Thank you that’s nice 
I have another question…
I would like to automate the launch of cassette games on the Matra Alice 32. I use the following command:
mame.exe alice32 -autoboot_delay 2 -autoboot_command cload\n -cass "d:\Games\Alice\Galaxion.k7"
The game is loaded but does not start ?! I have to manually launch the tape recorder in MAME’s options by pressing the PLAY button in " Tape Control " (Windows version).
I would like to do it in command line… if it is possible how to proceed ?
Try “capital” letters on your command… i.e. CLOAD\n and/or surround it by quotes like "cload\n"
The easiest way to automate this is to set mame_write_config = "enabled" and mame_read_config = "enabled" in your alice32.opt.
Once you get it to work you can set mame_write_config = "disabled" and eliminate the autoboot from the command line.
It’s also a quick way to try changes in the autoboot command. You can edit the “system/mame/ini/alice32.ini” instead of changing the command line. (disable the write config first.)
Good luck… autoboot commands can be tricky.
BTW. I always put by autoboot commands last on the command line.
i.e. E:\RetroArch\retroarch.exe -L "E:\RetroArch\cores\mame_libretro.dll" "bbcb -rompath "E:\Temp\bbcb" -flop1 "E:\Temp\bbcb\commando.zip" -autoboot_delay "1" -autoboot_command "*cat\n*exec""!boot\n"
Also…
the Launchbox page I linked to uses the alice90 for the Matra. The autoboot command is… alice90 -skip_gameinfo -autoboot_command "cload\n" -cass
I’ll have to try this system out, it is not on my list, or the Batocera systems list.
It is absolutely necessary that you try this fabulous microcomputer which is the Matra Alice (32 & 90)
I tried the MAME version on Windows in standalone the command you suggest does not work… with or without quotes… the game loads but the cassette player does not start…
I’m looking for a script for the cassette player to start (play touch) & load the game apparently it doesn’t exist ?!
I’m not sure about that exactly… it is a straight up clone of the TRS-80 MC-10. I will give it a shot though and see if I can get the autoboot to work.
Sorry yall…I got work work work and more work…u got marty sorted out so that’s gr8…quick question though…can I link videos on this page or do I need to you youtube 1st then add the link that way…I have that Alice system working and I only use android …I can record the system working , then I can go to the cmd I use
Needs to be on youtube first. (Or another hosting platform.)
Google Drive works, you just have to follow the link to view it.
Ok…ill upload to Drive …also on Android and possibly a cpu…u can’t pass the F2 command to play tape automatically…maybe it’s possible via a lua script, but idk how to do that nor have I ever seen a post of someone that has done that b4
Ok…that Alice Matra system seems tricky on Android from my experience…and it’s one system like many cpu systems that you WILL need a keyboard…so since all games use the same boot sequence I wrote it on the ini itself and not the cmd file…its basically just cload/n …as u can see in the video the delay was 4 seconds yet it kept typing the wrong word…idk why to be honest…so I had to press F3 to reset several times before it correctly typed cload…then F2 to play the tape…at the prompt a few seconds later you have to type RUN …then more seconds later it will start up…I set it up because it can load and run on Android even though I’ll probably never really play it lol https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FppH7Gc7HKdzzReneuB2YqZSdxuT-PRu/view?usp=drivesdk
Sorry try again…I changed the permissions to view
Hello I tried the Alice 32 on Windows with the core MAME libretro here is the content of my .cmd file:
alice32 -rp "d:\emulators\retroarch 1.10.0\system\mame\roms" -cass "d:\games\alice\galaxion.k7" -autoboot_delay 2 -autoboot_command cload\n
The game starts but if I press the F2 key to start the cassette player nothing happens ?!
Apparently the -ui_active command works if it is in a cmd file for MAME.
Without it F2 saves a state. You also need to put quotes around your autoboot commands.
alice32 -rp "d:\emulators\retroarch 1.10.0\system\mame\roms" -cass "d:\games\alice\galaxion.k7" -autoboot_delay "2" -autoboot_command "cload\n" -ui_active
It is also good practive to use capital letters in the autoboot command. I have run across a few systems that were case sensitive. "CLOAD\n"
Hello amazing the -ui_active command works thank you I was able to start the cassette player with the F2 key & finally play Alice games! It remains to try on Android but as I still have this virtual keyboard problem to which I have not found a solution I am unable to press the F2 key…
Another question… if I start my games with a .cmd file I have no problem, but if I start them from the command line, why does it not work? Example:
retroarch.exe -L cores\mame_libretro.dll alice32 -rp system\mame\roms -cass d:\Games\Alice\Galaxion.k7 -autoboot_delay 2 -autoboot_command cload\n
RetroArch starts with the MAME core but then I have a black screen & nothing happens… I don’t understand where is the error ?!
You are missing the quotes again. This time all over the place. And your paths are not defined.
