uLaunchELF Documentation Project

[HypERSoniC]

This is the official uLaunchELF Documentation Thread. Discussion relating to, as well as contibutions made to the documentation should go here.

For the latest documentation see here
http://psx-scene.com/forums/showpost.php?p=313840&postcount=43



--- Old Information ---

This documentation is provided as an open method for users and programmers to help each other understand LaunchELF. All users are able (and encouraged) to contribute to it. If you wish your work to be included in the official documentation provided with each LaunchELF release, then submit your revised changes or additions to the uLaunchELF documentation thread on the ps2-scene.org forums. If your work is of professional quality and usefulness, it will be added to the main documentation.

Current Official Documentation Version
v0.1.3


WIP Version
v0.2


Download
v0.1.3 (KB) - [EN]
v0.1.1 (214KB) - [EN] (http://www.ps3central.org/launchelfdoc/18.09.05.uLaunchELF.User.Manual.v0.1.1.EN.doc)
v0.1 (214KB) - [EN] (http://www.ps3central.org/launchelfdoc/18.09.05.uLaunchELF.User.Manual.v0.1.EN.doc)


Issues/Problems with current version
Explanation needed for settings->screen settings->interlace
Detailed button information need on a screen for screen basis(?)
7. Acknowledgements should we include ALL launchelf contributers here or just the documentation contributers?

[gravelhead44]

Hypersonic, I have a boat load of labelled uLaunchelf screenshots I can post, However there are about 30 640x480 24 bit Jpegs to the tune of about 5Mb. I think I have Graphically covered all topics most people would need a screen shot of(and Possibly a few extras that no one would)Would you like me to post them? And Can I post a file that large?

[gravelhead44]

I don't know what I was thinking before. Here are .gif's. Take any you like. Throw the rest away. If you want I will be happy to post or email the full .jpg's. Hope this helps.

[E P]

[E_P, please link to this thread from your original unofficial LaunchELF thread.]
Ok I will link to this thread when a next version is released. Nice work:)

Issues/Problems with current version
Does settings->startup settings->reset iop reset the iop before launchelf is run, or before LOADER.ELF is run?
Is 5b.Locating the settings file correct?

Reset IOP currently resets the IOP right as LaunchELF is loading up. I had tried in the past to get a reset IOP upon the nexts apps execution. Unfortunately it never quite worked right so reset IOP as of now only resets the IOP upon LaunchELF's startup.

Locating the settings file is mostly correct although I don't think that it looks to mc1:/SYS-CONF/ except if launchELF was started from mc1. I believe dlanor told me before that the procedure for looking to mc1 never quite worked right.

[gravelhead44]

Here are a couple of detail pics taken from the previous screenshots.

[gravelhead44]

HypERSoniC, submitted for your approval: draft of uLaunchelf doc with cleaned up graphics. I added a Network settings entry with new screenshots and brief description. Format should be in line with yours. I wasn't sure whether to submit only additions or to post this as a draft, so I am posting your document with my additions.

[HypERSoniC]

thanks gravelhead44 and E_P!

sorry i havnt been able to get back to you, ive been quite busy.

thanks for your contributions gravelhead. i will update the documentation today with your contributions and E_P's reccomendations.

it will also be updated for the latest "l" revision of LaunchELF



E_P, do you think its a good idea to include the documentation in the main ELF release archive? I think its a bit to big to fit in..

Maybe a reference to this thread in the README.txt would be enough.

[gravelhead44]

Detailed button information need on a screen for screen basis(?)

How did you want to go about this? It could show the screen when describing all the settings, but that seems like it would get kind of large. On top of that you have stepped through things pretty accurately. Are you thinking of something along the lines of a detailed users manual?

[robocop]

Are you interested by a french translation?

[ivc]

Maybe you should choose a open document format, something like OpenOffice or preferable a HTML document with the pictures attached in a rar file.

Would definitely compell to more people. Just my 2 cents..

