Homebrew RELEASE Switch Homebrew Appstore

[lettuce]

check your connection

Yeah i disable flight mode and tested the connection and it connected without issue

 

[vgmoose]

Thanks for the feedback and bug reports everyone. It took me a while but I finally have the 2.0 release of homebrew appstore ready to go!

Download page: (or update in app!) https://github.com/vgmoose/hb-appstore/releases

There are a lot of changes, and the ones that I spent the most time on are the new expanded details page, search, and the way the updated controls behave. I tried to address everything people complained about so let me know what I missed!

There's also a way in-app to report feedback on any apps. I'd like to see this used for any issues at all ranging from "app crashes" to usability feedback about a specific app. A new category, "Advanced", has also been added which currently houses hekate and some sys modules, to make keeping track of updates for these easier as well!

As usual, please let me know of any issues-- gbatemp, email, or discord work, or they can be reported directly on Github

Full changelog:

New Features:

• Search functionality with on screen keyboard
• Allow sorting of app list by: most recently updated, download count, alphabetically, download size, and randomly
• Add new "Advanced" category including some system/hekate modules
• Redesigned "App Details" screen to show much more information about each app such as long scrollable description, download count, download size, and last updated date
• Added feedback reporting for any app to collect data about what works and doesn't work. This feedback will be passed along to the app's author if appropriate

Enhancements:

• All touch and controller controls refactored and more responsive to input (highlights, buttons, etc)
• Add four-column "wide" view activated by pressing L or ZL in the app listing
• New offline screen when internet connection isn't detected instead of empty progress bar
• List other apps by the same author from the details page

Bug fixes:

• Switched to curl instead of old hacky HTTP downloading curl
• Empty folders are now removed upon uninstallation of a package
• Corrupt cached icons should no longer freeze loading
• Uses romfs for storing images instead of an external folder
• Some settings for cleaning up any empty folders leftover by the old app and wiping the icon cache

Screen shots:

New four-column "wide" view:

New app details page:

 

[hippy dave]

Looks great, thanks! Please could we have a menu option or button (+?) to exit the app?

 

[vgmoose]

Looks great, thanks! Please could we have a menu option or button (+?) to exit the app?

I'd like this too and noticed it wasn't working-- the way I have it now it's actually supposed to exit on plus: https://github.com/vgmoose/hb-appstore/blob/master/main.cpp#L110-L112

I'll talk to some other SDL2 devs to see if they see a similar issue (works on PC for "start" which I have mapped to "enter"). A menu option is a also a good idea.

Are there issues with exiting via home besides not returning directly to hbmenu?

 

[hippy dave]

I'd like this too and noticed it wasn't working-- the way I have it now it's actually supposed to exit on plus: https://github.com/vgmoose/hb-appstore/blob/master/main.cpp#L110-L112

I'll talk to some other SDL2 devs to see if they see a similar issue (works on PC for "start" which I have mapped to "enter"). A menu option is a also a good idea.

Are there issues with exiting via home besides not returning directly to hbmenu?

Great thanks, good luck figuring it out
I haven't encountered any issues myself, but it's like task-killing the app rather than a clean exit, so file handles could be left dangling etc. It's one of the ways homebrew causes corruption on exfat sd cards (I recently admitted defeat and switched to the manky outdated fat32 from the damn '90s so I could run more homebrew without worrying).
Also more people are starting to run the homebrew menu or individual apps as nsps installed to the home menu, so uh that makes things work a bit differently I guess.

 

[TokyoDoll]

My appstore in Switch doesn't work..

