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    Add Help text to show what each setting does

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Ideas and Development
    developmentes-menuideas
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    • HexH
      Hex
      last edited by Hex

      As ES grows and new features are added Settings menu is starting to get complicated. It is my suggestion that Help buttons should be replaced (or not) by help text in deeper menus. After using the menu once or twice a user can have an idea of what the buttons do generally. In such case Help should tell them what the setting does like Retropie-setup has at the bottom. What do you think?

      Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

      Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
      ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
      • CodeDrawerC
        CodeDrawer
        last edited by

        That would be nice, but I don't know if it will catch on.

        N64 emulation is the next step :)

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • pjftP
          pjft
          last edited by

          I don't oppose in principle, but not sure that replacing it is the way to go given that that real estate is expected to contain info on the button actions. Is there space to add something to the right of the buttons?

          edmaul69E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • HexH
            Hex
            last edited by

            @pjft I am not calling for all help buttons to be gone. I am just saying eg. recently added transitions need a bit of description so the user understands what option does what. It is totally optional and not a requirement

            Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

            Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
            ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
            • Z
              Zigurana
              last edited by Zigurana

              I think a 'help' menu item with some text and images would not hurt at all. In addition to the visual hints at thr bottom of the screen, that is.

              If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • HexH
                Hex
                last edited by Hex

                @pjft @Zigurana This is how it would look, probably. The "X" can be replaced by "H" or "?"

                Imgur

                The code modification looks friendly too

                std::vector< std::array<std::string, 2> > transitions;
                transitions.push_back({"fade", "Fade into oblivion"});
                transitions.push_back({"slide", "Slide me a soda"});
                transitions.push_back({"simple slide", "Simply Slide into your sheets"});
                transitions.push_back({"instant", "Instant noodles"});
                for(auto it = transitions.begin(); it != transitions.end(); it++)
                	transition_style->add((*it)[0], (*it)[0], Settings::getInstance()->getString("TransitionStyle") == (*it)[0], (*it)[1]);
                s->addWithLabel("TRANSITION STYLE", transition_style);
                s->addSaveFunc([transition_style] { Settings::getInstance()->setString("TransitionStyle", transition_style->getSelected()); });
                

                Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                Z 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                • Z
                  Zigurana @Hex
                  last edited by

                  @Hex I think there's a screenshot I'm missing?

                  If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • HexH
                    Hex
                    last edited by

                    @Zigurana There is a screenshot in the above post with the code. Is it not visible?

                    Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                    Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                    ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                    Z 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Z
                      Zigurana @Hex
                      last edited by

                      @Hex I see it now, had to force a refresh, thanks!
                      Ah, I see, a dynamic tool-tip style feedback, I like!

                      If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • HexH
                        Hex
                        last edited by

                        Does anyone know how to add new resources to ES? I tried once and screwed the setup.

                        Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                        Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                        ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • HexH
                          Hex
                          last edited by

                          @BuZz Do you think this would be a good addition?

                          Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                          Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                          ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • edmaul69E
                            edmaul69 @pjft
                            last edited by edmaul69

                            @pjft the only things i find an issue with emulationstation is the "jump to letter" option on the select button and surprise me. Jump by letter is designed to make getting to a game faster, but when it is now the third option it takes a bit more time to get right to a game. Seems really odd for filter gamelist to be the first option. And surprise me is an annoying option thats already on the x button which is even more annoying when you accidently hit it and it jumps you to a whole different system which then takes even more time to get back to the game you want. I dont mind it being in the menu but on the button its really easy to mess that up.

                            Z 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • Z
                              Zigurana @edmaul69
                              last edited by

                              @edmaul69 feedback duly noted!

                              If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

                              edmaul69E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • edmaul69E
                                edmaul69 @Zigurana
                                last edited by

                                @Zigurana i probably sounded like an a-hole how i worded it and it was not my intention. I just meant to mention the problems i saw on it. But i want to thank you guys. You guys have done an awesome job on the new emulationstation and it is 1000 times better thanks to you guys. So thank you for everything.