[gravelhead44]

I would be happy to post my submitted for approval in OO.o Writer format if that will help people, but Open office will open and let you modify .doc files won't it? If we really are trying to do this generically I will see waht the results are in .rtf as well

[gravelhead44]

Here is my revised copy of the document in both OO.o format hope this will help folks who are using open source to add to /help with the documentation project.

Robocop, I don't really have any say over this project, but I will bet the better question is do you wish to translate it into French. How can it hurt to have a copy yourself and other native French speakers can easily read?

[dlanor]

Here is my revised copy of the document in both OO.o format hope this will help folks who are using open source to add to /help with the documentation project.
What the heck is 'OO.o' ???

The '.odt' file in your attachment is in fact a kind of PKZIP archive containing various XML (and related files). I've unpacked it and had a look at the contents, but I have no software that supports this document format. I assume it's some kind of proprietary format used by some commercial word processing or DTP package(s)...?!?

I've browsed around a bit, finding (among others) the site "http://www.oasis-open.org/", which appears to be the origin of that document standard. However, if there is no freeware software available for it, and I have found none, then I consider it unsuitable for use in documenting any freeware project.

Please use some format supported by freely (and widely) available software instead. (What's wrong with standard HTML, for example?) I'm not going to buy some commercial package just for this purpose and (more to the point) any document included with LaunchELF should be readable by standard software freely available to all.

Robocop, I don't really have any say over this project, but I will bet the better question is do you wish to translate it into French. How can it hurt to have a copy yourself and other native French speakers can easily read?Of course it won't hurt to have translations made, but I think it is a bit too early to start worrying about that now. There will be time enough for that once we have an english version available.

Best regards: dlanor

[gravelhead44]

dlanor, OO.o is Open Office.org. It is an open source office suite for Unix/Linux Operating Systems. I don't believe it is available for Windows, but someone is bound to have a port somewhere. Rich text didn't work out very well. I thought that might be more universal. Would HTML be the most universal way? You're the second person to request it. Therefore, I'll try to post an HTML version tonight.

[gravelhead44]

OK, Here is the documentation in HTML format(Looks OK in Firefox and IE6). If I should eliminate any of my attachments because they are of no use, let me know. I can send it in most document formats, so if we could agree on a best format, please let me know.

Edit: Revised with most of Dlanor's suggestions and corrections. I have a question for HTML folks, though. The symbol !! appears in various places in the document instead of - . Is this a keymap issue or something else? If anyone has a clue I would love to know.

Enjoy,
gravelhead44

[Slam-Tilt]

Open Office is available for Windows too, but HTML is much much much more suitable for a project like this.

[Velocity_7]

How about a Wiki?

[dlanor]

dlanor, OO.o is Open Office.org. It is an open source office suite for Unix/Linux Operating Systems. I don't believe it is available for Windows, but someone is bound to have a port somewhere.
There probably is (someone else said as much), but that's beside the point. It is clearly not widely available, so relying on that format would be asking for trouble. Just imagine the flood of posts from all newbs (and there always will be new ones) with no idea of how to read it...

Rich text didn't work out very well. I thought that might be more universal. Would HTML be the most universal way?
Well, it might not be the best format, but it is useable by everyone with a modern OS, so that does make it the most universal one (apart from pure ascii text ;)).

You're the second person to request it. Therefore, I'll try to post an HTML version tonight.
Ok, I've checked it out, and here are a few suggestions:

First, in the section on boot methods you might want to add the BEST non-mod boot method for v12/v13 PS2 models, which is also dependent on Swap Magic, that you already mention. Some versions of that program (definitely v3.6) allow booting an ELF from "mass:/SWAPMAGIC/SWAPMAGIC.ELF". No configuration is needed for this. If such an ELF exists on the USB stick it will be launched automatically when booting the Swap Magic disk. I believe some of the older versions had this feature too, although I'm unsure if the folder/file names were the same. I've had reports that some users boot uLaunchELF this way, so it definitely works.

