Hacking Sneek Sort

marc_max · Mar 1, 2011

Sneek Sort lets you use more than 48 channels in the System Menu from Sneek.

Idea:
Sneek Sort will be a channel for Sneek. When you open it you will see your System Menu channels, you will be able to move channels and replace channels that you are not going to use by the channels that don't appear in your System Menu thanks to the silly 48 channels limit. When you exit, all changes will be saved and you will be able to see your new games on System Menu.
Sneek is the best NAND emulation solution, it has the best compatibility, online gaming, etc.
Thanks to this tool, this can become a potentially Triiforce/MC killer. All people having trouble configuring Triiforce/MC now will be able to play their WiiWare/VC games easily with this tool, with no limits. No more installing and testing every cIOS version.

I'm going to post a test version soon. It won't let you save changes, but it will be great to hear that it works correctly showing the real order.

Need help:
I plan to distribute it as simple files that will have to be copied in Sneek NAND root. And I'm going to need help about this.

1. Files
I never worked with unofficial channels and/or forwarders.
As I said, I don't want to distribute it as a WAD. First reason is that some people could try to install it on real NAND (it shouldn't be dangerous, but this application was not designed for running into real NANDs). Second is that this will be easier to install (just copy it to the USB/SD), and also it could be distributed along ModMii and its virgin NAND, for example.
So, I want someone to guide me to create the necessary files. Or maybe there is some volunteer to help and create the files

The channel won't be a forwarder (it could break compatibility with the different Sneek installation types). I want to hardcode the .dol file into the title/content directory.
Maybe we should try using an old WAD emulator channel, changing the ID ("SORT", for example), the banner and the DOL file. But I'm not sure about legality about this. What do you think?

2. Banner
I also will need a banner for Sneek Sort.
I don't want it animated. All Wii channels are animated, if we make it static it will be faster to identify. And also, it should be very plain: a simple dark blue background with white text saying "Sneek Sort", for example. It can have an icon if you want, but it should be very simple. Anyone can try to build it?
It must be legal, of course. It doesn't need any sound.

scooby74029 · Mar 1, 2011

sounds cool mark

you are always coming up with the neatest stuff for homebrew

keep up the good work and if you need a tester ill do it

scooby74029

wilsoff · Mar 1, 2011

Great idea!

Firstly, the folder anme is dictated by the ID, SORT = 534F5254 in ASCII

In title\00010001\534f5254\content you will need:
00000000.app (the icon.bin, banner.bin and sound.bin in U8 archive)
00000001.app (the .dol renamed)
00000002.app (the nandloader, assuming you comex's)
title.tmd

In ticket\00010001 you will need:
534f5254.tik

You will need to edit sys\uid.sys for the new channel

A good reference for this would probably be the source of ShowMiiWads by Leathl.

Dolphin also offers a slightly more convenient way than sneek of seeing the effects of installing a channel on the file system.

Good luck.

KiiWii · Mar 2, 2011

Call it Snort

XFlak · Mar 2, 2011

I think it would probably be easier to just build a wad rather than editing the sys\uid.sys

If I were to add it to ModMii's nand builder, I could ensure it only gets installed to the emulated nand and doesn't get placed in someone's WAD folder by mistake (and thus could avoid it being accidentally installed on a real nand).

It wouldn't be the first channel designed to only work on an emulated nand, just look at switch2sneek or switch2uneek

game_rat · Mar 2, 2011

I'm looking forward to trying this out, thanks for all of your work

marc_max · Mar 2, 2011

wilsoff said:
Great idea!

Firstly, the folder anme is dictated by the ID, SORT = 534F5254 in ASCII

In title0010001\534f5254\content you will need:
00000000.app (the icon.bin, banner.bin and sound.bin in U8 archive)
00000001.app (the .dol renamed)
00000002.app (the nandloader, assuming you comex's)
title.tmd

In ticket0010001 you will need:
534f5254.tik

You will need to edit sys\uid.sys for the new channel

A good reference for this would probably be the source of ShowMiiWads by Leathl.

Dolphin also offers a slightly more convenient way than sneek of seeing the effects of installing a channel on the file system.

Good luck.
Thanks for the information, it's more or less what I already knew so that means that I won't need more files than these ones. The editing uid.sys, however, changes my plans. What are the effects if uid.sys is not updated after copying the other files?
I'm already doing all tests with Dolphin

Yesterday I tried it with Sneek and it works perfectly from HBC, so it should work as a channel too.

KiiWii said:

Call it Snort

I like it too! But I'm already thinking also on Sneek48+. I'll have to decide.
QUOTE(XFlak @ Mar 2 2011, 02:27 AM)

Click to expand...

I think it would probably be easier to just build a wad rather than editing the sys\uid.sys

If I were to add it to ModMii's nand builder, I could ensure it only gets installed to the emulated nand and doesn't get placed in someone's WAD folder by mistake (and thus could avoid it being accidentally installed on a real nand).

It wouldn't be the first channel designed to only work on an emulated nand, just look at switch2sneek or switch2uneek

Hmmm... As I said above, I don't know what can happen if uid.sys is not updated.
The title won't be read from System Menu? If that's the case, then we will use the WAD method.

Slimmmmmm · Mar 2, 2011

Great stuff m8 as usual

There is a pc app floating about that reorders the channels in (u)SNEEK by editing the uid.sys iirc. It was posted on these forums somewhere.

It's well worth having a chat with the auther of that app as the fundemantals will be the same (but I tihnk it was maybe coded with vb?) and the auther has more than likely made mistakes and can tell you in advance how to avoid problems.

Good luck, I know this will work.