                                Z 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • Z
                                  Zigurana @edmaul69
                                  last edited by

                                  @edmaul69 hey man, don't worry. Your frustration was real, and you let us know, that's fine (and appreciated!). I actually agree with much what you are saying.

                                  I think the GamelistOptions (select) and GuiMenu (start) are becoming a bit of a mess, and are due for an cleanup/restructuring.

                                  Would another button for GoToRandomGame be a better fit? Or simply a way to switch it off?

                                  Reg jump to letter: we could consider utilizing the shoulder or trigger buttons (whichever are currently not being used) to trigger a jump to the next letter.

                                  But the truth of the matter is that for real game-hoarders, there is no comfortable way to navigate thousands of games from within ES.

                                  If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

                                  pjftP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                  • pjftP
                                    pjft @Zigurana
                                    last edited by

                                    @Zigurana don't change the triggers from page up/page down :p I'm not sure I've ever seen that usage pattern in an application. We could though make the "time to get the scrolling into the super fast navigation mode" a lot shorter if it helps, though I'm not particularly sure either.

                                    That being said, feedback noted, we can surely change the order of the menu if it's a problem. I happen to be someone who never really uses the jump to letter, so I didn't think it was a significant problem, but I can see that being the case.

                                    As for the original topic, I don't oppose the dynamic caption. I wonder if it'd make sense to use select as a "help button" within the menu, that'd pop up a GUI message box with help for a particular option, where relevant and implemented.

                                    Kind of what was done with OMX Player on accept?

                                    edmaul69E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • edmaul69E
                                      edmaul69 @pjft
                                      last edited by

                                      @pjft @Zigurana i definitely want to keep the shoulders as they are. I dont have triggers 90% of the time but i like the jump by idea with them. That would really speed it up. I dont like the idea of speeding up the scroll sooner as i am not a huge fan of the fast scroll as it is, because it scrolls too fast and you cant stop anywhere soon enough. So i hated how fast it triggered already. As far as the surprise me, turning the button off could be an option. But then again i could just disable the x button in the es_input.cfg and stop whining about it. 😄 Now as for the menu displaying help info, im not sure crt users would like it as the menu is almost impossible to use as it is.

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • mediamogulM
                                        mediamogul Global Moderator
                                        last edited by mediamogul

                                        Personally, I've been a big fan of the random button since it's introduction. If accidental presses are happening that often, it would seem like an option to turn it off might be better than disabling it outright, as the GamelistOptions menu can't be selected in the carousel and it would be a bit counter-intuitive to have to go into a system just to gain access to a global selection feature that will likely take you away from that system.

                                        One area where I agree completely is the placement of the jump to letter. I've gotten used to it now, but it was very nice to just press select and then move left or right. I have a pretty big collection of games and it really does make browsing a lot quicker. I'd also like to echo the praise given above. The recent work on ES is nothing short of stellar and seeing new features continue to come into shape is very exciting.

                                        RetroPie v4.5 • RPi3 Model B • 5.1V 2.5A PSU • 16GB SanDisk microSD • 512GB External Drive

                                        pjftP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • pjftP
                                          pjft @mediamogul
                                          last edited by

                                          @mediamogul I'm not keen on over-stuffing ES with options (who'd say, given the number of options I've added since...?), but definitely changing the order seems like a very fair request.

                                          At most, I'd be supportive of removing the "Surprise Me" menu option given that there's a button for it.

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • BuZzB
                                            BuZz administrators
                                            last edited by

                                            I'm not convinced about help tips - is it needed? I don't think es is that complicated.

                                            I have no problem with some setting reorganisation if people think they are confusing - what specifically? Agree with removing duplication between buttons and menus though such as surprise me if others prefer.

                                            To help us help you - please make sure you read the sticky topics before posting - https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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