RetroFE

User Manual
V1.0
 Table of Contents
1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
2 Basic Installation Instructions..........................................................................................................3
3 Detailed Setup Guide........................................................................................................................4
3.1 Linux vs Windows....................................................................................................................4
3.2 Linux library installation..........................................................................................................4
3.3 Compiling RetroFE on Linux...................................................................................................4
3.4 Windows library installation.....................................................................................................5
3.5 Compiling RetroFE on Windows..............................................................................................5
3.6 Post installation.........................................................................................................................6
3.7 Configuration............................................................................................................................6
3.8 Adding collections....................................................................................................................6
4 Folder Structure................................................................................................................................8
5 settings.conf......................................................................................................................................9
6 controls.conf...................................................................................................................................11
7 Collection........................................................................................................................................13
7.1 settings.conf............................................................................................................................13
8 launcher..........................................................................................................................................15
9 layout..............................................................................................................................................17
9.1 General layout information.....................................................................................................17
9.2 General layout structure..........................................................................................................18
9.3 <layout> attributes..................................................................................................................19
9.4 <sound> attributes...................................................................................................................19
9.5 General attributes....................................................................................................................20
9.6 <menu> attributes...................................................................................................................23
9.7 <video> attributes...................................................................................................................24
9.8 <image> attributes..................................................................................................................25
9.9 <text> attributes......................................................................................................................25
9.10 <reloadableVideo> attributes................................................................................................26
9.11 <reloadableImage> attributes................................................................................................27
9.12 <reloadableText> attributes..................................................................................................27
9.13 <reloadableScrollingText> attributes....................................................................................28
9.14 mode attribute.......................................................................................................................29

1
 1 Introduction
Welcome to the RetroFE User Manual. Within this manual you will learn how to
configure RetroFE, use this front-end, and create/change themes. Since RetroFE is
F/OSS, released under the GPL, you are free to download and change the source code
within the boundaries of the GPL license. I hope you will enjoy using RetroFE to
play your favorite games.

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 2 Basic Installation Instructions
Setting up RetroFE is relatively easy. Just go through the following steps:
1) Download the latest release from http://retrofe.nl/download/.
2) Extract the compressed image.
3) Edit the settings.conf file to configure RetroFE’s general settings.
4) Edit the controls.conf file to configure the RetroFE’s controls.
5) Run RetroFE to verify the front-end loads and exits correctly.
6) Add/remove/Edit the Collections with roms, art, etc.
7) Enjoy RetroFE.
If you encounter any issues, please check the log.txt file before asking for help.

A Linux executable is included in the release, but depending on your distribution you
may need to compile your own executable from the source code, which can also be
found in the download section.

Some people report that for Windows the installation of a codec pack for video
playback may be needed. A suggestion would be to download Shark's STANDARD
video codec pack.

3
 3 Detailed Setup Guide
3.1 Linux vs Windows
Please keep in mind that Linux uses / to separate its directories, while Windows
uses \. Chapters that handle both Windows and Linux installations will generally use
the Linux notation.

3.2 Linux library installation

In order to install and/or run RetroFE on Linux, you first need to make sure that you
have the required libraries installed:

sudo apt­get install g++ cmake dos2unix zlib1g­dev libsdl2­2.0

libsdl2­mixer­2.0 libsdl2­image­2.0 libsdl2­ttf­2.0 libsdl2­dev
libsdl2­mixer­dev libsdl2­image­dev libsdl2­ttf­dev
libgstreamer1.0­dev libgstreamer­plugins­base1.0­dev libgstreamer­
plugins­good1.0­dev zlib1g­dev libglib2.0­0 libglib2.0­dev sqlite3

3.3 Compiling RetroFE on Linux

Some systems require you to compile your own RetroFE installation. You can find
the source code in the download section of the RetroFE website. Simply unpack,
enter the directory, and generate your gcc make files:

cmake RetroFE/Source ­BRetroFE/Build

You can now compile RetroFE, and create a full environment:

cmake ­­build RetroFE/Build

python Scripts/Package.py ­­os=linux ­­build=full

Simply copy your live RetroFE system to any folder of your choosing:

cp ­r Artifacts/linux/RetroFE /your/ideal/retrofe/path

and you’re set.

