bar autohide and ontop settings.  I don't think changing these settings affects things much if any.

I do notice that on my arcade PC, when I rotate to vertical, quit the game, the screen is still horizontal, blanks out, then turns vertical. It doesnt do this when I switch from vert to horz. Quit horz game, when mala comes back it is horz, no visible flipping.

Sometimes I did notice that all the switching appeared to work properly.  When I did notice things working good, it was usually the first rotate or so.  Then it would eventually kick into "messed up mode" (tm) and never show signs of working properly thereafter.  The ratio would be 95% not working, 5% working (image/menu flipping).  100% monitor rotation working.

So I am aware of a small bug there, and that may be what you are seeing with your screen image. Although the kicker for me is that it works great on my desktop, which has an LCD monitor, the arcade has a CRT, but I wouldnt think that would matter.

I can't imagine it has anything to do with the monitor.  What type of graphic's card are in your two pcs?  My arcade cab has an ATI Radeon card.  Perhaps something with the screen rotation is fighting with the built-in screen rotation functions that reside in that system tray app it runs (forget what they call that app at this time, but it gets installed with the drivers).

Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Sounds like a tag team issue.  Let me know how I can help debug!

-csa

[/quote]

[csa3d]

I also tweaked on my bug of screen being horizontal for a few seconds after quitting a vertical game. The screen is vertical when I quit the vertical game now, but the mala screen is about half the size. You can see windows desktop all around it, the mala screen is in upper left corner of the desktop.

I have this issue arrise if my windows DESKTOP (like.. vertical screen rotation, windows startbar at bottom, tall layout instead of default wide) is rotated vertical when starting Mala.  For that very reason, I have a .bat file rotate the WINDOWS desktop to horizontal before calling MALA when the cab boots.

Sound like a possibility of something you might have had going on as well?

-csa

[Richie Rich]

OK I just installed the Startcom 4.0 plugin and these are my results.

First I backed up startcom 3.0 and the ini. I then I deleted startcom 3.0 and the ini. After installing startcom 4.0 and editing the new ini I got these results.

So far the monitor rotation is spot on. but I can't get the menu to rotate vertically with the monitor "menu rotation only works when I am in the mame menu vertically and then switch to the vertical emulator, but that was the workaround I was using before.

There is one side effect of the startcom 4.0 install which is kinda weird, all my emulators now will only show "all game list" I always had them set to "most played list" but now I can't go into mala and change it because it's not there only "all games" is.

Maybe one are both of these are just settings I'm overlooking?

BTW I'm still using Mala 1.05

[Richie Rich]

One other issue is an "EInOutError" if I set any event sounds in sounds and music. Remove all the sound events in sounds and music and no more "EInOutError" Hum? is this the trigger?

Maybe I should install Mala 1.62g. Would that help?

[DaOld Man]

One other issue is an "EInOutError" if I set any event sounds in sounds and music. Remove all the sound events in sounds and music and no more "EInOutError" Hum? is this the trigger?

Maybe I should install Mala 1.62g. Would that help?

Yes, I think you should install the latest mala.
You may want to create a test folder for this.
Or at least make a backup of what you have now, I would hate for you to have to go back and reenter all the mala options and settings.

Im not seeing any of the issues you and CSA are, except when I enable the starting pictures. Then I get a Einout error:

[DaOld Man]

Quick update:
Loadman sent me some code for a config function for startcom.
I have incorporated that into startcom V4.2
I sent the code to Loadman for his evaluation, if it passes his inspection I will send it to my beta testers. (Thats you csa and richierich).

Im not sure whats going on with the ein errors, but Im sure we can get it ironed out.

Edit:
here's a screen shot of the startcom configure screen in mala's options:

[loadman]

I sent the code to Loadman for his evaluation, if it passes his inspection I will send it to my beta testers. (Thats you

Seems cool...

I love the logo's 

My only 'minor' suggestion is try to keep the config window the same size (or smaller) than mala's config window.

MaLa's window is deliberatley that size to cater for users with Loz Rez video monitors

[DaOld Man]

Alright.
Box resized.
Also added some help buttons.

Now on with the troubleshooting. I want to see some more videos of monitors turning...

[DaOld Man]

BTW, The mrotate2 icon on the startcom icon was created by csa3d.
The one Im using looks pretty bad.
He sent me some much better looking ones, but I cant find them.

Chris, do you still have one you can send me?

