save configuration on exit issue

meleu

@smoothmalik
I think we discussed this problem here:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/1714/retroarch-config-confusion-and-issues/2

smoothmalik

@meleu sort of ... my issue is I know save on exit has to be enabled in the editor which I have done. however once I did that my setting for the analog l3 button to be enabled defaults to not being enabled and I have to go into rgui and enable it again. Once I exit the game it again returns to not being enabled. I'm lost here at this point. I have yet to get 3.7 or 3.8 up and running flawlessly as in previous versions. A lot of things are inconsitant imo

dankcushions

@smoothmalik did you enable save on exit via the configuration editor (NOT the rgui) for ALL libretro emulators? Otherwise it won't stay set.

if so, upload contents of /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg

smoothmalik

I enabled save config on exit on the configuration editor. Prior to me enabling it in the configuration editor the option to enable the analog stick on my ps3 stayed when using rgui. Once i enabled save on exit in conf editor I now have to enable in rgui each time i exit a game and start a new game even within the same emulator. Here is my config file.

http://pastebin.com/Hn4A8enX

meleu

I'll paste here what I said in RetroArch Config Confusion and Issues. It's a bit long, but I think it has something to do with your problem (sorry if you've read this):

I was very confused about these RGUI configs too. And then I realized that RetroPie wasn't made to work very "integrated" with RetroArch GUI by default (but RetroPie is very very flexible, and you can revert this with some knowledge).

I think I can't help you directly to your issue, but maybe I can help you to understand some things... A bit of linux command line knowledge helps. Let's go:

Take a look at the file /opt/retropie/configs/SYSTEMNAME/emulators.cfg (replace SYSTEMNAME with the obvious). You'll notice there are various commands to invoke an emulator, and the default is the default (oh really?) command used.

You'll also notice that the commands invokes a specific config file. If you are using a libretro core, this config file is /opt/retropie/configs/SYSTEMNAME/retroarch.cfg. Go and take a look at some of these files.

It exists to configure a specific core and also invokes the default configurations using the #include /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg. Keep in mind that the config uses the "first match if finds" approach, so for you override a global config, keep the #include line at the end of file.

This approach can be a good thing for those who usually edit the retroarch.cfg "by hand". But for those who like to use RGUI, it can be annoying.

Example of how annoying this can be:

You invoke RGUI trhough RetroPie menu and enable "save config on exit" and then you can edit and save RetroArch configs via RGUI. The changes you make will be saved in /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg.

Later you invoke RGUI during a NES game playing. You change some configs and then "Save config file". It'll save /opt/retropie/configs/nes/retroarch.cfg. This is the annoying thing! You think you saved the "default and only one retroarch.cfg", but you saved the specific retroarch.cfg for NES.

Let's say you changed the On Screen Display text size to a bigger size using RGUI during this NES session, and saved. Then you quit and play Sonic (MegaDrive) and see that little yellow text again! You'll think "WHAT THE F#$@%CK?! I've just changed this text size!!!". But when you started the MegaDrive emulator the config file loaded was /opt/retropie/configs/megadrive/retroarch.cfg and you changed the text size only in the NES retroarch.cfg file.

After a lot of confusion I finally learned to deal with config files by hand, but for those who aren't familiar with command line it can be hard...

As a further reading, I suggest https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/RetroArch-Configuration#hardcoded-configurations

Floob

I've put a brief overview on RGUI saving details here:

smoothmalik

I dont think im explaining this well enough.. I have save on exit enabled through the config editor it stays enabled. However when I go into rgui to enable my ps3 controller with analog and chose to enable the left analog stick once I exit the game and restart the game these changes dont stay. I have yet to see somewhere in the config files where i can enbale analog controller and choose which analog stick I want to be active. There is an issue here. This has never been problem for me before these latest Retropie builds. I ususally just enable save on exit in rgui and everything stays. Not sure why it was changed but I assume to make things better somehow but doesnt seem to be helping out . Ive been at this for weeks just tryin to get this stuff to stay. Floob Ive watched all you videos and will continue to but for this specific issue that didnt help this time.

Floob

@smoothmalik What is the output of ls -lah /opt/retropie/configs/psx ?

smoothmalik

I havent even bothered with getting playstation going yet ...Ive just been working on FBA but here is that file

http://pastebin.com/uYnT3SXy

Floob

@smoothmalik Its just the output of the command above I'm after really.
Which fba are you running?

smoothmalik

pi@retropie:~ $ ls -lah /opt/retropie/configs/psx
total 16K
drwxr-xr-x 2 pi pi 4.0K May 27 16:14 .
drwxr-xr-x 52 pi pi 4.0K May 27 16:16 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 206 May 27 16:14 emulators.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 221 May 27 16:14 retroarch.cfg

im running whatever version of FBA is on the 3.8 build. Im not running FBA Next or pifba

Floob

@smoothmalik fba-next is the default in 3.8 though?
Can you run ls -lah /opt/retropie/configs/fba ?

smoothmalik

im running just regular FBA

here you go
pi@retropie:~ $ ls -lah /opt/retropie/configs/fba
total 176K
drwxr-xr-x 2 pi pi 4.0K Jun 15 23:11 .
drwxr-xr-x 52 pi pi 4.0K May 27 16:16 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 195 May 27 16:13 capex.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 0 Jun 12 18:18 content_history.lpl
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 414 Jun 7 01:49 emulators.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 1.1K May 27 16:13 fba2x.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 49K Jun 15 23:12 fb_alpha_libretro-1.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 49K Jun 14 03:42 fb_alpha_libretro.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 46K Jun 16 00:33 retroarch.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 221 May 27 16:14 retroarch.cfg.rp-dist

Floob

@smoothmalik
Whats the "default=" value show when you run nano /opt/retropie/configs/fba/emulators.cfg

These 2 files are produced when you save in RGUI

-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 49K Jun 15 23:12 fb_alpha_libretro-1.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 pi pi 49K Jun 14 03:42 fb_alpha_libretro.cfg

And by the looks of the file size of retroarch.cfg you have either renamed one of those files to be retroarch.cfg or you have added a lot of lines in there.

The video above explains why RGUI produces the large 46k files and why RetroArch wont read them. It also shows how to rip the relevant line(s) out to add to the original (very small) retroarch.cfg file.

smoothmalik

default="lr-fba"

I havent renamed anything. I got desperate yesterday and today and tried to save the config file in rgui after I made some changes but of course they didnt stay. The only change ive made in retroarch.cfg was done in the config editor and that was enabling bilinear filtering (true) and save on exit (true).

Floob

@smoothmalik I'm assuming you have upgraded an older version of RetroPie.
I would reset your RetroArch config with

rm /opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg
cp /opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg.rp-dist /opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg

Then go back in the config editor, just enable bilinear filtering, then pastebin your /opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg

smoothmalik

i didnt get far

pi@retropie:~ $ rm /opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg
rm: cannot remove ‘/opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg’: No such file or directory

I also tried removing though ftp also wouldnt let me

Floob

Thats odd?

This should show its there
ls /opt/retropie/configs/fba/r*

This should remove the old one
rm /opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg

unless you ran it twice, so its not there now?

smoothmalik

here the paste bin. Bilinear filtering reamained enabled and so did save on exit. The retroarch.cfg file is 46.1 kb now

http://pastebin.com/uYnT3SXy

I got the left joystick working in config editor.

Floob

If its now working for you, then great. But your retroarch.cfg really shouldnt be looking like that.