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3.4 Windows library installation
In order to compile RetroFE on Windows, you first need to make sure that you have
the required libraries installed:

Install Python 2.7

Install sphinx with python
Install visual studio 2012
Install Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .net Framework 4
http://www.microsoft.com/en­us/download/details.aspx?id=8279
Install cmake
Install tortoisehg
Install 7zip
Install gstreamer and gstreamer­devel to c:/gstreamer(x86, not 64
bit!) from http://gstreamer.freedesktop/org/data/pkg/windows/1.4.0

3.5 Compiling RetroFE on Windows

You may wish to compile your own RetroFE executable. You can find the source
code in the download section of the RetroFE website. Simply unpack, enter the
directory, and generate your visual studio solution files:

RetroFE\Source\SetupEnvironment.bat
cmake RetroFE\Source ­BRetroFE/Build
­DGSTREAMER_ROOT=C:/gstreamer/1.0/x86

You can now compile RetroFE, and create a full environment:

cmake ­­build RetroFE\Build –config Release

python Scripts\Package.py ­­os=windows ­­build=full –
gstreamer_path=<path to your gstreamer x86 directory>

Simply copy your live RetroFE system to any folder of your choosing:

cp ­r Artifacts\windows\RetroFE \your\ideal\retrofe\path

and you’re set.

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3.6 Post installation
After copying the RetroFE system to the directory of your choice, you're set to give
your installation a first test by running the RetroFE executable in that directory.
RetroFE comes with a pre-installed Sega Genesis system with one game so you can
check if the installation went according to plan.

3.7 Configuration
The first configuration step is editing the RetroFE system configuration file
settings.conf. In here you configure the screen settings, global theme, base paths, etc.
The second configuration step is editing the RetroFE controls file controls.conf. In
here you configure the keys used to control the RetroFE front-end. Note that the
default select key is space, and not enter as some people expected.

3.8 Adding collections

RetroFE starts with two (almost empty) collections, but more can be added easily. As
an example, let's set up the Nintendo Entertainment System collection. First, enter the
RetroFE/collections directory, and create an empty collection using the following
command: ../retrofe -createcollection "Nintendo Entertainment System"

Next we add the roms and artwork:

1. Download a NES romset from your favourite source, and place the roms in the
RetroFE/collections/Nintendo Entertainment System/roms directory.
2. Download a device image, logo, and video for the system, and place the
device.png, logo.png, and video.mp4 files in the RetroFE/collections/Nintendo
Entertainment System/system_artwork directory.
3. Download games artwork (artwork_front, logo's, screenshots, titleshots, videos,
etc.) from your favourite art source, and place them in the
RetroFE/collections/Nintendo Entertainment System/medium_artwork
directory.

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Now we configure the new system by editing RetroFE/collections/Nintendo
Entertainment System/settings.conf. If you stick to the default directory structure, this
file can be extremely simple:

list.extensions = nes
launcher = NES

The first line defines the ROM file extention as .nes; this should match the file
extentions in your RetroFE/collections/Nintendo Entertainment System/roms
directory. The second line defines the name of the launcher used for this collection.
Before the collection can be used, this launcher needs to be configured:
Edit the RetroFE/launchers/NS.conf (matching the launcher name defined in the
settings.conf) file. I'm currently using MAME 0.179 for this purpose, so the launcher
can be simple:

executable = mame
arguments = nes ­cart "%ITEM_FILEPATH%"

As an example: if RetroFE starts the game Willow (USA).nes, this launcher will
execute the command:

mame nes ­cart "RetroFE/collections/Nintendo Entertainment

System/roms/Willow (USA).nes".

The last step is to add the newly created collection to the main menu by editing
RetroFE/collections/Main/menu.xml, and add a line:

<item collection="Nintendo Entertainment System"/>

in the <menu> section. If you use a menu.txt file in stead of a menu.xml file, simply
add:

Nintendo Entertainment System

to your menu.txt file. When this is done, your newly added collection is ready for
testing by running the RetroFE executable.

Happy playing! :)

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 4 Folder Structure
RetroFE uses the following folder structure (keep in mind that Windows uses \ in
stead of /):
File/Directory Description
./ Base folder
./log.txt Log output
./controls.conf Controller configuration (up, down, select, back, etc.)
./settings.conf Global front-end settings (display options, layout, base paths, etc.)
./meta/ Folder that contains files imported into meta.db.
Game information database (year, manufacturer, genre, etc.). Delete this file if you
./meta.db
have changed any of the files in the /meta/ directory.
Windows specific library files needed for RetroFE to run. This folder also includes
./core/
the Windows retrofe.exe.
./RetroFE.lnk Windows link to ./core/retrofe.exe
./Collections/ Directory that contains the (games) collections, menus, artwork, and roms.
./launchers/ Directory that contains the configuration files for the launchers (emulators).
./layouts/ Directory that contains the layouts/themes for the front-end display.