[csa3d]

BTW, The mrotate2 icon on the startcom icon was created by csa3d.
The one Im using looks pretty bad.
He sent me some much better looking ones, but I cant find them.

Chris, do you still have one you can send me?

I'll have to look around.  I think I located them over the weekend while doing some hard drive reconnaissance.  What size/format do you want them in.  That way there's not double recompression.

I've submitted the results for version 4.2 to your email.  Looks like we got another round to go still 

-csa

[Richie Rich]

OK I got Mala 1.62 installed and with Startcom 4.0 menu is now flipping with monitor rotation in vertical and horizontal perfectly. But I keep getting EInOutErrors at first mala start up after booting up machine and when I set any sound events.

I'm also getting a "Please check your mame configuration Mame executable not set or found ! mame XML file not set or found" message even after going in many times and setting those up again. Should I delete the mala.ini and set up everything again?

Oh and was there a startcom 4.2 I missed?

Startcom plugin is looking better !
Thanks again DaOld Man for all the work.


Video of Mame to Visual Pinball to Future Pinball.

[DaOld Man]

Looks good.
I emailed you V4.2, but since then I have been working on a few bugs that csa3d was having, so i now have V4.3.
I will email it to you shortly.

[Richie Rich]

Hi DaOld Man .

I've been trying Startcom 4.3 for the last three days and here are my results. When I first boot the cab and mala starts I get an "I/O error 103" then a "Startcom.ini not found !" then a "Exception Error in module startcom.mplugin at 000758FD." then finally I get a "Please check your mame coniguration mame executable not found! Mame XML file not set or found !" I then exit mala and restart mala and get no errors at all until I reboot the cab.

The good news is after going into mala the second time after a boot startcom 4.3 works great except for a slight menu lag in switching orientations after exiting a game.

I'm using mala 1.62g and when I remove startcom 4.3 from the plugins folder I don't get any errors on boot up.

Any Ideals ?

[csa3d]

I've been trying Startcom 4.3 for the last three days and here are my results. When I first boot the cab and mala starts I get an "I/O error 103" then a "Startcom.ini not found !" then a "Exception Error in module startcom.mplugin at 000758FD." then finally I get a "Please check your mame coniguration mame executable not found! Mame XML file not set or found !" I then exit mala and restart mala and get no errors at all until I reboot the cab.

This sounds a little more serious then my series of errors, but this is a 'known' issue with 4.3.  What is happening is that StartCom, at that time, has no .ini configuration file created.  Because it does not, it throws up an error dialog.  This error dialog forces Mala code to no longer have GUI control while StartCom creates a window.  This is what I'm guess is causing the I/O Error.  I truely believe all the I/O error stuff is caused by Mala wanting total control of every window created while it's running.  I had trouble with Randy T's KeyWizLoader.exe, Ultimarc's U360 uploader, and various other .bat files I was trying to call from Mala.. all ending in erratic behavior when flow control leaves Mala.

The good news is after going into mala the second time after a boot startcom 4.3 works great except for a slight menu lag in switching orientations after exiting a game.

Hmm... I haven't noticed this one.


My bugs for 4.3 include:

1.  When exiting a vertical game, the vertical menu is flip 180 degree upside down.  My monitor setup is 180 degrees backwards to start with, and I just rotate Mame and Mala the opposite direction from what is considered default, and that usually takes care of things.  Since 3.1 however, my vertical menu is always upside down.

2.  Stella Atari emulator will not gain "on top focus" if you choose the "Wait until Mrotate finishes" option from the config menu.  I think here again, the "wait" function is stealing control from Mala and Mala hates that, then thus, doesn't want to show you Stella, even though it's loaded, just buried underneath the front end causing you to force quit with the task manager.

3.  If you choose to show a custom fullscreen Launch image when starting a game, there is no way to force that image to stay on top until the mame game actually starts (thus, hiding the menu flip under it).  The menu always seems to hide the launch image just after it shows.  I think the order of events Mala core uses when menu flipping and displaying the launch image are ordered in such a way that you'll never truly be able to have the launch image fully hide what's going on with the front-end while the game is loading.

4.  Rotation speeds tend to have momentary 3x acceleration bursts as though a lot more volts just got sent... or something overrides the Pulse functionality of Mrotate and it goes full tilt.  This does not happen withing the Mame emulator, only when in "other emulators".

5. Regardless of which option I tell StartCom to rotate the Mala Menu (before game launch or after game launch), it only seems to want to rotate AFTER.

