Homebrew [Release] Homebrew Launcher with grid layout

[mashers]

Is it normal for the bottom screen to keep on flashing red when exiting CHMM2? It literally just keeps going until I turn the console off.

It might be trying to initialise sound. If you allow it to do this 5 times, does it then load the launcher?

I've just pushed beta 115 to the online updater. This includes @smileyhead's excellent suggestion of app banners. Here's how they work:

• Create a 400x222 pixel PNG image to use as the banner. I strongly recommend using transparency in this image so it doesn't cover the wallpaper entirely.
• Put whatever you want on the banner image
• Save it as appname-banner.png (where appname is identical to what comes before .3dsx in the app's 3dsx filename)
• Put the banner image in the same folder as the 3dsx

Now when the app is selected, the banner image will be shown instead of the icon. Here's an example:

 

[Lycan911]

It might be trying to initialise sound. If you allow it to do this 5 times, does it then load the launcher?

I've just pushed beta 115 to the online updater. This includes @smileyhead's excellent suggestion of app banners. Here's how they work:

• Create a 400x222 pixel PNG image to use as the banner. I strongly recommend using transparency in this image so it doesn't cover the wallpaper entirely.
• Put whatever you want on the banner image
• Save it as appname-banner.png (where appname is identical to what comes before .3dsx in the app's 3dsx filename)
• Put the banner image in the same folder as the 3dsx

Now when the app is selected, the banner image will be shown instead of the icon. Here's an example:

View attachment 30098

You were right, it does go back to the launcher after the 5th flash.

 

[mashers]

You were right, it does go back to the launcher after the 5th flash.

Ok, that means the app you are exiting from is preventing the launcher from using sound. It attempts five times to relaunch itself with sound before giving up and continuing without sound. I could reduce the number of attempts if it's too annoying to wait 5 times.

 

[SomeGamer]

I could reduce the number of attempts if it's too annoying to wait 5 times.

Please do! I think if it fails one time, it's useless to try more times. (Correct me if I'm wrong!)

 

[smileyhead]

@smileyhead's excellent suggestion

Oh, stop it you... XD

 

[Ripper00420]

It might be trying to initialise sound. If you allow it to do this 5 times, does it then load the launcher?

I've just pushed beta 115 to the online updater. This includes @smileyhead's excellent suggestion of app banners. Here's how they work:

• Create a 400x222 pixel PNG image to use as the banner. I strongly recommend using transparency in this image so it doesn't cover the wallpaper entirely.
• Put whatever you want on the banner image
• Save it as appname-banner.png (where appname is identical to what comes before .3dsx in the app's 3dsx filename)
• Put the banner image in the same folder as the 3dsx

Now when the app is selected, the banner image will be shown instead of the icon. Here's an example:

View attachment 30098

Holy hell bro I wanted that banner on the CIA version of that specific app, but could never actually make it myself.

 

[Lycan911]

Please do! I think if it fails one time, it's useless to try more times. (Correct me if I'm wrong!)

Agreed.

 

[smileyhead]

@mashers Could you make a template, so I know when it doesn't go behind the text?

 

[Xenosaiga]

Ok, now I need somebody to make a banner pack for all the current homebrew we have available. Preferably for the Retroarch Packs.

Any takers????? lol



@mashers, I know this is a bit much but how about making the banner loop 6 images to give it a slight back and forth effect?
Like taking your hand in front of your face and rotating it right just a bit and then back to the left.

Can't quite explain it too well.

 

[smileyhead]

Ok, now I need somebody to make a banner pack for all the current homebrew we have available. Preferably for the Retroarch Packs.

I could make some but mainly the ones mentioned on the "Homebrew Apps" section.
EDIT:
http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/List_of_3DS_homebrew
EDIT 2:
It could take aome time, but a few days at a max. Should I make a new thread for this? If I did, then they would be more organized, and I could post them on a per app basis rather than a pack.

 

[Xenosaiga]

I could make some but mainly the ones mentioned on the "Homebrew Apps" section.
EDIT:
http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/List_of_3DS_homebrew
EDIT 2:
It could take aome time, but a few days at a max. Should I make a new thread for this? If I did, then they would be more organized, and I could post them on a per app basis rather than a pack.

Maybe a new thread?
Would be pretty cool!