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 5 settings.conf
The global settings.conf file defines the overall RetroFE configuration. The following
parameters can be defined:
Variable Allowed values Description
fullscreen yes, true, no, false Set the front-end to full-screen mode.
Screen pixel width (i.e. 1920). Stretch uses
horizontal stretch, #pixels
the desktop width.
Screen pixel height (i.e. 1080). Stretch uses
vertical stretch, #pixels
the desktop height.
Hide the mouse cursor on the screen when
hideMouse yes, true, no, false
RetroFE is active.
Hide the parenthesis (and text between
showParenthesis yes, true, no, false
them) in the title of an item.
Hide the square brackets (and text between
showSquareBrackets yes, true, no, false
them) in the title of an item.
Specify the name of the collection RetroFE
firstCollection <collection name>
should load on start-up (e.g. Main).
Display videos. Set to “no” for old/slow
videoEnable yes, true, no, false
systems.
Number of times the video playback will
videoLoop #loops
loop. Use 0 for a continuous loop.
Exit RetroFE when the back button is
exitOnFirstPageBack yes, true, no, false
pressed on the first collection.
Enter 0 to disable attract mode, otherwise
attractModeTime Time (in seconds) enter the number of seconds to wait before
the menu scrolls to another random item.
Remember the last highlighted menu item,
rememberMenu yes, true, no, false and return to that item when re-entering a
menu.
Automatically switch to the Favorites
autoFavorites yes, true, no, false
playlist if it is available.
Overwrite system SDL default for
SDL_VIDEO_MINIMIZE_ON_FOCUS_L
minimize_on_focus_loss yes, true, no, false OSS to force RetroFE to (not) minimize
when the focus on the full-screen window is
lost.

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 Variable Allowed values Description
Override if you choose to have your media
stored outside of the RetroFE folder
baseMediaPath Base path to your art files
structure. Can be used by your collection’s
settings.conf.
Override if you choose to have your roms
stored outside of the RetroFE folder
baseItemPath Base path to your rom files
structure. Can be used by your collection’s
settings.conf.

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 6 controls.conf
The controls.conf file contains the configuration of your controller. The following
control codes can be configured:
Control Description
up Scrolls menu backward (for vertical menus)
down Scrolls menu forward (for vertical menus)
left Scrolls menu backward (for horizontal menus)
right Scrolls menu forward (for horizontal menus)
pageUp Scrolls menu backward by a page.
pageDown Scrolls menu forward by a page.
letterUp Scrolls menu to the previous letter in the alphabet.
letterDown Scrolls menu to the next letter in the alphabet.
addPlaylist Adds a game to the favorites playlist.
removePlaylist Removes a game from the favorites playlist.
nextPlaylist Switches between the full game list, and the favorites playlist.
random Selects a random game.
select Selects the active menu item.
back Leaves the current menu.
quit Exits RetroFE.

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RetroFE supports the following gamepad/joystick codes:
Keycode Description
joyXbuttonY Gamepad button (X = joypad number, Y = button number)
joyXHatYLeftUp Gamepad hat left-up direction (X = joypad number, Y = button number)
joyXHatYLeft Gamepad hat left direction (X = joypad number, Y = button number)
joyXHatYLeftDown Gamepad hat left-down direction (X = joypad number, Y = button number)
joyXHatYRightUp Gamepad hat right-up direction (X = joypad number, Y = button number)
joyXHatYRight Gamepad hat right direction (X = joypad number, Y = button number)
Gamepad hat right-down direction (X = joypad number, Y = button
joyXHatYRightDown
number)
JoyXAxis0+ First POV stick, first axis positive direction (X = joypad number)
JoyXAxis0- First POV stick, first axis negative direction (X = joypad number)
JoyXAxis1+ First POV stick, first axis positive direction (X = joypad number)
JoyXAxis1- First POV stick, second axis negative direction (X = joypad number)
JoyXAxis2+ Second POV stick, second axis positive direction (X = joypad number)
JoyXAxis2- Second POV stick, first axis negative direction (X = joypad number)
JoyXAxis3+ Second POV stick, second axis positive direction (X = joypad number)
JoyXAxis3- Second POV stick, second axis negative direction (X = joypad number)

RetroFE supports the following mouse codes:

Keycode Description
mouseButtonLeft The left mouse button.
mouseButtonMiddle The middle mouse button.
mouseButtonRight The right mouse button.
mouseButtonX1 The X1 mouse button.
mouseButtonX2 The X2 mouse button.