Version 4.3 and version 4.2 feel largely the same to me, while 4.2 feels more stable then 3.1 in regards to I/O errors, but 3.1 did not flip my menu constantly upside down when vertical.
Thanks for sharing your findings!  PS:  What brand video card are you using, ATI or NVidia?  I'm using an ATI 850-XL

-csa

[DaOld Man]

Thanks for the testing and the feedback guys.
I will try to look into some of these problems tonight.
As for the screen upside down, since myself and richie are not seeing this, I would say your monitor is rotating backwards from ours.
I will see if I can add a "flip screen" option to startcom for users who rotate in that direction.

As for the motor speeding up, if you recall when you were testing mrotate2 for me, I noticed that sometimes when run from mala, mrotate2 would stutter, causing the pulse output to freeze either on or off for a second, causing the motor to either go full speed or turn off for that duration. Since richie and I are not using speed control, we never see that.
This was going on with the original startcom V1.0 that loadman wrote, so I really dont have an answer. (and I only saw this with mala, so maybe mala does have an issue with giving control to another program?)
Maybe when I finally incorporate the mrotate2 functions into the startcom plugin that will be fixed.

For now, I ask that you guys turn off "show warning messages" and "make activity logs" in mrotate2. Lets see if this makes any difference.
Thanks again..

[wolfsoft]

I am using a rotating screen too. It works via SCR LED on Keyboard.
I am using a exe file that can switch the SCR-LED
For vertical "rollen.exe an"
for horizontal "rollen.exe aus"

Please sent me the newest Startcom MaLa plugin for checking if I can use your plugin too?
Do I need a newer Version of Mala as 1.05?
I didn´t have a 1.06xx Version

Thanks
Klaus

[csa3d]

Do I need a newer Version of Mala as 1.05?
I didn´t have a 1.06xx Version

If you could, please test it out with Mala Beta 162g.  I believe there is some code dependency where you'll need to upgrade to try this out.

-csa

[DaOld Man]

Please sent me the newest Startcom MaLa plugin for checking if I can use your plugin too?
Do I need a newer Version of Mala as 1.05?
I didn´t have a 1.06xx Version

Thanks
Klaus

Private message me you email address and I will send you the plugin.
Or you can download V3.1 from the malafe.net site.

[Richie Rich]

Hi csa3d

Thanks for the reply. The video card I'm presently using is a NVidia card but I am putting together a Pentium 4 with a ATI card.
Back to the Startcom plugin, I also had the the vertical menu flip 180 degree upside down when I went from mala 1.05 with startcom 3.1 to mala 1.62g and startcom 4.3 , I remember messing with the settings in mala and something I changed in the mala settings fixed it. but I can't remember which setting. Right now when I boot my cab I get all those warning messages I posted in my last post above, but what is wierd is that I only get those warning messages when the cab first boots when I restart mala after that I don't get any warning messages.

I wonder if there is a way a way to disable the mala warning messages.



 

[DaOld Man]

Just a quick update.
I have been working on startcom, but I am still seeing error 102 when mala is started without a startcom.ini file in \plugins folder.

I have added the ability to enter commands for wolfsoft (email sent).

In this version I have started on allowing startcom to do what mrotate2 does now, but it is a work in progress.

What happened to the post images option on here?

[csa3d]

Just a quick update.
I have been working on startcom, but I am still seeing error 102 when mala is started without a startcom.ini file in \plugins folder.

I have added the ability to enter commands for wolfsoft (email sent).

In this version I have started on allowing startcom to do what mrotate2 does now, but it is a work in progress.

What happened to the post images option on here?

I will test turning off all error reporting as suggested earlier and report back.  Hopefully that helps resolve something.  As for the postings, I think uploading to the forums is still broke.  Your only alternative at this time is to hotlink your images from another server using the

Code: [Select]

[img]www.mysite.com/theimage.jpg[/img]
-csa

[wolfsoft]

I have added the ability to enter commands for wolfsoft (email sent).

For a quick check I tried mala 1.05x.
But before turning of the screen mala shows a litte message box:
Rotvert=an

With an OK Butten
After the OK the screen rotates :-)

I don´t know if this is an issue of mala 1.05x?

Thanks DaOld Man

[Richie Rich]

wolfsoft

Try this newer beta version http://www.malafe.net/files/download/MaLa162g.zip

[DaOld Man]

I have added the ability to enter commands for wolfsoft (email sent).