 

[Cyan]

My appstore in Switch doesn't work..

okay.

oh, it wasn't an affirmation? you wanted some help?

sorry, we don't know what the problem is. "doesn't work" is not a real problem.
you'll have to provide more information if you want some help, switch version, appstore version, did it used to work or never did ? what really doesn't work? it doesn't launch? it launches but crash, it doesn't crash but doesn't display anything? display but doesn't download? doesn't install? doesn't what?


vgmoose :
thank you for this homebrew, I just tested v2.0 it on 4.1.0 and it's working great (except the exit bug, I use home button)
I noticed an issue in the site, SDL Lopan has the wrong link for sources.

is there a way to sort items on the website? on switch you can sort by release date (or added date) which is great, it would be nice to be able to do it on the website too. thank you.

 

[pwsincd]

okay.

oh, it wasn't an affirmation? you wanted some help?

sorry, we don't know what the problem is. "doesn't work" is not a real problem.
you'll have to provide more information if you want some help, switch version, appstore version, did it used to work or never did ? what really doesn't work? it doesn't launch? it launches but crash, it doesn't crash but doesn't display anything? display but doesn't download? doesn't install? doesn't what?


vgmoose :
thank you for this homebrew, I just tested v2.0 it on 4.1.0 and it's working great (except the exit bug, I use home button)
I noticed an issue in the site, SDL Lopan has the wrong link for sources.

is there a way to sort items on the website? on switch you can sort by release date (or added date) which is great, it would be nice to be able to do it on the website too. thank you.

I can look into this @Cyan , i was also thinking on NEW releases section or Latest Updates etc etc...I have fixed the link for lopan source also... thanks for that

 

[TokyoDoll]

okay.

oh, it wasn't an affirmation? you wanted some help?

sorry, we don't know what the problem is. "doesn't work" is not a real problem.
you'll have to provide more information if you want some help, switch version, appstore version, did it used to work or never did ? what really doesn't work? it doesn't launch? it launches but crash, it doesn't crash but doesn't display anything? display but doesn't download? doesn't install? doesn't what?


vgmoose :
thank you for this homebrew, I just tested v2.0 it on 4.1.0 and it's working great (except the exit bug, I use home button)
I noticed an issue in the site, SDL Lopan has the wrong link for sources.

is there a way to sort items on the website? on switch you can sort by release date (or added date) which is great, it would be nice to be able to do it on the website too. thank you.

The reason mine doesn't work is when I got to the 'Homebrew Appstore'
The following message comes up and states...

Couldn't connect to the internet.
Please try again after connected.

To my knowledge, If you were to connected to the internet, nintendo would ban you due to your modded Switch. At least from what I know.

Is there any other way to open my appstore or can I possibly bypass not getting banned while online?

 

[cyndor]

The reason mine doesn't work is when I got to the 'Homebrew Appstore'
The following message comes up and states...

Couldn't connect to the internet.
Please try again after connected.

To my knowledge, If you were to connected to the internet, nintendo would ban you due to your modded Switch. At least from what I know.

Is there any other way to open my appstore or can I possibly bypass not getting banned while online?

Use 90dns or sx os stealth mode so u can communicate with the appstore 'safely'.

 

[TokyoDoll]

Use 90dns or sx os stealth mode so u can communicate with the appstore 'safely'.

How or where do I use that?
Could you send a link to that?

 

[vgmoose]

is there a way to sort items on the website? on switch you can sort by release date (or added date) which is great, it would be nice to be able to do it on the website too. thank you.

Thanks, and I agree this would be nice! Right now there's no way to do it

To my knowledge, If you were to connected to the internet, nintendo would ban you due to your modded Switch. At least from what I know.

Is there any other way to open my appstore or can I possibly bypass not getting banned while online?

It needs Internet to work– Personally I haven't been banned and have basically just been running cfw and homebrew (and I've received a lot of crash logs). From what it seems, Nintendo appears to only be banning malicious/piracy behavior. Of course, it is Nintendo though and nothing is guaranteed when you're modifying your console.