RetroFE supports the keyboard codes from the SDL keyboard codes list.

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 7 Collection
A RetroFE collection is a set of items sharing a common identity and launcher (e.g. a
console type like SNES). It generally consists of a settings.conf file, roms, and art.

7.1 settings.conf
The collection’s settings.conf file supports the following settings. The default value is
used when the variable is not set in the settings.conf file. Keep in mind that Windows
uses \ in stead of /.
Variable Default value Description
/collections/<collection
list.path Location of your ROMS.
name>/roms
Include items defined in the include.txt,
list.includeMissingItems false
even if the ROM does not exist.
Comma separated values of ROM
list.extensions extensions to include in the list (i.e. zip,
nes).
Defines whether the items in a collection
list.menuSort false
will be sorted alphabetically.
Specifies which launcher to use when a
launcher game is selected from the menu: It uses
launchers/<launcher name>.conf.
Collection name to reference in the meta.db
metadata.type <collection name> database to request information like
manufacturer, year, genre, etc.
Name of the collection’s manufacturer to be
manufacturer
displayed by the theme, e.g. Nintendo
Year the collection’s system came out, e.g.
year 1985 for the NES, to be displayed by the
theme.
Type fo collection, e.g. Arcade, Console, to
genre
be displayed by the theme.
collections/<collection
media.screenshot name>/medium_artwork/s Screen shot to be displayed by the theme.
creenshot

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 Variable Default value Description
collections/<collection
media.screentitle name>/medium_artwork/s Title shot to be displayed by the theme.
creentitle
collections/<collection
Back of the box to be displayed by the
media.artwork_back name>/medium_artwork/a
theme.
rtwork_back
collections/<collection
Front of the box to be displayed by the
media.artwork_front name>/medium_artwork/a
theme.
rtwork_front
collections/<collection
media.logo name>/medium_artwork/l Wheel logo to be displayed by the theme.
ogo
collections/<collection
Back of the cartridge/disk to be displayed
media.medium_back name>/medium_artwork/
by the theme.
medium_back
collections/<collection
Front of the cartridge/disk to be displayed
media.medium_front name>/medium_artwork/
by the theme.
medium_front
collections/<collection
media.video name>/medium_artwork/v Video to be displayed by the theme.
ideo
media.system_artwork_b collections/<collection Directory containing the system artwork of
ack name>/system_artwork a collection.

All of these settings can take advantage of the following variables:

Variable Description
The root directory where the artwork resides, defined by the
%BASE_MEDIA_PATH%
global settings.conf.
The root directory where the roms reside, defined by the
%BASE_ITEM_PATH%
global settings.conf.
%ITEM_COLLECTION_NAME% The name of the current collection.

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 8 launcher
A launcher config file describes how to launch a program (i.e. emulator, application,
or game) when a launchable menu item is selected.
See below for a list of supported configuration properties.
Property Description
executable Path of where the executable exists.
arguments Arguments to pass when executing the launcher (i.e. ROM name).

Windows example:

executable = D:\Emulators\Nestopia\nestopia.exe
arguments = "%ITEM_FILEPATH%"

%ITEM_FILEPATH% is a reserved variable name. See the variables table below for
other variables that may be used. Also note the quotes around "%ITEM_FILEPATH
%" to help not confuse the executable from confusing an item with spaces as multiple
arguments.
Assuming that "Super Mario Bros" was the selected item, the RetroFE will attempt to
execute:

"D:\Emulators\Nestopia\nestopia.exe" "D:\ROMs\Nintendo\Super Mario

Bros.nes".