For a quick check I tried mala 1.05x.
But before turning of the screen mala shows a litte message box:
Rotvert=an

With an OK Butten
After the OK the screen rotates :-)

I don´t know if this is an issue of mala 1.05x?

Thanks DaOld Man

I left some test aids turned on in the startcom, sorry about that.
Fixt version just emailed to you.

[csa3d]

I will test turning off all error reporting as suggested earlier and report back.  Hopefully that helps resolve something.

Ok, I have checked the arcade to make sure I had all debug logging turned off with Mrotate2 and Mala.  My findings do not appear different with the logs turned on or off, so I do not think that writing the information to an external file is adding to any of the aforementioned issues.

Thanks for working so hard on this software!  The rotating cab would be a lame duck without your efforts.

-csa

[loadman]

As long as you guys are having fun! 

[Haterot]

What are you guys doing to avoid the motor lurching or rotating at boot up?

On an unrelated note, is there an option or can there be one that would automatically send the monitor back to it's original orientation (horizontal) when you exit the emu and back to the FE?

[csa3d]

What are you guys doing to avoid the motor lurching or rotating at boot up?

Hey there.  I just re-uploaded the images associated with my rotation thread.  Read over the first three sections of this post, and hopefully that helps.  DaOldMan helped me through most of the electronics stuff, so much credit once again to him.

On an unrelated note, is there an option or can there be one that would automatically send the monitor back to it's original orientation (horizontal) when you exit the emu and back to the FE?

If I remember correctly, I just have a DOS command sent to MRotate2 to rotate horizontal as the exit command.  Mala has this option burried in one of the many tabs which I cannot remember which at this time.

Hope it helps.
-csa

[csa3d]

DaOldMan:

I was looking at the cab tonight, and it appears that when you add another emulator to Mala's list or mess with refreshing new gamelists, I am getting the dreaded input output error.

-csa

[DaOld Man]

Haterot, I used opto isolators on my circuit, but the way csa3d did his is much cleaner.
Richierich used another add on PCI printer port card, he said the outputs dont go high on that card at boot up. I havent tried it, but it may be the easiest way to go.

Csa3d: I have the I/O error narrowed down, but I have had a very long week at work so I havent had much chance to delve into it it.
Do you still get the I/O error after you restart mala?

[csa3d]

I have the I/O error narrowed down, but I have had a very long week at work so I haven't had much chance to delve into it it.
Do you still get the I/O error after you restart mala?

No rush.  Just documenting as things come up.  The weird part about that input/output error is that I wasn't even using Mala for FE use at that moment, but rather in the configuration options dialog setting up new things.  I suppose various events cause Mala to iterate through the plugin code

Those errors go away if you restart Mala.  They are event triggered, so if you find out which event is causing them to appear.  Just don't repeat the event, and you'll never see them.

-csa

[DaOld Man]

Ok, I think I got the I/O error fixed in V5.2. Email sent to you CSa3d.

(Fingers crossed and praying out loud.)

As all of you have probably figured out by now, im new to delphi. VB6 is my cup of bitter tea, but I am slowly learning.
The I/O bug was appearing when startcom was checking to see if the file startcom.ini existed or not.
In VB6 the "If fileexists" statement is pretty straight forward, but in Delphi I guess it is not.

Anyhow, I will quit whining for now (right to whine is still reserved though.)

On with the show.

If anyone else wants to beta test V5.2, drop me a PM. (Include yor email addie please.)

Once I get all the little bugs worked out I plan to go on to startcom reading and writing directly to the printer port, making mrotate2 not needed for Mala.

Those option screens are killers. You got to hand it to Loadman and the others creating all this stuff.
Hats off to you guys.
 

[Richie Rich]

Haterot,  I used a parallel card purchased from pc club to solve that problem and it works perfectly.When the cab boots with the parallel card all outputs go high effectively putting the h-bridge I made go into brake mode. If you are using an h-bridge that has braking when both inputs go high this will work.

DaOld Man, Sorry if a went a little bit off subject. Thank You for all the work you have put into startcom.I would probally be using a switch to rotate my monitor if it wasn't for startcom.

[Haterot]

Thanks for the responses guys. I am testing the system (AND IT WORKS WHOOT!) on an old laptop, I did the steps you listed csa3d but my values came out differently. I'm not so worried about this because I took daOld man's advice from a few weeks ago and purchased a parallel port card from newegg (hopefully it will be here today or monday.)

RR I am using the Secret Motor H bridge so i think thqat will go into brake mode when all is high. .