An existing reference in that same section to "ps2fs:/__BOOT/BOOT/boot.elf" is in fact incorrect (or at least inconsistent with path standards used in LaunchELF). It is also 'miscased'. The normal way to express that path would be "hdd0:/__boot/boot.elf". At least that is the path used by the Matrix Infinity. I am not sure what the DMS needs, since I've never used it.

Also in the boot section, you mention the folder "mc0:/BxDATA-SYSEM".
This needs to be corrected to "mc0:/BxDATA-SYSTEM", with the additional explanation that the "x" in fact represents a region dependent letter.
(I=Japan/Asia, E=Europe, A=America)

Most of the other stuff seems OK except for one thing which is slightly misleading. You mention that the same file systems are shown both for the button mapping file browser and for the normal file browser, and that is not quite true. The "MISC/" pseudo device is only available when mapping buttons, and the "host:/" network device is only available in the normal browser. (Mapping buttons to the PC would be inappropriate.)

Another difference is that the display of game titles only works for the normal browser, not for the button mapper. It's no big deal, but it should be mentioned somewhere.

That's all I can think of right now.
Oh, and thanks for your efforts. (almost forgot that bit ;))

Best regards: dlanor

[gravelhead44]

Open Office is available for Windows too,

Slam Tilt, I found this after I posted too, but was too lazy to revise my post.

Velocity7, From what I understand, this is the easiest way for multiple people to add to or edit a document like this, but I have no Idea how to start one. I've read others but not been a part of one.

Dlanor, Thanks for the proofreading and suggestions/corrections. . I will make the changes to the HTML version and post when I can. Hopefully Hypersonic will get a chance to review the revised copy in the near future and add his two cents.

Thanks for the input, Gravelhead44

PS. Revisions posted in place of old document 9/29/05

[zzthex]

I asked about the format for the LAUNCHELF.CNF file in another thread, but nobody's biting. Since the uLaunchELF doesn't come with a default config file, I wonder, could a sample LAUNCHELF.CNF with some example values could be included in the documentation? It sure would be a great help.

[dlanor]

I asked about the format for the LAUNCHELF.CNF file in another thread, but nobody's biting.
I just posted what you asked for in that thread. :)

Best regards: dlanor

[HypERSoniC]

hi again.. sorry I havnt had much time to work on this due to various reasons.
gravelhead44 and dlanor, thanks for your support. an updated version with your contributions / sugestions will be uploaded tonight!

im thinking PDF or HTML for the file format too. is there free software that can create PDF files? PDF is an open format isnt it?

[gravelhead44]

Hypersonic, I don't think there are a lot of free programs that allow people to edit PDF file for Windows. Linux allows it to some degree, but haven't seen much newer than Acrobat 5.0 files there either. I think HTML Is going to be the most open format if you want Other people to contribute to the document in its native form.

[Slam-Tilt]

HTML makes the most sense.

Once this is off the ground I'll happily host it if needed, or anything uLE related (maybe E P and dlanor would like to keep a work-in-progress blog going :) )

[MonkY]

To be honest, txt would be my choice, but as you need some graphics arround documentation, i guess html/mht is the way to go (.mht would be better, as it's one file only, instead of .html plus tons of other files arround).

Also, i think would be best if in documentation would be added some infos to attract more programmers to help, or at least some documentation on what modules uLaunchELF is using, what versions, etc. That would make life easier for everyone who wants to come and help the project... Just my 2 cents...

[gravelhead44]

Does anyone have any suggestions for things they would like more detailed instructioins for the Doc. I can just start in the beginning and go from there, but would rather key in on problem areas or parts of the program where people have had a lot of questions. As far as modules, etc. MonkY, I can't be of much assistance in that area. The last code I wrote was in basic on an Apple IIe(ouch).

[MaPomme]

With the 3.43-44-45 version of LaunchElf, the 1.1 version of the doc can lead the user to big mistakes, in the "memory saves copy" and in the "launchelf.cnf file format" sections.