You can also use relative paths (relative to the root folder of RetroFE):

executable = ..\Emulators\Nestopia\nestopia.exe
arguments = "%ITEM_FILEPATH%"

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The following reserved variable names are available:
Variable Description Example
D:\ROMs\Nintendo\Super Mario
%ITEM_FILEPATH% Full item path
Bros.nes
%ITEM_NAME% The item name Super Mario Bros
%ITEM_FILENAME% Filename without path Super Mario Bros.nes
Folder where file
%ITEM_DIRECTORY% D:/ROMs/Nintendo
exists
Name of collection for
%ITEM_COLLECTION_NAME% Nintendo Entertainment System
item
Folder location of
%RETROFE_PATH% D:\Frontends\RetroFE
Frontend
%RETROFE_EXEC_PATH% Location of RetroFE D:\Frontends\RetroFE\RetroFE.exe

A more elaborate Windows example:

# Have fceux load a save state automatically for the ROM

executable = D:\Emulators\fceux\fceux.exe
arguments = "%ITEM_FILEPATH%" ­loadstate "%ITEM_DIRECTORY%\
%ITEM_NAME%.fcs"

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 9 layout
9.1 General layout information
Layouts define the look and feel for your frontend. Each layout is a folder containing
at least the following:
File/Directory Description
./layouts/<layout name>/ Folder containing the theme files.
./layouts/<layout name>/splash.xml Splash screen layout configuration file.
./layouts/<layout name>/layout.xml Main screen layout configuration file.

The global settings.conf file contains the default layout used by RetroFE. It is
however possible to give a collection a completely different layout by adding the
layout.xml and layout artwork to the /layouts/<layout name>/collections/<collection
name>/layout/ directory. A splash.xml is not required/used for a collection's layout.
This way you can give each collection a completely different look and feel.

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9.2 General layout structure
A layout generally consists of the following structure:

<layout>

<!­­ Sound parameters ­­>

<sound/>

<!­­ Menu structure ­­>

<menu/>

<!­­ Video ­­>

<video/>

<!­­ Image ­­>

<image/>

<!­­ Text ­­>

<text/>

<!­­ Video connected to the selected item ­­>

<reloadableVideo/>

<!­­ Image connected to the selected item ­­>

<reloadableImage/>

<!­­ Text connected to the selected item ­­>

<reloadableText/>

<!­­ Scrolling text connected to the selected item ­­>

<reloadableScrollingText/>

</layout>

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9.3 <layout> attributes
The <layout> tag can use the following attributes:
Attribute Description
The virtual width to use for this layout. This will be scaled automatically by the
width
frontend if the screen resolution is different.
The virtual height to use for this layout. This will be scaled automatically by the
height
frontend if the screen resolution is different.
The size (quality) of the font to load. Lower font sizes is more blurred, Higher font
loadFontSize
sizes are a little more pixelated. 24 is an ideal value.
font Location of the font (relative to the layout folder).
fontColor Default RGB color of the font (in hex, i.e. “6699AA”).
fontSize Default font size of to display if not specified by a component.
Minimum amount of time (in seconds) to show the current layout (only applicable
minShowTime
in splash.xml).

Example:

<layout width="1920" height="1080" font="Roboto­Bold.ttf"

loadFontSize="64" fontColor="dedede">

9.4 <sound> attributes

The <sound> tag can use the following attributes:
Attribute Description
triggers on the following events: "load" (page load), "unload" (page exit), "highlight"
type
(scroll), "select" (entering game/sub-menu).
src Location of the sound file (relative to the layout folder).

Example:

<sound type="load" src="load.wav"/>

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9.5 General attributes
The other tags all support a general set of attributes:
Attribute Description
x X coordinate of where to place the component.
y Y coordinate of where to place the component.
xOffset Relative X offset of how many pixels to shift the object from x (x + xOffset).
yOffset Relative Y offset of how many pixels to shift the object from y (y + yOffset).
X offset on image to use as the pin point for placement. Supports the special
xOrigin
settings "left", "center", and "right".
Y offset on image to use as the pin point for placement. Supports the special
yOrigin
settings "top", "center", and "bottom".
alpha 0 = 0% visible, 0.5=50% visible, 1=100% visible.
angle Angle to rotate image, in degrees.
Width of the component. Image will be scaled appropriately if not specified.
width
Supports the special settings "stretch".
Height of the component. Image will be scaled appropriately if not specified.
height
Supports the special settings "stretch".
minWidth Minimum width to allow the image to be (if scaling is needed).
minHeight Minimum height to allow the image to be (if scaling is needed).
maxWidth Maximum width to allow the image to be (if scaling is needed).
maxHeight Maximum height to allow the image to be (if scaling is needed).
backgroundColor Fill the component with a background color.
Background color transparency: 0 = 0% visible, 0.5=50% visible, 1=100%
backgroundAlpha
visible.
reflection Location of the reflection compared to the image: top, bottom, left, right.
reflectionDistance Distance between the reflection and the original image in pixels.
Scale in vertical (reflection top/bottom) or horizontal (reflection left/right)
reflectionScale
direction of the reflection compared to the original image.
Transparency of the reflection compared to the original image: 0 = 0% visible,
reflectionAlpha
0.5=50% visible, 1=100% visible.
containerX X coordinate of the cropping container.
containerY Y coordinate of the cropping container.
containerWidth Width of the cropping container.
ContainerHeight Height of the cropping container.
layer Layer on which the item should be displayed: 0 = back, 19 = front.