I am using Hyperspin as the frontend, and i think it allows for a command to be sent on emu launch and end I think I'll see if i can get it working smoothly and report back. not that i don't like MALA, just have a lot invested in Hyperspin already.

[DaOld Man]

The way that I and csa3d wired our drives allows the limit switches to "turn off" the  input to the drive. So if the printer port output sticks high for whatever reason, the motor wont run past the limit switch.
This is probably the safest way to do it, but the drawback is the monitor turning when the computer boots up.
Since one of the limits is made, when the monitor is fully horizontal or fully vertical, you will have one drive input connected to the printer port and one not connected.
When all printer port outputs go high, the motor will turn until both limit switches are not made, thus giving the monitor a jerk on bootup.
The way I fixed this was to pick out a printer port output that would open the paths to both drive inputs. When mrotate2 runs, it sets all outputs low, so then the "kill function" is disabled.
On the secret motor drive, you could do this like CSA3d did his, using three transistors.
The limit switches make the needed inputs to the printer port, but also kill the motor rotation, even if the printer port output stays high, but if all outputs are high, then both rotations are killed.
I'm sure there are other ways to do this.

Also on a side note, I have seen different computers act differently on bootup with the printer port.
You can use a DVM like csa3d did, and maybe find two outputs that dont go high on bootup.
I made a "printer port tester box" with 8 leds and 5 switches to use in my development of mrotate2, and a few more programs using the printer port for I/O.

Heres a pic of it:

[Haterot]

Well after doing some work on the cab sides todday I went inside to find that mr mailman had brought me my new Rosewill Parallel card, 
Installed it and have booted many times with no lurching or stray signals sent to the H motor! very cool. I may need to tweak with mrotate or my switch placement as the rotating stops a little "off center"

Do you guys have physical stops built into your rotating plate? I was thinking of placing an L bracket at the 0 and 90 degree marks so the monitor can't go any further.

[DaOld Man]

I do have mechanical stops on mine. I set the limit switches to stop it just before it hits the mechanical stop. This way if the screen goes too far vertical or horizontal I know there is a problem with the limit switches.

Plus it will keep from wrapping the monitor cables if something goes wrong.

[Richie Rich]

OK I have been testing Startcom v5.2 and it looks like all the errors are gone and rotation works perfect in MAME and other emulators. Great work DaOld Man!

[Haterot]

Well i tried to set up my system that I am going to put into the cab so I could test mrotate with Hyperspin, but ran into a probelm with the video card (a GeF 9400 GT) As soon as I install the nVidia drivers the CPU usage shoots to 90% and stays there. pretty much rendering the system slow as all get out. Ive reinstalled the OS 4 times, (used XP, SP1, 2 and 3, tried Win7 RC2) and same thing, all is well until the drivers. at a loss. So I guess I'll go downstairs and work on the cabinet.   

[DaOld Man]

OK I have been testing Startcom v5.2 and it looks like all the errors are gone and rotation works perfect in MAME and other emulators. Great work DaOld Man!

Thats great news!
Now I am working on a new plugin that will do what startcom and mrotate2 does.
Im calling it MalaRotate, so as not to be confused with Mrotate (which BTW, stands for Monitor Rotate).
If anyone wants startcom V5.2, just drop me a line.

I could use a snazzy icon for the MalaRotate, if anyone wants to donate their time.
Also, when Im ready, i will be asking for beta testers.

[DaOld Man]

Well i tried to set up my system that I am going to put into the cab so I could test mrotate with Hyperspin, but ran into a probelm with the video card (a GeF 9400 GT) As soon as I install the nVidia drivers the CPU usage shoots to 90% and stays there. pretty much rendering the system slow as all get out. Ive reinstalled the OS 4 times, (used XP, SP1, 2 and 3, tried Win7 RC2) and same thing, all is well until the drivers. at a loss. So I guess I'll go downstairs and work on the cabinet.   

That really sucks man.
Have you tried downloading the latest drivers for the card?

[Haterot]

Well i tried to set up my system that I am going to put into the cab so I could test mrotate with Hyperspin, but ran into a probelm with the video card (a GeF 9400 GT) As soon as I install the nVidia drivers the CPU usage shoots to 90% and stays there. pretty much rendering the system slow as all get out. Ive reinstalled the OS 4 times, (used XP, SP1, 2 and 3, tried Win7 RC2) and same thing, all is well until the drivers. at a loss. So I guess I'll go downstairs and work on the cabinet.   