[HypERSoniC]

yeh, its really outdated.. gotta find some time to redo it.. its long overdue..

next release will be in html probably.. or pdf created with open office.org

[ps2dragon]

yeh, its really outdated.. gotta find some time to redo it.. its long overdue..

next release will be in html probably.. or pdf created with open office.org

Hi HyperSonic, I've actually already completely re-did this document in HTML/CSS. I agree it's really outdated now, and I am willing to help in anyway I can if you want, since I've got lots of free time.

What I've Updated:
- Improved the visual layout using HTML/CSS
- Re-created snapshot images using uLE v3.41t+ GUI
- Updated uLE ChangeLog
- Added Acknowledgements (this may need to be corrected)

I've tested this in both IE v6.0.2900.2180 and FireFox v1.5.0.1 and it looks great. Please let me know what you think of my improvements.

--EDIT: I've been trying to find a free HTML-to-MHT/CHM tool, and stumbled across something that converted my .html to a .mht doc. It seems to work, but I'm not sure if it's just reading my images from the browser cache or some other location. Can someone please compare the MHT file with the HTML/CSS document and tell me if all Images are showing up in the MHT file?

--EDIT: I've sent a copy of just the MHT file to a friend who tested it, and he says all the images show up fine and the links work too.

Here are the updated documents:

[gravelhead44]

Looks reall great dragon. Nice work.

[ps2dragon]

Looks reall great dragon. Nice work.
Thanks man, I was also trying to find a free .html to .pdf maker, but haven't been able to yet. With the new CSS layout, it is a lot easier to modify the document colors and layout. The only thing I haven't done yet was to put back in all the italics, which is easy enough to do.

I was also thinking of re-writing this to have three main parts, one for the average user, one for the advanced user, and a third for developers (suggestion taken from 'MonkY'). I made it pretty simple looking because I was trying to keep the file size down, using as little images as possible cause I first want to know what direction I should be taking this from the others.

I also wanted to know who put in all the content? I wasn't sure if it was HyperSonic, everyone here, or just stuff taken directly from E P and dlanor. :confused:

[gravelhead44]

BTW how did you take the screenshots with launchelf??

[ps2dragon]

BTW how did you take the screenshots with launchelf??
The images I used in the new document weren't actually screen shots. I completely recreated the entire uLE interface in Photoshop just so it would be small in size and as clear as possible. Although, I do have a program that I use to take screen shots with my PS2 connected directly to my PC through the graphics card. It does a pretty good job, which you can check out in the attached image below. You can tell it's a screen shot from the shady lines at the top of the image. The program is called iuVCR, great program for taking snap shots and recording short videos.

--EDIT: I also included a screen shot from Soul Calibur III so you can see how well it captures images from a game.

[ps2dragon]

I also just realized I can make the current images in this documentation a lot clearer (which I will include in the next release), because right now the text in the resized images is hard to read (which is why I linked them to a larger image). I would like to know the exact font uLE uses so I can make it almost identical, even though I came pretty close using the Fixedsys font.

I also think a great thing to include in this documentation is a FAQ section. This would eliminate a lot of the questions new users ask up front. I was thinking of re-writing parts of this documentation (starting with the mcPaste function), but I first wanted to get some feedback from HyperSonic since he started this documentation in the first place.

[HypERSoniC]

nice one ps2dragon.. im not claming ownership of the documentation, its a community thing... we can improve the documentation together for everyone.

your html conversion looks great btw :)

[ps2dragon]

Ok, I decided to use the version scheme from the original documentation.

New Updates:
- Added highlighting of specific terms (dark blue), files/locations/commands (light blue), locations (green), and actions (red)
- Fixed resized images so text is readable
- Removed redundant images (light bulb and globe)
- Added controller button icons
- Did a complete spell check and fixed up some small formatting issues
- Added mcPaste to the documentation (from information dlanor provided me previously)
- Added myself to the Acknowledgements section

Question: is there any purpose in continuing to upload the MHT file? Is anyone using it?

