How do you install custom themes?

thelostsoul

Currently, the way I install a custom theme is very complicated to me. What are you guys doing, how can I install them with little steps as possible? Btw, I am talking about the Raspberry Pi 3 with RetroPie 4.4. My main OS on the pc is Ubuntu 18.04.

If I put the micro sd card into sd card reader and try to add the files to theme folder, it complains me about write rights; I can't write there from my Ubuntu system (Linux). If i access the micro sd card through Ubuntus connection via smb://retropie set of folders, I don't have access to the theme folder. To get my files there, I have to copy the theme temporarily within Ubuntu into splashscreens folder. Then I have to start PuTTy SSH client to do all commands via commandline to copy the theme archive into theme folder, where I have the write access. Then extract the files. And if I want deinstall it, I have to delete carefully everything.

I am sure there is an easier way to install and update custom themes. So, what am I missing and what can I do to make this easier to work?

dudleydes

@thelostsoul I use Samba shares and place my custom theme folders in the themes folder (which I think I had to create) in /opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation/.

This folder is symlinked to /home/pi/.emulationstation, which is one of the two locations ES can load themes from (source).

thelostsoul

EDIT: Never mind! I got it now, just didn't saw the solution you posted, because I was confused. Thank you! Just use the already existing configs folder through Samba and add the themes folder manually in emulationstation. It works, thousands times thank you.

@dudleydes I just don't know how to do this. How can I create the connection to this folder through Samba? Searching this gets me confusing, I just can't get around it. In Nautilus, I use the smb://retropie/ path to get a selection of 5 folders to access from: bios, configs, print$, roms and splashscreens. I don't know if I added one of them manually and if I did, I don't remember how. I wish there would be a sixth folder to access, the theme folder. Can I add it there?