That really sucks man.
Have you tried downloading the latest drivers for the card?

Oh yeah definitely. Its a fresh install latest drivers (both 32 and 64) everytime I install nvidia drivers from 170 to 185 (the latest) the CPU pegs to 90%. I ran process Explorer and the Hardware Interrupts are what is causing the overload. spent all day looking into it to no avail. most people who have this problem have it due to a DMA/PIO bug but not I, I gotta be different, unique and ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- outta luck. Even swapped the video card from my main rig same prob. i think the mobo or the PCIe slot may be the culprit, who knows.

[csa3d]

Ok, I think I got the I/O error fixed in V5.2. Email sent to you CSa3d.

(Fingers crossed and praying out loud.)

Welp, I am still experiencing some issues, but at this time I cannot consistently reproduce what causes my problems.     I'll play with it some more another night and try to help narrow down what's going on.

I was pretty "IO Error Free" until I switched the settings in Mala's config dialog for Startcom from 2 - 2 to 1 - 1.  Previous versions of Startcom acted worse using 2 -2 then 1 -1, and I wasn't experiencing any issues IO Errors, so I decided to switch it for testing purposes.  Upon doing so, it was IO error hell, which forced a hard reboot to regain control.  I'm unsure what spawned this behavior, but I"m pretty sure it involved switching from mame vertical mode to Stella (atari) horizontal.

Issues still present in 5.2:

1.  Vertical lists are still incorrectly rotated upside down when returning to the menu.  It's clearly visible that the menu gets rotated twice.  The first rotation set's it proper, the second one flips it upside down incorrectly.  I'm wondering if this isn't due to loadman's fix where he moved some code around in something or another to help us try to fix the option of "wait until launch" or something.. I'll dig up that post in a bit to cross reference. 

EDIT:  It's either this post or this post I think..

Is it possible to add an orientation check in Startcom to query if the menu is actually ALL READY in the correct orientation before calling the menu rotation command?  This shouldn't slow down much, and might remove the issue.  Also remember that there's a checkbox in one of Mala's many tabs which makes makes Mala flip the screen the opposite of "normal direction" for those of us who accidentally installed their screen 'wrongly'.



2. Both options which change the emulator launch timing still have issues with the Stella Atari emulator.  I think this emulator is retarded like that, and unsure there's much you can do to fix that, though I encourage you to try

3.  The launch image still does not stay on top while the monitor is rotating and the Mala menu is flipping.  I'd really like to be able to hide all screen activity and shenanigans while the rotation happens.

4.  I started using LedBlinky's speak the controls options.  This functionality now messes with the timing of all system events.  Startcom doesn't get called until LedBlinky is done talking.  It would be ideal if the entire system behaived like so:

    a.) Select a game, any emulator
    b.) Display the launch image, do not let it go away until the emulator actually is loaded
    c.) Begin monitor rotation
    d.) Speak the LedBlinky controls while the screen is spinning (what else is there to do, let's overwhelm our guests with coolness here!)
    e.) Emulator has finally loaded
    f.) Remove the full screen launch image and release control to the emulator.

As all of you have probably figured out by now, im new to delphi. VB6 is my cup of bitter tea, but I am slowly learning.
The I/O bug was appearing when startcom was checking to see if the file startcom.ini existed or not.
In VB6 the "If fileexists" statement is pretty straight forward, but in Delphi I guess it is not.

No worries here!  It's not like you're being paid for your masterful code skills.. though I'm willing to send beer money 

Once I get all the little bugs worked out I plan to go on to startcom reading and writing directly to the printer port, making mrotate2 not needed for Mala.

Unfortunately, I think this is a major reason that I'm still seeing IOErrors.  More research will follow over the next few nights.  Thanks again for looking into this.

OH YEAH... what size and file format for the config images of the MRotate icon did you want?

-csa

[DaOld Man]

Ok, I am rotating counter clockwise horz to vert. I think RichieRich probably is too.
The setting you show on mine is not checked, which means the screen rotates counter clockwise on vertical.
I tried checking that setting and my screen still turns counter clockwise, so I think mala settings and startcom settings are fighting each other, with startcom winning, probably because it issues the command last.

I think I need to change the command to rotate counter clockwise.
I will probably add it as an option in startcom, only problem is I have to figure out what that command is.

Even with the settings you show, and with mame advance command of "on vertical -ror", my screen still rotates rol on vertical.