[Jones23]

@ps2dragon:
Hi there. Nice work. Your Pics look better than the original.;)
I just made some test-records with my DVD-recorder and took some screenshots from DVD. Have a look and let me know if you want some more, just in case you want to have the original-look in your doc.

[ps2dragon]

@ps2dragon:
Hi there. Nice work. Your Pics look better than the original.;)
I just made some test-records with my DVD-recorder and took some screenshots from DVD. Have a look and let me know if you want some more, just in case you want to have the original-look in your doc.

Edit:
Don't know why this pic looks so bad in my browser. It was fine in corel draw.
Thanks for the offer Jones23, but I already have the ability to capture real screen shots with iuVCR (hence my post yesterday to gravelhead44 in post #33 (http://www.ps2-scene.org/forums/showpost.php?p=313529&postcount=33)). As I said in that post, I decided to recreate the interface in photoshop so the images would be smaller in filesize and look more clear. Also, if your wondering why my recreation of the images is a little brighter then an actual screen shot, that's because uLE shows up brighter on the TV, making it appear brighter then the screen shots you take, at least it does on my TV anyway.

[ps2dragon]

nice one ps2dragon.. im not claming ownership of the documentation, its a community thing... we can improve the documentation together for everyone.

your html conversion looks great btw :)
Thanks Hyper, did you see my post #31? I was asking who wrote the bulk of this documentation, because I wanted to get your opinion if it was you. There have been a lot of improvements to uLE and I don't know what's missing or changed/updated. If you don't have the time, can anyone here please help me go through this document and tell me what is incorrect and needs updating?

[ps2dragon]

With the 3.43-44-45 version of LaunchElf, the 1.1 version of the doc can lead the user to big mistakes, in the "memory saves copy" and in the "launchelf.cnf file format" sections.
I believe I corrected the memory card save section by adding mcPaste now, if not please let me know. Can someone please elaborate what MaPomme meant about the "launchelf.cnf file format" section?

[dlanor]

I believe I corrected the memory card save section by adding mcPaste now, if not please let me know. Can someone please elaborate what MaPomme meant about the "launchelf.cnf file format" section?
Well, the old LaunchELF versions used a very primitive CNF file format compared to the current one.

As you can see in the modern CNFs, each line consists of a config variable name, followed by an equals sign, followed by the value assigned to that variable. But the old CNF format only contained values, and was therefore dependent on following a strict order for those values. Any deviation, whether by adding extra lines or by leaving any out, would cause subsequent values to be misunderstood, affecting other internal parameters than they were intended for.

In the new format however, most lines may be arbitrarily ordered, except that the "CNF_version" variable MUST be defined before any other variables. But even it doesn't need to be the first line in the file, as you may optionally precede it by any number of comment lines.

The new format gives both users and developers a lot of new freedom in what the CNF files may now be used for, and how they can be manipulated. For example, we can safely add almost any number of new variables, since there is now little need to keep track of line positions, and users may freely edit variables by copy/paste methods in any text editor. Barring obvious user mistakes, such editing is not only safe, but in fact the recommended way to do some things. It is certainly the best way for an experienced user to get a quick overview of all the settings for any given uLaunchELF setup.

There is even one variable which MUST be entered by external editor, if it is to be altered at all. The "NET_HOSTwrite" variable is by default given the value "0", thus diabling writes to your PC, and the only way to change this is to edit the value to "1" in a text editor. This is to discourage inexperienced users from having this enabled, as it could lead to damage of files on their PC, if they misuse it.

Anyway, a fully complete documentation for LaunchELF needs to mention each of the existing CNF variable names, and how their values are interpreted by LaunchELF, so that users may edit their CNF files with confidence.

Best regards: dlanor

[Experiment1106]

very good work Ps2 Dragon i think that you have forgotten the host function - i think a lot of users have no Idea what he can do with that

[ps2dragon]

Another update, starting to get into modifying/updating more of the content.

