Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members

thelostsoul · 10 Mar 2019, 19:29

Hi all. This question is technically not RetroPie, but more a Sselph Scraper and Screenscraper.fr related one. To make it short, the site is currently under heavy usage and that locks out all non registered users when using screenscraper.fr as the source while scraping. I made an account there and can confirm its just locks out all non registered users, indicated by images. Before this issue, I used this scraper since a year and never had this problem before. I updated the whole RetroPie system and script too.

Error message for each entry: ss: API closed for non-registered members

Now, I don't know where to put the username and password. I found this page, where a user points out it should be used in commandline. I am not stranger to commandline, but where to use it? I usually start the scraper script through menu in "sudo RetroPie-Setup/retropie_setup.sh".

I tried to put the account data in retropie/configs/all/scraper.cfg and it seems not to read them. Does anybody have a clue? Should i start the scraper script directly from commandline and pass my account data there?

mitu · 10 Mar 2019, 20:09

The scraper.cfg doesn't support storing the user/password, you'll have to use the command line and add the parameters (-ss_user/-ss_password) needed to authenticate with your user account when scraping.

thelostsoul · 3 Oct 2019, 20:19

@mitu ok, that explains it. What is the command for the scraper? I tried it with "sudo ./RetroPie_Setup/scriptmodules/supplementary/scraper.sh" through SSH. I get the message that the file does not exist. Even if I changed the directory to that last folder. How do I start the scraper manually?

mitu · 10 Mar 2019, 20:21

@thelostsoul You run it from the ROMs folder, with /opt/retropie/supplementary/scraper/scraper and add the parameters needed (they're explained in the docs). There's not need to use sudo.

thelostsoul · 10 Mar 2019, 20:26

@mitu Oh, I need to reread the doc, thanks. I have only some last questions remaining, sorry, but my head just can't get everything around right now. Do I need to go in the system specific ROMs folder or in the general ROMs folder? And will it use the settings file or do I need to be carefully setting each setting too?

About the "sudo", I use it because the Docs says so in: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Scraper/

Quit EmulationStation (from the start menu or press F4) and type sudo ~/RetroPie-Setup/retropie_setup.sh.

retronick · 12 Mar 2019, 11:45

@thelostsoul I had ALLOT of trouble trying to figure this out. I tried to use /opt/retropie/supplementary/scraper/scraper ss_user myusername

Which seemed to work but didn't resolve it. The way I got it to work was to go to /opt/retropie/supplementary/scraper/skyscraper and edit the config.ini file.

In that document there is a line that says #userCreds="user:password" and a line above it that I altered to just say [screenscraper]. Then I removed the hashtag symbol from both lines, added my user and password in and saved it. It solved the problem and seems to be working no trouble.

Hope that helps

thelostsoul · 16 Mar 2019, 02:52

@retronick I ended up waiting until next day, when I could use the site without user password. Whenever I run into the same issue, I'll look up here first. Thanks for the suggestion. Thank you to mitu too, I could start the program in said roms folder. But I guess it didn't recognize my settings and I didn't want ruin my current setup.

DeweyCox · 5 Apr 2019, 21:05

@retronick I tried what you posted but under /opt/retropie/supplementary/scraper there is no skyscraper and no config.ini.
What am I missing?

mitu · 4 Jun 2019, 05:20

@DeweyCox said in Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members:

/opt/retropie/supplementary/scraper

That's not the installation folder for Skyscraper, it's the installation folder for Steven Selph's scraper. Skyscraper is installed in /opt/retropie/supplementary/skyscraper.

SJD1969 · 29 Apr 2019, 19:41

This post is deleted!

SJD1969 · 29 Apr 2019, 19:45

@retronick said in Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members:

@thelostsoul I had ALLOT of trouble trying to figure this out. I tried to use /opt/retropie/supplementary/scraper/scraper ss_user myusername

Which seemed to work but didn't resolve it. The way I got it to work was to go to /opt/retropie/supplementary/scraper/skyscraper and edit the config.ini file.

In that document there is a line that says #userCreds="user:password" and a line above it that I altered to just say [screenscraper]. Then I removed the hashtag symbol from both lines, added my user and password in and saved it. It solved the problem and seems to be working no trouble.

Thank you - followed your insructions and now it works.

Greakon · 16 Sept 2019, 23:59

I followed this but I cant edit the .ini, It says:

Permission denied.
Error code: 3
Error message from server: Permission denied

mitu · 17 Sept 2019, 02:12

@Greakon What command are you using to edit the file ?

top-specci · 27 Jan 2020, 21:03

@mitu said in Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members:

The scraper.cfg doesn't support storing the user/password, you'll have to use the command line and add the parameters (-ss_user/-ss_password) needed to authenticate with your user account when scraping.

I'm using "Steven Selph's Scraper" (not Skyscraper):
Actual I'm running in same error message, so unshure if there is "only" a server overload or the login/password is no longer stored.
Because last weeks srapping works when starting from the shell # retropie_setup.sh

Also unclear, where my login to screenscaper is "stored", I Have have a login/password but where in RetroPie must this entered (because before it works and I have not use any command line ...)

mitu · 27 Jan 2020, 21:04

@top-specci said in Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members:

Also unclear, where my login to screenscaper is "stored"

As I said, you'll need to use the command line parameters for user/pass, there's no configuration file for storing it, not when using Steven Selph's scraper.

top-specci · 27 Jan 2020, 21:11

Yes, but the grabbing is started from the menu "2: Scrape chosen system", where can I enter here login/password?

You understood what I mean?
It works before from this menu-option, so what is the binary (or shell script) I have to add the login/password?
imho this was not necessary till now ....

mitu · 27 Jan 2020, 21:13

@top-specci said in Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members:

Yes, but the grabbing is started from the menu "2: Scrape chosen system", where can I enter here login/password?

You'll need to run scraper from the command line and not through the RetroPie-Setup script.

top-specci · 27 Jan 2020, 21:15

@mitu said in Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members:

You'll need to run scraper from the command line and not through the RetroPie-Setup script.

Always? Is this new? Not working anymore from the menu? Was there a change?
7 days ago it works from the menu !?!?
This is what I don't understand (or: wondering) ....

mitu · 27 Jan 2020, 21:19

@top-specci said in Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members:

Always? Is this new? Not working anymore from the menu? Was there a change?
7 days ago it works from the menu !?!?

Please re-read the whole topic.

thelostsoul · 27 Jan 2020, 21:25

@top-specci said in Screenscraper error API closed for non-registered members:

I'm running in same error message, so unshure if there is "only" a server overload

You can open the website and see directly if there is an overload: https://www.screenscraper.fr/

This info is found on the right top. You can see both CPU of the server are under heavy load (average: 97%). Only API Access is allowed, I guess that means only registered members. The smiley face also indicates that Not Registered members have no access.

Just wait some hours or sometimes even days and try again.