20
RetroFE supports 20 layers of images (0-19) to allow items to overlap in a controlled
fashion.
Usage of the x/y/xOffset/yOffset/xOrigin/yOrigin parameters:

Usage of the xOffset/yOffset parameters is generally reserved for when you use
values like "top|bottom|left|right|center" for x and/or y, e.g. x="center" xOffset="10"
will place the object 10 pixels right of the center.

All these paremeters can also be used in animations to create an even more beautiful
layout experience. These animations use the following syntax:

<action type>
<set duration="<time in seconds>"
<animate type="<animation parameter>" from="<from setting>"
to="<to setting>" algorithm="<algorithm_setting>"/>
</set>
</on<action_type>

21
It is possible to put multiple animates in the same set; these animations will happen at
the same time. It is possible to put multiple sets in the same action type: these
animations will happen in sequence. It is possible to omit the from attribute; this will
animate from the current value. It is possible to use type="nop" (no operation),
without any other attributes (<animate type="nop"/>. This can e.g. be used to delay
an animation by preceding it with a set containing just a "nop" animation.
RetroFE supports the following action types:
Action type Description
onEnter Action happens on entering RetroFE.
onExit Action happens on exiting RetroFE.
onIdle Action happens while no keys are being pressed.
onMenuScroll Action happens when the menu starts scrolling.
onHighlightEnter Action happens when the item is being selected.
onHighlightExit Action happens when item is no longer selected.
onMenuEnter Action happens on entering a menu.
onMenuExit Action happens on exiting a menu.

RetroFE supports the following algorithms:

easeInquadratic easeOutquadratic easeInoutquadratic easeIncubic easeOutcubic
easeInoutcubic easeInquartic easeOutquartic easeInoutquartic easeInquintic
easeOutquintic easeInoutquintic easeInsine easeOutsine easeInoutsine
easeInexponential easeOutexponential easeInoutexponential easeIncircular easeOutcircular
easeInoutcircular linear

22
Example:

<!­­ Flaming background, slowly pulsating using transparency. ­­>

<image src="bg.png" x="0" y="0" height="stretch" width="stretch"

layer="0">
<onIdle>
<set duration="2">
<animate type="alpha" from="1" to="0.2"
algorithm="easeinquadratic"/>
</set>
<set duration="1">
<animate type="alpha" from="0.2" to="1"
algorithm="easeinquadratic"/>
</set>
</onIdle>
</image>

9.6 <menu> attributes

The <menu> tag is used to define a menu structure, and uses the following structure:

<menu>
<itemDefaults/>
<item/>
</menu>

The <menu> tag supports the following attributes:

Attribute Description
The type of menu to display. Set to custom to specify all the points on the
type
screen. Set to vertical to have a vertical scrolling list prebuilt for the layout.
If specified, uses an image to be displayed for each menu item (if it exists).
imageType
Text will be used if the image could not be found.
Set to "horizontal" to use the Left/Right controls to scroll. set to "vertical" to
orientation
use Up/Down.
The amount of time (in seconds) it takes for an item to scroll to the next point
scrollTime
on the menu (i.e 0.750 = 750 milliseconds).
The acceleration rate to scroll by when holding down the up/down/left/right
scrollAcceleration
scroll key.

23
The <itemDefaults> tag supports the following attributes:
Attribute Description
Used when the menu type is set to vertical. Defines the spacing in pixels for
spacing
all edges of a menu item.
Used when the menu type is set to vertical. Specify a options for a particular
index menu item when in list mode (first=first visible item, last=last visible item,
start=first - 1, end - last + 1)
font Location of the font (relative to the layout folder).
fontColor Default RGB color of the font (in hex, i.e. “6699AA”).
fontSize Default font size of to display if not specified by a component.
The size (quality) of the font to load. For the best results, use the same value as
loadFontSize
fontsize.