 

[smileyhead]

Maybe a new thread?
Would be pretty cool!

You have no idea how perfect your timing was. The notification arrived *exactly* when I pressed Enter on creating the thread. Here it is: http://gbatemp.net/threads/mashers-grid-launcher-homebrew-app-banners.403632/
@mashers could you add this in the OP?

 

[RocketRobz]

Are you going to make banners work with xml shortcuts?

 

[JJTapia19]

You have no idea how perfect your timing was. The notification arrived *exactly* when I pressed Enter on creating the thread. Here it is: http://gbatemp.net/threads/mashers-grid-launcher-homebrew-app-banners.403632/
@mashers could you add this in the OP?

Great idea! Hope to see many banners soon. I could recomend adding the instrucctions on how to make a banner and it's placement to the op and also add @mashers or another example's picture of the top screen with a banner so everyone easily understand what is it about.

It might be trying to initialise sound. If you allow it to do this 5 times, does it then load the launcher?

I've just pushed beta 115 to the online updater. This includes @smileyhead's excellent suggestion of app banners. Here's how they work:

• Create a 400x222 pixel PNG image to use as the banner. I strongly recommend using transparency in this image so it doesn't cover the wallpaper entirely.
• Put whatever you want on the banner image
• Save it as appname-banner.png (where appname is identical to what comes before .3dsx in the app's 3dsx filename)
• Put the banner image in the same folder as the 3dsx

Now when the app is selected, the banner image will be shown instead of the icon. Here's an example:

View attachment 30098

 

[Reserved]

Three suggestions, which I'm sure you've already thought of:

Banner Jingles (the little sfx that plays when the game is hovered over)
Banner Animations (multiple images for frame-by-frame animation similar to the loading symbol)
Full-Screen Banners (how the 3DS home menu does it, where the top screen is only the banner, possibly an option in theme settings)

If you managed to get this done, homebrew apps could look super "official". Along with that, everything would be up to par with the regular 3DS Home Menu, I think. There'd be literally no reason to access the standard menu anymore, other than the top applets (friends list, miiverse, etc.)

 

[smileyhead]

Banner Jingles (the little sfx that plays when the game is hovered over)
Banner Animations (multiple images for frame-by-frame animation similar to the loading symbol)
Full-Screen Banners (how the 3DS home menu does it, where the top screen is only the banner, possibly an option in theme settings)

The first is being worked on (i think).
The second is impossible without the file size being too big.
The third is possible already, because banner images are full-screen. Mashers' demo one was just placed on the left.

 

[Priw8]

I got this, I used the attached banner. Help?

 

[noctis90210]

@mashers - i hope it will be possible in future to enter your gridlauncher via cia app (gridlauncher.cia) like this one:
http://gbatemp.net/threads/homebrew-channel-3d-an-alternative-way-to-load-homebrew-on-cfw.403461/

currently im using themehax on sysnand
and cubic ninja in emunand
but i think its much faster if gridlaucher.cia will be the entrypoint in emunand at the same time, we can exit HB without going back to sysnand.

 

[Gocario]

I got this, I used the attached banner. Help?View attachment 30116

v

You shall maybe add some words about the png encoding with a few colors, because I had problems with the Pokémon GB wallpaper.
I am using Paint.NET for layers. And to export I just flat the image and save it as a png file.
But I figured out that Paint.NET was saving files as Indexed colors, so I had to manually change the color depth (Profondeur de couleur in French) to 32-bit.
I just tried and 16-bit works fine too. Only 8-bit is working bad.


Ye, ye, just don't do it!

 

[JJTapia19]

@mashers - i hope it will be possible in future to enter your gridlauncher via cia app (gridlauncher.cia) like this one:
http://gbatemp.net/threads/homebrew-channel-3d-an-alternative-way-to-load-homebrew-on-cfw.403461/

currently im using themehax on sysnand
and cubic ninja in emunand
but i think its much faster if gridlaucher.cia will be the entrypoint in emunand at the same time, we can exit HB without going back to sysnand.

The thing is that there's no working hbl in cia yet and @mashers don't have CFW to look into it. Maybe when someone figures out how to properly run a payload via cia then it can be done but it seems to be insanely complex.

I don't have access to CFW unfortunately.