Game Controller inputs running in the backgroud of Kodi after launching retrorch

RetroArch Linux devices
#21

Just copy the executable to your home folder (the “username” folder) with smartftp first, then use ssh to copy it to your /etc folder with super user privileges:

$ sudo cp kodifocus /etc

I am not sure if you have to chmod it, but it doesn’t hurt either, so just do it

$ sudo chmod +x /etc/kodifocus

to be on the safe side. The extensions of files in are usually of no importance in Linux, it’s for the human. You can uninstall xdotool like this

$ sudo apt-get remove xdotool

And you can delete them old script with

$ sudo rm /etc/kodi_focus.sh

As I said, you might want to try if it really runs, since it might be that I have a different glibc version or something.If it doesn’t work I check if I can recompile it for Kodibuntu.

And yea, I noticed the same problem with the gamepad on my system, must be a Kodi thing, I will investigate further, since now I want to use my gamepad as well :smiley: The executable should work for your remote and keyboard, etc. though.

#22

Excellent! So close! When I exit a Game everything works except the game controller! :slight_smile: You might have a different glibc. Not sure what that means. But when I install Kodibuntu I update the core right away. I believe it is on Ubuntu 14.04. Not sure what version glibc I have. Do you think it is possible to get this working? Other than the game controller it works flawless. A very smooth transition into the game and very smooth out. I am going to try some mame games now. Excellent job! cant wait to hear back. Where do you get all the information to write this stuff so quickly?

#23

I am glad I could help. If it works it works, the glibc version doesn’t matter then.

Maybe I can find something out about the gamepad, but I think that’s how Kodi works, and I might not be able to fix this (any time soon). In case you simply disable your gamepad in Kodi settings, the script to start retroarch can be reduced to

#!/bin/bash
/usr/bin/retroarch "$@"
/etc/kodifocus

Years of sweat and tears :smiley:

#24

Haha! Thanks! I will continue to look for something also. I could not have gotten this close with out your help. I will let you know if I find something. Thanks so much.

#25

Hey I did run into a glitch. I don’t know if it is my fault. I went to set up my mame games using the same procedure. Without thinking, Instead of pointing to the Kodi_input.sh I pointed it to kodifocus. When I went to launch the game the screen just flashed and did nothing. My bad! But after I changed it to kodi_input.sh, it still would not launch. So I exited kodi and tested retroarch in Ubuntu. Worked fine when picking the core manualy. So I went back into kodi and noticed that after launching one platform, ex. (SNES), and then going to a MAME game the Core stays set to SNES. If I manually load the core for MAME it stays set to that. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the mistake I made. retroarch is not auto loading the corresponding cores anymore. I am going to try another fresh install.

#26

I start retroarch by specifically naming the core to load, so I am not familiar with the reliability of core auto loading. I suggest you do the same. Just add the core to the launch options in your rom collection browser, e.g.

-L /usr/lib/libretro/snes9x_libretro.so

for snes9x. You can check what names the cores have with

$ ls /usr/lib/libretro/*.so
#27

Sure, makes sense, I will try that when I get home. I did set it up on another machine and tested retroarch in Ubuntu successfully. Then when I launched through Kodi it would not load the core at all from the script… So retroarch can not recognize the source game through the program you wrote. I am sure it will work with -L option. :slight_smile:

#28

As I said, I don’t know how the auto detecting of cores works, I find it highly unlikely that it has anything to do with my script, but it surely is possible.

#29

Ohh wow! Kodi is very sensitive. So I applied the launch options as described.

 -F -L /usr/lib/libretro/snes9x_libretro.so %ROM%

and it did absolutely nothing!. What? So I checked all the settings. Settings where good. So I deleted the entire rom collection to start from scratch. I used retroarch first to make sure it was running. Then I set it up to point to the script with the launch options. It worked perfectly. Great. So I went to install everything on my other zotac box. I tried pointing directly to retroarch first to make sure it was running ok. Then after following the same procedure and pointing to the script. I get nothing. I tried everything and checked my procedure over and over. I hope I am missing something, I can not get it to work. I checked all kodi web server setting, port is 8090, I checked and even copied the script files from the other machine. I made sure they were executable. Allow remote control is enabled. I even re-installed curl. I am thinking of trying another fresh install. I even disabled the sound. sometimes it can get caught up on sound. Is it the hardware? A fresh install might help me figure it out maybe I missed something. Ill get back.

#30

Well I just did a fresh install for nothing. It still did not work. I went back and started over step by step. I finally got the script to work again by installing xdotool and running the original kodi_focus.sh script then switching over to kodifocus. But now I am where I was yesterday on the other machine. I can only manually change over the cores. Once I introduce

-F -L /usr/lib/libretro/snes9x_libretro.so %ROM%

It does not work for either rom collection. ???

After banging my head around for a while, I checked the first machine launch settings. Compared it to the new install and low and behold!! It was a dumb ass syntax error! I was typing

 -l /usr/lib/libretro/snes9x_libretro.so %ROM%

when I should have typed

 -L /usr/lib/libretro/snes9x_libretro.so %ROM%

. Syntax error. The ( -L ) has to be capital! Now I will do one more fresh install to see if I had to install xdotool and run kodi_focus.sh first in order to get the kodifocus to work. I believe once I run a bad command Kodi caches it. So when I correct the bad command it still wont work. I am hoping that I do not have to install xdotool and run kodi_focus.sh first. If that’s the case, all is well and I have a sure fire procedure for any machine. I wont know until I try on a clean install. I’ll get back

#31

[QUOTE=ufopaper;31419]I am glad I could help. If it works it works, the glibc version doesn’t matter then.

Maybe I can find something out about the gamepad, but I think that’s how Kodi works, and I might not be able to fix this (any time soon). In case you simply disable your gamepad in Kodi settings, the script to start retroarch can be reduced to

#!/bin/bash
/usr/bin/retroarch "$@"
/etc/kodifocus

Years of sweat and tears :D[/QUOTE]

Hey what can you make of this? http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=213040 Says its a patch?