[Tool] Atari ST Harddisk menu

[simonsunnyboy]

grab0001.png

As already mentioned in the other thread at viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28860, I officially release my Harddisk menu system today.

# Atari ST Harddisk Menu

(c) 2016 by Simon Sunnyboy / Paradize <marndt@asmsoftware.de>
http://paradize.atari.org/

## Abstract
This is an AUTO folder menu like a compact disk for harddisk use.
- programs on the harddisk are listed from a database and run upon selection
- bypass of menu with timeout is possible to keep it in AUTO folder without
clean boot
- easy-to-use keyboard navigation, no mouse required for tight living room
integration

The idea is to have q quick keyboard navigation to harddisk installed games
without having to click around on the desktop.

## System requirements

- Atari ST/STE/TT/Falcon 030 with colour display (ST-HIGH is not supported)
- harddisk or similar recommended
- SingleTOS (MinT or MagiC are not supported)

Downloads (and possibly future updates) from the Paradize website at http://paradize.atari.org/

[TheNameOfTheGame]

Sounds cool!

Is it possible to put a descriptive name in the database so, for example, instead of harrier2.tos, it can display Space Harrier 2?

[simonsunnyboy]

Ofcourse, column 1 of the database is displayed as is.

I only wrote a small script for my testing that created a csv with find and used the executable name as the display entry. I then postprocessed the second column and presto

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
OUTPUT=/tmp/list.$$

find "$1" -name "*.tos" >$OUTPUT
find "$1" -name "*.TOS" >>$OUTPUT
find "$1" -name "*.prg" >>$OUTPUT
find "$1" -name "*.PRG" >>$OUTPUT

for i in `cat $OUTPUT`
do
PROGNAME=$(basename ${i})
printf "%s;%s\n" ${PROGNAME} ${i}
done

rm $OUTPUT


[simonsunnyboy]

Small update, now entries can be jumped to by pressing the starting letter. E.q. press A to jump to next entry beginning with A. Grab it at the Paradize website, http://paradize.atari.org/

[simonsunnyboy]

When rewiring my Falcon to use SCART today, I noticed that my HDmenu has video problems on RGB screens while it seems to be working fine on VGA. Can someone comfirm or deny this?

Are there users of the tool a Falcon with RGB screens instead of VGA?

If there are issues, I will have to investigate.

[simonsunnyboy]

With Hatari it seems to be working ok. I am still hoping for feedback on this.

[Eero Tamminen]

Hatari Videl emulation is still lacking some features (e.g. per-line palette updates for raster effects), and although most things work fine, Falcon HW timings have still noticeable inaccuracies (unlike ST/STE timings).

[simonsunnyboy]

No timing related effects used, just XBIOS and some palette register readings.

I am using XBIOS like I did from my older GFABASIC programs. Those still work fine with RGB on the Falcon.
So I am totally puzzled.

If all fails I will implement the Leonard/Oxygene multiplatform video setup code but I need confiormmation of failure on our user's Falcons with RGB beforehand.

[simonsunnyboy]

No feedback sofar

But I added the alternative video setup code now and it works for me.
On the AUTO boot prompt, press * on the ekypad to toggle alternative video init code on and off.
Don't forget to save the working setting from inside the menu.

Update can be downloaded from the Paradize website.

[TheNameOfTheGame]

I just got around to setting this up and I must say it works fantastic! It is really nice to be able to launch games from the ultrasatan instead of floppies.

Going to look around the options a bit and learn more about the program, but it worked right away for just loading a few games!

Many thanks!

[crashman]

Thanks for your work!!!

[TheNameOfTheGame]

Some feedback...when using the arrow keys to scroll the games list, it seems to buffer them so that when I stop on an entry, the scrolling continues down the list for a while. It would be good to clear the key buffer as soon as the arrow key is released so that it stops on the entry where the key is released..

Up/Down key scrolls the list but with many titles this is slow. Could use Left/Right to scroll a page up or down at a time.

Any possibility of using the joystick to scroll the list? UP/DOWN scroll by a line, LEFT/RIGHT scroll by a page?

And is there any way to not show the Paradize splash screen and simply just go straight to the menu list?

[simonsunnyboy]

Configurable key repeat can be added.
The self-ad will stay

[TheNameOfTheGame]

Any chance of a Christmas present with the keyboard changes?