New Updates:
- More formatting improvements/changes
- Added new LAUNCHELF.CNF information (taken directly from the LAUNCHELF.CNF file)
- Included some extra detail on the Network Settings section
- Added an extra image to the The File Manager Screen section

NOTE: I didn't include all the LAUNCHELF.CNF file settings information yet, just wanted to get the basics uploaded for now.

--EDIT:
I just made a quick change by removing the first two sections "Preface" and "Welcome to LaunchELF" from the navigation, since there was no point to have them there. I re-numbered all the other sections, which means I corrected references to those sections in the document also.

[ps2dragon]

very good work Ps2 Dragon i think that you have forgotten the host function - i think a lot of users have no Idea what he can do with that
Thanks. I'm not sure what you mean by your not able to find information on HOST. Information on HOST is located in both sections "3c. The File Manager Screen" and "4d. Supported File System Detail". Maybe you mean there isn't enough information about HOST to completely understand it? If so, I will add more detail once I get a chance. I believe there is some information in one of the uLaunchELF thread somewhere about HOST, which I will add once I am able to find it.

[Experiment1106]

no what i mean is that - for my self i have no problem with your docu - and i have no Problem to Configure Ulaunch for my self:D i understand the working from Ulaunch and its for me The 1st Choice for PS2.

What i mean in My Post is noobs have Problems to understand that - but thats a problem of the most Docus.

[ps2dragon]

no what i mean is that - for my self i have no problem with your docu - and i have no Problem to Configure Ulaunch for my self:D i understand the working from Ulaunch and its for me The 1st Choice for PS2.

What i mean in My Post is noobs have Problems to understand that - but thats a problem of the most Docus.
I completely agree with you, and I was thinking that's what you meant, but just wanted to make sure. I also posted earlier that I was thinking of splitting this document into three main sections: 1) one for the average user, 2) one for the advanced user, and 3) a third for developers. But right now I?m still trying to collect the missing content before making the split. Since I'm fairly new to this app myself, I'm still trying to separate what would be considered advanced and what would only be considered necessary for a new user. If anyone can give me some suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

[Experiment1106]

that with the 3 sections is a very good Idea - i think its the best what i have hear it. I think the version who exist is the version for the advanced user when he looks the manual he can find all Information.
The first i think the best way to realize that is a step by step manual with many pics lol you know what i mean.
The third is thinking the biggest Problem - when a developer can do that were very cool my skills to do that is not enough but i hope anybody will do that.
Can you tell me what for content you need maybe I can help you ????

best Regards

Experiment1106

[ps2dragon]

that with the 3 sections is a very good Idea - i think its the best what i have hear it. I think the version who exist is the version for the advanced user when he looks the manual he can find all Information.
The first i think the best way to realize that is a step by step manual with many pics lol you know what i mean.
The third is thinking the biggest Problem - when a developer can do that were very cool my skills to do that is not enough but i hope anybody will do that.
Yes I think it would be good to have a separate section for new users since there is so much information to cover, although I still don't know yet if it's really a good idea or not. I'm starting to realize it might be just better to better organize the current content instead, but we'll see how it turns out. I still have no idea what would go into a developer section for this app, so I think I'm just going to focus on the current content for now.

Can you tell me what for content you need maybe I can help you ????
To be honest, I have no idea what I need. I just know it's not complete yet and it needs a lot of work. I was hoping you or some others could tell me what I needed to include or change. Right now I have been taking a break from working on it, but I haven't lost all interest, so I'll release something as soon as I get the desire to work on it again.

--EDIT:
Actuallly, I just realized I still need to include the "Screen Settings" and the "Startup Settings" sections. I was also thinking about having a step-by-step version using screen shots, which is how I think the current document will look like anyway once I get the rest of the sections completed.