Seems like all the settings I play around with in mala, the screen still rotates ccw for vertical.
But even so, Im not seeing any of the errors you mention, but Im not using any other plugins.

About the icon, Im not sure, what is the common file format?

[DaOld Man]

Csa3d: I have made the screen flip opposite the way my does. Email sent, let me know how it works.

[csa3d]

Csa3d: I have made the screen flip opposite the way my does. Email sent, let me know how it works.

Ok, tested 5.3.  When exiting a vertical game, I still see two menu flips happen.  The first flip still properly sets the menu.  This 'proper' flip is the equivalent of the bottom of the menu being on the right side of the monitor should it be set horizontally.  The second flip essentially puts the menu bottom on the bottom of the monitor screen should it be set horizontally.  What this means is that now with 5.3, when exiting a vertical game, the menu is sideways, with the bottom of the menu to the left of the cab.

-csa

[DaOld Man]

Alright... back to the grindstone..

Are you still getting errors?

BTW, I cant name my new plugin "Mala Rotate" because I was looking through some old posts and Weishaup already has a plugin by that name.
So hold up on the icons for now.

Edit: is it possible to post pics of your horz and vert screen positions?

[DaOld Man]

I just sent you V5.3.1
This works good on my desktop, with me imagining that the screen is turning counter clockwise from horz to vert.

Here are screen shots of my mala options, plus you can see how the mala screen is turned with the monitor horizontal.

[csa3d]

I just sent you V5.3.1
This works good on my desktop, with me imagining that the screen is turning counter clockwise from horz to vert.

Here are screen shots of my mala options, plus you can see how the mala screen is turned with the monitor horizontal.

Whatever you changed in this version makes the menu rotation work properly, and only rotate 1 visible flip.  Well done!   

I still get occasional IOErrors.  I think I've tracked them down to happening if..
1.)  You have your StartCom settings set prior, and go into Mala's config menu, and change them.  Save the settings and exit.  Choose a few games.  I receive warnings every time a new game starts until I reboot Mala.  The issue seems to subside thereafter.

2.) Flipping back and forth between Mame vertical and Stella horizontal.  I think what's going on is that your MRotate plugin should not let go over MALA control until the rotation is absolutely finished.  For instance, LedBlinky speak and spell doesn't allow your MRotate to be called until he is done talking.  Then for whatever reason, Mala says it's time for Startcom to go.  I'm guessing startcom does what it needs to figure out which way to rotate, then calls the external MRotate.  Control is then passed to allow the emulator to begin launch, but Mala and MRotate are still possibly checking each other back and forth to verify if rotation is finished   It appears Stella has a 50/50 chance of loading in the foreground, and is rather random.  What I can tell you for sure, is that if you start Mala in the Stella emulator, all ready rotated horizontally, you can launch Stella games all day and not loose focus.  It's when you flip from Mame to Stell (with or without monitor rotation) when the focus appears to be lost.

I'd say move onto embedding Mrotate into DLL and see if that helps any.  Otherwise, I suspect you and loadman should have a chat about plugin priorities, or possibly even multithreading or allowing the user to define order of opperation somehow.

-csa

[DaOld Man]

Thanks for the work CSA3d.
On my desktop, everything works great.
But on my cabinet PC, I am seeing the same thing with gens that you are seeing with Stella.
If the monitor is already horizontal when I start a game in gens, then gens starts full screen, if mrotate has to turn the monitor, then gens starts in a window.
Im not using any other plugins.
I also dont know why it works on my desktop PC but not my arcade PC, unless it's because my desktop is a lot more powerful?
Im not sure whats going on, maybe Loadman can shed some light.

[DaOld Man]

Heres a screen shot of configure screen Startcom V5.3.2. I added what CSA3d wanted as an option.

[DaOld Man]

I found a bug in startcom and hopefully have fixed it. I just sent it to you, csa3d.

Seems like I had misplaced a end; statement.

Those end; statements and decimal points will get you every time!

My latest fix works on my arcade PC, but to run gens in vertical mode (not normal, just testing), I must set startcom to load mrotate2 and wait, or else gens starts in a window.

I also figured out why it was working on my desktop PC and not my arcade PC before, but thats moot now.

If this works for csa3d, then I plan to call this project finished and will post it for download on malafe.net.
Then I will move on to the startcom/mrotate2 merged plugin.
I think I will keep startcom as it is for people who would rather use an external program to rotate their monitor. Maybe post both versions on malafe.net.

[csa3d]

I found a bug in startcom and hopefully have fixed it. I just sent it to you, csa3d.