*EDIT*
I tried a search but couldn't find the pc app, only one that reorders the entries in locdat for the Nintendo SD menu

codiak · Mar 2, 2011

Do you mean this app?

marc_max · Mar 2, 2011

Slimmmmmm said:
Great stuff m8 as usual

There is a pc app floating about that reorders the channels in (u)SNEEK by editing the uid.sys iirc. It was posted on these forums somewhere.

It's well worth having a chat with the auther of that app as the fundemantals will be the same (but I tihnk it was maybe coded with vb?) and the auther has more than likely made mistakes and can tell you in advance how to avoid problems.

Good luck, I know this will work.

*EDIT*
I tried a search but couldn't find the pc app, only one that reorders the entries in locdat for the Nintendo SD menu

Hmm... I think I also downloaded that app some time ago. Anyway, my app is already finished and it seems to work correctly. I'm only missing the banner in order to distribute it.

QUOTE(codiak @ Mar 2 2011, 01:56 PM) Do you mean this app?

No. That one doesn't modify iplsave.bin, which holds the channel order information.

SifJar · Mar 2, 2011

Banner should literally take about five minutes the way you want it.

Get CustomizeMii and choose to download the static base wad. Then go to the "banner" and "icon" tabs and extract the two images from each tab. Edit them in any image editing program (e.g. Paint.NET or GIMP). Then replace them with CustomizeMii. Package WAD. Use a WAD unpacker (there are several out there, google) and get the file 00000000.app which is the banner.

Couldn't be much easier.

And if you didn't edit uid.sys, the new channel wouldn't appear. It HAS to be edited for a channel to appear. So it'd be rather inconvenient to distribute it the way you wish to do so.

OverjoY · Mar 2, 2011

I was working on something like this as add on for Sneek, but i didn't had the time to write an application to rearrange the channels and then I made JoYflow . If you like the idea maybe you can use it to extend the app what you're working on.

I made Sneek build a config file listing all the channels available in uid.sys and added each channel to a page of the sm. When there were more then 46 channels available it also created page 5, 6, 7 and so on. When you was on the 4th page the 48th channel was an small app with an arrow as banner and when you launched this app it loaded the next set of 4 sm pages.

The goal was to also write an application to rearrange the channels, but as I said I never got that far.

.44 Magnum · Mar 2, 2011

This sounds awesome!! Thanks a bunch, keep up the great work!!

Etheboss · Mar 2, 2011

OverjoY said:
I made Sneek build a config file listing all the channels available in uid.sys and added each channel to a page of the sm. When there were more then 46 channels available it also created page 5, 6, 7 and so on. When you was on the 4th page the 48th channel was an small app with an arrow as banner and when you launched this app it loaded the next set of 4 sm pages.

OverjoY, i am almost to shy to ask but i was looking for exactly that and a way to sort sneek channels in SM.
Are you also going to release this sneek version or tell what to change if i want to compile sneek myself?

wilsoff · Mar 2, 2011

There was also this app by HowardC http://gbatemp.net/t269198-programmer-need...7-channel-limit

I'll try to find five minutes today to make a wad with the banner you've described. I'm assuming you don't need it to be AHBROT enabled?

marc_max · Mar 2, 2011

wilsoff said:
There was also this app by HowardC http://gbatemp.net/t269198-programmer-need...7-channel-limit

I'll try to find five minutes today to make a wad with the banner you've described. I'm assuming you don't need it to be AHBROT enabled?

Don't worry about it.
I used CustomizeMii like SifJar said.
I never built a channel, but I remember that a lot of tutorials appeared some years ago and a lot of legality doubts along with them. But it seems that the process is easier now. I haven't tested the channel in Sneek yet, but it should work.

OverjoY · Mar 3, 2011

Etheboss said:
OverjoY said:

I made Sneek build a config file listing all the channels available in uid.sys and added each channel to a page of the sm. When there were more then 46 channels available it also created page 5, 6, 7 and so on. When you was on the 4th page the 48th channel was an small app with an arrow as banner and when you launched this app it loaded the next set of 4 sm pages.

Click to expand...

OverjoY, i am almost to shy to ask but i was looking for exactly that and a way to sort sneek channels in SM.
Are you also going to release this sneek version or tell what to change if i want to compile sneek myself?

Yeah.. I'll release the code for anyone who's interested no problem, but as I said to make it full functional it'll need an app to rearrange the items in te config file to setup the sm pages (Or you could change the Sneek menu for that). I'm a bit limmited in time this week, but I'll dig it up and put it online

marc_max · Mar 3, 2011

OverjoY said:
Etheboss said:

OverjoY said:

I made Sneek build a config file listing all the channels available in uid.sys and added each channel to a page of the sm. When there were more then 46 channels available it also created page 5, 6, 7 and so on. When you was on the 4th page the 48th channel was an small app with an arrow as banner and when you launched this app it loaded the next set of 4 sm pages.

Click to expand...

OverjoY, i am almost to shy to ask but i was looking for exactly that and a way to sort sneek channels in SM.
Are you also going to release this sneek version or tell what to change if i want to compile sneek myself?

Click to expand...

Yeah.. I'll release the code for anyone who's interested no problem, but as I said to make it full functional it'll need an app to rearrange the items in te config file to setup the sm pages (Or you could change the Sneek menu for that). I'm a bit limmited in time this week, but I'll dig it up and put it online

I'll release the sourcecode, so it should help you.

marc_max · Mar 3, 2011

I hope to release it tomorrow

Taleweaver · Mar 3, 2011

KiiWii said:
Call it Snort

Yeah...thanks for the suggestion. Now I just cannot look at this thread without reading "Seek snort".

On-topic: I have to admit I'll more likely look into joyflow than this, but ey...the more proggies the better, right?

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