As the above poster mentions, to prevent your switch from talking to Nintendo's servers, but still access the Internet, you can setup 90DNS

 

[TokyoDoll]

Thanks, and I agree this would be nice! Right now there's no way to do it


It needs Internet to work– Personally I haven't been banned and have basically just been running cfw and homebrew (and I've received a lot of crash logs). From what it seems, Nintendo appears to only be banning malicious/piracy behavior. Of course, it is Nintendo though and nothing is guaranteed when you're modifying your console.

As the above poster mentions, to prevent your switch from talking to Nintendo's servers, but still access the Internet, you can setup 90DNS

Thank you!

 

[TokyoDoll]

Thanks, and I agree this would be nice! Right now there's no way to do it


It needs Internet to work– Personally I haven't been banned and have basically just been running cfw and homebrew (and I've received a lot of crash logs). From what it seems, Nintendo appears to only be banning malicious/piracy behavior. Of course, it is Nintendo though and nothing is guaranteed when you're modifying your console.

As the above poster mentions, to prevent your switch from talking to Nintendo's servers, but still access the Internet, you can setup 90DNS

So.. when I setup the DNS internet settings..
I was able to get onto the Appstore but while downloading a game..

An error had occurred so I had to restart my Switch..
Now my Homebrew is gone from my Albums...

Idk what to do now..

 

[vgmoose]

Which game?

The album loads, or hbmenu is empty?

 

[Cyan]

is your SD Card formatted in FAT32 or exFAT?
exFAT is more vulnerable to crashes and the entire SD card can be corrupted if a homebrew doesn't exit properly while it's writing something to SD. for example crashing while downloading a file, or pressing home button while a file is opened (read/write a save file, etc.)

if appstore or hbmenu can't list any homebrew, shutdown the console and eject the SD card. Look at its content on your computer. maybe the files and folders are corrupted? sorry if it's what happened to you.

 

[TokyoDoll]

Which game?

The album loads, or hbmenu is empty?

Everytime I run the Appstore and download, let's say Doki Doki Literature Club.

After trying to open the game up, it takes me to a error screen, then I have to reboot my Switch and all the files through my album is gone, then I have to restart the whole process of getting the homebrew back on my Switch.

And it's just not DDLC, It's happened through a couple of emulators as well!
I don't know if i'm the only one who has these problems but those games/emulators need to be taken off appstore.

I have to do trial and error to see which actual games and emulators work on my Switch.

 

[vgmoose]

DDLC is the largest app on the store, but I'll check it out again to make sure it doesn't crash while installing. In general, I've tried installing a lot of apps, games, and emulators in a row and haven't encountered any crashes while downloading, so I'm surprised to hear this.

What size is the SD card? is it formatted as FAT32 or EXFAT? How much space is remaining on it?

After trying to open the game up, it takes me to a error screen, then I have to reboot my Switch and all the files through my album is gone

So you are able to download it, and the homebrew isn't gone, but upon launching it, it crashes (What error code?) and then all the homebrew disappears?

 

[TokyoDoll]

DDLC is the largest app on the store, but I'll check it out again to make sure it doesn't crash while installing. In general, I've tried installing a lot of apps, games, and emulators in a row and haven't encountered any crashes while downloading, so I'm surprised to hear this.

What size is the SD card? is it formatted as FAT32 or EXFAT? How much space is remaining on it?


So you are able to download it, and the homebrew isn't gone, but upon launching it, it crashes (What error code?) and then all the homebrew disappears?

So I have a 128GB PNY MicroSD Card which is completely fine, it's not bootleg.
I do not believe I formatted my MicroSD but would that make any difference?

I can't remember the error code but it takes me to a black screen with white text stating to press and hold the power button for 12 seconds.

Upon doing this I then go to the home page and when clicking the album I lose my homebrew and files that were in my album.

 

[vgmoose]

The SD card is going to be formatted either FAT32 or exFAT, even if you didn't format it, it would come with one or the Switch does it automatically.

When it's inserted into your computer, you should be able to see what format it's in by going to your computer and checking properties.

What other files do you have on this SD card? Are they okay?