Also, and I don’t know why, but I always need to add a single quote either before the system name or after the last paired quote so this…
retroarch.exe -L ".\cores\mame_libretro.dll" "alice32 -rp ".\system\mame\roms" -cass "d:\Games\Alice\Galaxion.k7" -autoboot_delay "2" -autoboot_command "cload\n"
If you are running from the root retroarch folder (Relative path)
or this…
d:\Games\Retroarch\retroarch.exe -L "d:\Games\Retroarch\cores\mame_libretro.dll" "alice32 -rp "d:\Games\Retroarch\system\mame\roms" -cass "d:\Games\Alice\Galaxion.k7" -autoboot_delay "2" -autoboot_command "cload\n"
If your retroarch folder is d:\Games\Retroarch. (Absolute path.)
More than when you have spaces in paths, the quotes separate the commands so that retroarch knows which part to read and which part to send to the core. So even if you have no spaces, you need the quotes.
Notice the non-paired quote before alice32. ("alice32)
Again, I have no idea why it is needed. It makes no sense to me. (You can try it with and without.)
@Duimon no unfortunately it doesn’t work… with or without the quotes it’s the same black screen…
However, if I run this command, it works:
retroarch.exe -L cores\mame_libretro.dll d:\Games\Alice\Galaxion.cmd
Quotes are only needed if there is a space in the name of a directory or file
Guess I’ll stick with using .cmd files & stop messing with command lines
Nope.
Those are all paths. So in this case you are correct. But in the other command you are passing paths, and multiple commands. How does Retroarch know where the path stops and the command starts?
How does retroarch know where the auotoboot_delay command starts and where the autoboot_command command starts?
Without quotes it thinks the rom is “n”. the last character on the command line. and it has no idea what the rompath is. (Or something else even more messed up.)
If you post a log we can see what it thinks you are telling it. I assure you the command I used works.
BTW. You still need an alice32.opt that has the correct configuration. (Run from cli on and software lists off.)
You can give up if you like, you have that choice, but this is something you can learn well enough to teach someone else in the future.
Here is a shot of a retroarch run history when there are no quotes.
It recognizes the command using the -rp or -autoboot-delay or -autoboot_command switch.
I don’t understand why your command line doesn’t work for me… & regarding the virtual keyboard for Android did you find any interesting leads ?
Yes and like you had it.
-autoboot_delay 2 -autoboot_command cload\n
it think the autoboot_delay is…
2 -autoboot_command cload\n
Because without quotes around the 2 like “2” it doesn’t know when the command stops.
Same thing with everything else. It needs to know where the -rompath info starts and stops. The quotes give it this info.
That is why without any quotes it takes the last character on the command line as a rom.
without quotes it assumes everything on the command line is the path to the rom. It doesn’t recognize that you are passing it multiple commands.
The scope of the separate CMD file takes the place of quotes so it works then.
Without someone adding a keyboard for cores that don’t have one I don’t know.
You could try a standard Android 3rd party keyboard app. Something with overlay support.
Or you could maybe create an android overlay that has an F2 button.
Or maybe this.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rii/page/656646AF-3B85-404E-AEDF-F1DF55BFD4EB?ref_=ast_bln
Can you give me the command line that works well for you? Thank you for the mini keyboard, this can actually be a solution the only problem is that it is not bluetooth…
I thought almost every example in the link was BT…???
I did.
d:\Games\Retroarch\retroarch.exe -L "d:\Games\Retroarch\cores\mame_libretro.dll" "alice32 -rp "d:\Games\Retroarch\system\mame\roms" -cass "d:\Games\Alice\Galaxion.k7" -autoboot_delay "2" -autoboot_command "cload\n"
My alice32.opt has this contents.
mame_alternate_renderer = "disabled"
mame_altres = "640x480"
mame_auto_save = "disabled"
mame_boot_from_cli = "enabled"
mame_boot_to_bios = "disabled"
mame_boot_to_osd = "disabled"
mame_buttons_profiles = "enabled"
mame_cheats_enable = "disabled"
mame_cpu_overclock = "default"
mame_lightgun_mode = "none"
mame_mame_4way_enable = "disabled"
mame_mame_paths_enable = "disabled"
mame_media_type = "rom"
mame_mouse_enable = "enabled"
mame_read_config = "enabled"
mame_saves = "game"
mame_softlists_auto_media = "disabled"
mame_softlists_enable = "disabled"
mame_throttle = "disabled"
mame_write_config = "enabled"
If you are only going to use command lines with -rompath you could try just using this for your MAME.opt.
I use both methods so need separate opt files for each system.
I honestly plan on switching to the *.cmd method… I think it is brilliant. 
So I will have my galaxion.cmd in e.g. d:\Games\Alice\ and my galaxion.zip in d:\Games\Alice\roms\
my galaxion.cmd is…
alice32 -rompath "d:\Games\Retroarch\system\mame\roms" -cass "d:\Games\Alice\roms\galaxion.zip" -autoboot_delay "2" -autoboot_command "CLOAD\n" -ui_active