The <item> tag supports the following attributes:

Attribute Description
font Location of the font (relative to the layout folder).
fontColor Default RGB color of the font (in hex, i.e. “6699AA”).
fontSize Default font size of to display if not specified by a component.
The size (quality) of the font to load. For the best results, use the same value as
loadFontSize
fontsize.

9.7 <video> attributes

The <video> tag supports the following attributes:
Attribute Description
The location of the image to display (relative to the location of the active layout
src
folder).
The number of loops the video will play before stopping (default: 1, use 0 for infinite
numLoops
looping).

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Example:

<video src="bg.png" numLoops="0" x="0" y="0" height="stretch"

width="stretch" layer="0"/>

9.8 <image> attributes

The <image> tag supports the following attribute:
Attribute Description
The location of the image to display (relative to the location of the active layout
src
folder).

Example:

<image src="bg.png" x="0" y="0" height="stretch" width="stretch"

layer="0"/>

9.9 <text> attributes

The <text> tag supports the following attributes:
Attribute Description
value The text message to display.
font Location of the font (relative to the layout folder).
fontColor Default RGB color of the font (in hex, i.e. “6699AA”).
fontSize Default font size of to display if not specified by a component.
The size (quality) of the font to load. For the best results, use the same value as
loadFontSize
fontsize.

Example:

<text value="Year:" x="300" y="850" xOrigin="right" yOrigin="top"

fontSize="48" layer="7"/>

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9.10 <reloadableVideo> attributes
The <reloadableVideo> tag can be used to display a video of the selected item, and
supports the following attributes:
Attribute Description
The type of image to display if a video cannot be found: "numberButtons",
imageType
"numberPlayers", "year", "title", "manufacturer", "genre".
mode See mode attribute for more details.
Set to true to have text displayed of a the item title if an image cannot be
textFallback
loaded.
font Location of the font (relative to the layout folder).
fontColor Default RGB color of the font (in hex, i.e. “6699AA”).
fontSize Default font size of to display if not specified by a component.
The size (quality) of the font to load. For the best results, use the same value as
loadFontSize
fontsize.
backgroundColor Fill the component with a background color.
Background color transparency: 0 = 0% visible, 0.5=50% visible, 1=100%
backgroundAlpha
visible.

Example:

<reloadableVideo imageType="screenshot" x="400" y="300"

xOrigin="center" yOrigin="center" height="480" maxWidth="640"
layer="3"/>

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9.11 <reloadableImage> attributes
The <reloadableImage> tag can be used to display an image of the selected item, and
supports the following attributes:
Attribute Description
The type of image to display: "numberButtons", "numberPlayers", "year",
type
"title", "manufacturer", "genre".
mode See mode attribute for more details.
Set to true to have text displayed of a the item title if an image cannot be
textFallback
loaded.
font Location of the font (relative to the layout folder).
fontColor Default RGB color of the font (in hex, i.e. “6699AA”).
fontSize Default font size of to display if not specified by a component.
The size (quality) of the font to load. For the best results, use the same value as
loadFontSize
fontsize.

Example:

<reloadableImage type="logo" mode="system" x="1350" y="50"

xOrigin="center" yOrigin="top" height="250" maxWidth="1100"
layer="7"/>

9.12 <reloadableText> attributes

The <reloadableText> tag can be used to display textual information about the
selected item, and supports the following attributes:
Attribute Description
The type of text to display: "numberButtons", "numberPlayers", "year", "title",
type "manufacturer", "genre", "playlist", "collectionName", "collectionSize",
"collectionIndex".
mode See mode attribute for more details.
font Location of the font (relative to the layout folder).
fontColor Default RGB color of the font (in hex, i.e. “6699AA”).
fontSize Default font size of to display if not specified by a component.
The size (quality) of the font to load. For the best results, use the same value as
loadFontSize
fontsize.

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Example:

<reloadableText type="year" x="310" y="850" xOrigin="left"

yOrigin="top" fontSize="48" maxWidth="300" layer="7"/>

9.13 <reloadableScrollingText> attributes

Attribute Description
The type of text file to load. Files are generally placed as <collection
type name>/medium_artwork/<type>/<game name>.txt or <collection
name>/system_artwork/<type>.txt.
mode See mode attribute for more details.
font Location of the font (relative to the layout folder).
fontColor Default RGB color of the font (in hex, i.e. “6699AA”).
fontSize Default font size of to display if not specified by a component.
The size (quality) of the font to load. For the best results, use the same value as
loadFontSize
fontsize.
direction The direction in which the text should scroll: horizontal, vertical.
scrollingSpeed The speed at which the text should scroll in pixels per second.
startPosition The x/y offset of the start position of the text.
startTime The delay before the text starts scrolling.
endTime The delay between the finish of the scroll, and restarting the display of the text.
alignment The text alignment for vertical scrolls: left, right, centered, justified.

