Can't get Snapshots to show in AdvanceMenu

[eggedd2k]

been trying for about half an hour changing settings etc but i cant seem to get advancemenu to display the snapshot pictures in the snap folder.

can someone put me out of my misery?

[whammoed]

are you using advmame with it?
according to the docs:
The directories specified in the `dir_rom' option in the `advmame.rc' file are used to detect the list of the available roms. In the DOS and Windows versions of the program the `advmenu.rc' file is searched in the same directory of the emulator. In the Unix version it's searched in the `HOME/.advance' directory.

The directory specified in `dir_snap' is used to detect the list of available snapshots.

[eggedd2k]

actually i'm just using advancemenu. do you think this could be the cause?

[DreamArcades]

I

[elvis]

From the AdvanceMenu DOCUMENTATION:

Windows MAME:
http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/doc-advmenu.html#4.4

XMAME:
http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/doc-advmenu.html#4.5

DOS MAME:
http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/doc-advmenu.html#4.6

4.4 mame - Windows MAME

For the `mame' emulator the roms information is gathered from the file `EMUNAME.xml'. If this file doesn't exist, it's created automatically with emulator `-listxml' command.

The directories specified in the `rompath' option in the `mame.ini' file are used to detect the list of the available roms.

The directory specified in `snap_directory' is used to detect the list of available snapshots.

4.5 xmame - xmame

For the `xmame' emulator the roms informations are gathered from the file `EMUNAME.xml'. If this file doesn't exist, it's created automatically with emulator `-listxml' command.

The directories specified in the `rompath' option in the `HOME/.xmame/mamerc' file are used to detect the list of the available roms.

The directory specified in `screenshotdir' is used to detect the list of available snapshots files.

4.6 dmame - DOS MAME

For the `dmame' emulator the roms informations are gathered from the file `EMUNAME.xml'. If this file doesn't exist, it's created automatically with emulator `-listxml' command.

The directories specified in the `rompath' option in the `mame.cfg' file are used to detect the list of the available roms.

The directory specified in `snap' is used to detect the list of available snapshots.

Simply put, in your EMULATOR'S (not front-end's) config file, specify the correct location for `snap_directory', `screenshotdir' or `snap' (corresponding from the above) and your screenshots will show up.

The reason it looks in your emulator's config file and not the frontend's is because AdvanceMenu can be a frontend for several emulators simultaneously, and simply looks at the native screenshot location that the emulator uses when you press "F12" (or whatever you assign to take a screenshot).

been trying for about half an hour

I found the information in the docs in 30 seconds.  I'm not trying to me a smartarse or petulant here, but more people need to read the excellent documentation provided with the software they use.  The author put a lot of effort into it, and did so in their own spare time for free.  Reading it start to finish will give you quite a number of very useful hints and tips about how to best use the software.

I see people every day pay for third-party books on a variety of technical topics, yet never read free documentation provided by the software authors, which is often the best source of information.  "From the horses mouth" so to speak.  And you can't beat the price!

[eggedd2k]

that's a fair point.

[eggedd2k]

however the standard mame setup does already specify the snapshots are in the snap folder.  this is already set in the mame config files

[eggedd2k]

just checked - all snapshot folders are correctly specified already.

[eggedd2k]

Can anyone help me out here??

[elvis]

Have you used the same variable name for the snapshots as specified by the docs above?

I found for XMAME's config file, the file itself uses a variable named "snap", while AdvanceMenu searches for one called "screenshotdir".  So I merely added the "screenshotdir" setting to my xmamerc file and set it to match the location "snap" pointed to, and on next load AdvanceMenu found what it needed.

[eggedd2k]

yes - as per above instructions "The directory specified in `snap_directory' is used to detect the list of available snapshots." 

i have verified the snap_directory points to the snapshots (snap) folder