Seems like I had misplaced a end; statement.

Those end; statements and decimal points will get you every time!

My latest fix works on my arcade PC, but to run gens in vertical mode (not normal, just testing), I must set startcom to load mrotate2 and wait, or else gens starts in a window.

I also figured out why it was working on my desktop PC and not my arcade PC before, but thats moot now.

If this works for csa3d, then I plan to call this project finished and will post it for download on malafe.net.
Then I will move on to the startcom/mrotate2 merged plugin.
I think I will keep startcom as it is for people who would rather use an external program to rotate their monitor. Maybe post both versions on malafe.net.

Awesome!  I'll give it a go tonight and report back.  If this works properly, I don't really see a need to merge the plugin personally.  I would only advocate it if it fixes the loss of focus issue, otherwise it's code for code's sake.

-csa

[DaOld Man]

Thanks csa3d!

I made a button on the options screen to give credit to the beta testers.
Did I leave anyone out?
If I did I apologize, please PM me and I will fix it.

[csa3d]

So I tested this last night a bit.  I'm pretty confident that this version of StartCom is golden!  I'm able to get Stella to to retain focus every time I've tried it thus far.

Now, I'm still having issues with my setup, which affect StartCom.. but I'm not sure they are StartCom's fault.  My plugins include LedBlinky w/ speak turned on, StartCom+Mrotate, MonOri to set the initial startup screen rotation position based on last shutdown, ipac2 pre-emulator commands for the iPac encoder, and finally LedBlinky setting my u360's for digital restriction.

If I launch a game and begin button mashing (which my friends do for no reason), it's possible to get StartCom to IOError.  I haven't tracked down why but know the following:
After launching a game, it continutes to record keypresses.  If I mash on the start button, Mala launches a bunch of versions of the game from what I can tell, because there are a ton of ultramap.exe's running in the background

I'll see if I can't narrow this down to Mala, UltraMap, or Ledblinky.  The button mashing is my only source of error at the moment.
-csa

[DaOld Man]

Thanks for the testing Csa3d!

I think I would try removing the plugins one at a time to see if you can find which one is causing you the trouble.
Ive found that if you rename it mala wont see it and you can easily get it back later. Example: rename startcom.mplugin to startcom.mpluginx.

About the monori plugin:
Loadman wrote that for me, I requested it for people who manually move their screens, either physically or with a switch.
That way mala knows what position the monitor is on startup, even if the screen got turned while mala was off.
But I really dont think you need this plugin with an automatic setup like you have. Mala remembers the last position it was in, and if you cant easily move the monitor between mala sessions, then monori may not be necessary.
I'm not using monori. But Im thinking of making it an option on the new startcom/mrotate version.
I think I would take monori out of the picture first (by renaming it), just to see what happens.

Edit: Another thing I just though of, make sure mrotate2 doesnt have a keyboard key assigned to stop rotation. I put this function in there to give you a way to stop rotation if something goes wrong, but Ive found mala takes the focus away from it, BUT with all the other plugins you have running, mrotate may be getting the focus back during the button mashes.
It could be screwing with mala.

[Haterot]

DaOld Man if i call mrotate.exe 0 and my monitor is already horizontal will it spin it. I think no (because i have tried this a few times) but I want confirmation.
I am writing some autohotkey code for Hyperspin. I am trying to devise a way l the <display rotate="??" data for the rom out so i can send it to mrotate.

[DaOld Man]

You are correct, if you call mrotate2 0 and the horizontal limit switch is already made, then mrotate2 just ends.

The same applies to mrotate2 90, if the vertical limit switch is made.

Good luck with your hyperspin project, and please post your results on here so others may benefit.

[csa3d]

About the monori plugin:
Loadman wrote that for me, I requested it for people who manually move their screens, either physically or with a switch.
That way mala knows what position the monitor is on startup, even if the screen got turned while mala was off.
But I really dont think you need this plugin with an automatic setup like you have. Mala remembers the last position it was in, and if you cant easily move the monitor between mala sessions, then monori may not be necessary.
I'm not using monori. But Im thinking of making it an option on the new startcom/mrotate version.
I think I would take monori out of the picture first (by renaming it), just to see what happens.

I remembered why I'm using MonOri.  I have a bat file that runs upon Mala Exit, which rotates the screen back to horizontal.  This allows me to exit in vertical mode and expect the monitor to rotate back to 'normal' so I can admin the machine.

-csa