The text will scroll across the screen until it is no longer visible. Then it will be reset.
For a vertical scroll: if the startPosition is 0, and the text fits within the defined size,
the text will not scroll.
Example:

<reloadableScrollingText type="story" alpha="0" x="145" y="355"

xOrigin="left" yOrigin="top" width="940" height="215"
font="MC360.ttf" fontSize="35" fontColor="f2f2f2"
direction="vertical" alignment="justified" scrollingSpeed="15"
startPosition="0" startTime="4" endTime="1" alpha="1" layer="7"/>

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9.14 mode attribute
Several parameters allow for a mode attribute: system, common, layout,
systemlayout, and commonlayout. This attribute can be omitted. This attribute has the
following effects:
• Mode system and systemlayout use the information from the collection you're
in rather than the selected item.
• Mode layout, systemlayout, and commonlayout use the art in the
layouts/<layout name>/collections/<collection name>/ directory rather than
collections/<collection name>/ directory.
• Mode common and commonlayout use the art in the
collections/_common/medium_artwork directory rather than the
collections/<collection name>/medium_artwork directory.
The item path also depends on whether the selected item is a collection or a game; it
will select the first found file.

Example:
You're in the Main collection, have the SNES collection selected, and are displaying a
reloadableImage of type "logo":
No mode used:
collections/Main/medium_artwork/logo/SNES.png
collections/Main/medium_artwork/logo/default.png
Mode layout:
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/Main/medium_artwork/logo/SNES.png
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/Main/medium_artwork/logo/default.png
Mode system (not very useful in the main menu):
collections/Main/medium_artwork/logo/Main.png
collections/Main/system_artwork/logo.png
collections/Main/medium_artwork/logo/default.png
Mode systemlayout (not very useful in the main menu):
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/Main/medium_artwork/logo/Main.png
layouts/<layout name>/collections/Main/system_artwork/logo.png
layouts/<layout name>/collections/Main/system_artwork/default.png
Mode common (not very useful for type logo):
collections/_common/medium_artwork/logo/SNES.png
collections/_common/medium_artwork/logo/default.png
Mode commonlayout (not very useful
29 for type logo):
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/_common/medium_artwork/logo/SNES.png
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/_common/medium_artwork/logo/default.png
Example:
You're in the SNES collection, have the 1942 game selected, and are displaying a
reloadableImage of type "logo":

No mode used:
collections/SNES/medium_artwork/logo/1942.png
collections/SNES/medium_artwork/logo/default.png
Mode layout:
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/SNES/medium_artwork/logo/1942.png
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/SNES/medium_artwork/logo/default.png
Mode system:
collections/SNES/system_artwork/logo.png
Mode systemlayout:
layouts/<layout name>/collections/SNES/system_artwork/logo.png
Mode common (not very useful for type logo):
collections/_common/medium_artwork/logo/1942.png
collections/_common/medium_artwork/logo/default.png
Mode commonlayout (not very useful for type logo):
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/_common/medium_artwork/logo/1942.png
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/_common/medium_artwork/logo/default.png

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Example:
You're in the SNES collection by Nintendo, have the 1942 game by Capcom selected,
and are displaying a reloadableImage of type "manufacturer":

No mode used:
collections/SNES/medium_artwork/manufacturer/Capcom.png
collections/SNES/medium_artwork/manufacturer/default.png
Mode layout:
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/SNES/medium_artwork/manufacturer/Capcom.png
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/SNES/medium_artwork/manufacturer/default.png
Mode system:
collections/SNES/system_artwork/Nintendo.png
Mode systemlayout:
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/SNES/system_artwork/Nintendo.png
Mode common:
collections/_common/medium_artwork/manufacturer/Capcom.png
collections/_common/medium_artwork/manufacturer/default.png
Mode commonlayout:
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/_common/medium_artwork/manufacturer/Capcom.png
layouts/<layout
name>/collections/_common/medium_artwork/manufacturer/default.png

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