[E P]

Nice work ps2dragon, I really like the layout.:)
A few things could probably be added about FTP. I just took these quotes from one of my earlier posts. Dlanor has some pretty good posts about how to use host from earlier as well.

Now you can mount a hdd partition to pfs/0 in three different ways:
1. Traditional way, issue the custom command "SITE MNT /pfs/0 hdd:+MAIN" through a FTP Client.
2. ULaunchELF way, view a certain hdd partition to make uLaunchELF mount that particular one.
3. New way, Open a directory partition in hdd/0 to auto-mount the partition.

Three ways of un-mounting a hdd partition that is mounted at pfs/0:
1. Traditional way, issue the custom command "SITE UMNT /pfs/0" through a FTP Client.
2. ULaunchELF way, after viewing a mounted partition in the fileBrowser press select.
3. New way, Open up the hdd/0 directory listing to auto un-mount the previous one.

Anyway this pretty much finishes off all I wanted done with ps2ftpd except that one issue with GetFileSize function in FileSystem.c for pfs. It's the only other issue I can't seem to find a fix or a more proper workaround for.


Differences between uLaunchELF's PS2Net FTP and SlicStik's EXECFTPS:

EXECFTPS PS2Net
based off of chips ps2ftpd: Yes, older version Yes, latest version
source changes open: No Yes
complete UNIX LIST format: No, partial Yes
hdd driver supports 48-bit lba: No Yes, using uLaunchELF's hdd drivers
shows only up to 2 mc devices: No Yes
support for usb mass devices: No Yes, using uLaunchELF's usb drivers
shows only valid partitions: No Yes
open copy-protected mc folders: No Yes
hdd attributes set properly: No Yes
rename files/dirs on hdd: No Yes
new timestamps are consistent: No Yes, using uLaunchELF's drivers
auto-mount hdd partitions: No Yes
proper sizes of hdd partitions: No Yes, using uLaunchELF's hdd drivers
support for ps1 memory cards: No Yes


Currently I use Filezilla and also Windows builtin commandline FTP. I stopped using bpftp after they gave their FTP client program a makeover. It wasn't a moment to soon as I had just finished the auto-mounting hdd partitions via FTP client. The transition to Filezilla was a breeze after that.:)

Anyway you're free to use my earlier info in the manual/documentation if you want in any way you want.:)

[r0dent]

Hello,

and thanks very much for this document!

There is a section where it says "You can boot uLE direct from CD/DVD",
Unfortunately there is no Info on how to configurate uLE for CD/DVD use,
and on how to burn uLE to CD/DVD.

Is there any chance you can add this to your guide?

is there any other tutorial available on this?

thanks
RGDS
Alex

[ps2dragon]

Hello,

and thanks very much for this document!

There is a section where it says "You can boot uLE direct from CD/DVD",
Unfortunately there is no Info on how to configurate uLE for CD/DVD use,
and on how to burn uLE to CD/DVD.

Is there any chance you can add this to your guide?

is there any other tutorial available on this?
Your right, I was just reading the document and right now it's not part of the User Guide. I'll do my best to add it soon and release another update.

For now you can check out these two posts:
1. http://www.ps2-scene.org/forums/showpost.php?p=284666&postcount=500
2. http://www.ps2-scene.org/forums/showthread.php?p=312095&highlight=CD%2FDVD#post312095 <- read post #1072 and the other comments below it.

If you have any problems with this, you can ask about it in the same thread as those posts I just provided, or you can create a separate thread under the "Official UlaunchELF Forums" main section and ask for help.

[ps2dragon]

Nice work ps2dragon, I really like the layout.:)
A few things could probably be added about FTP. I just took these quotes from one of my earlier posts. Dlanor has some pretty good posts about how to use host from earlier as well.
Thanks EP, yea I really need to take some time and really go through those older posts. I will soon, I'm starting to get the will to work on it again. ;D

Currently I use Filezilla and also Windows builtin commandline FTP. I stopped using bpftp after they gave their FTP client program a makeover. It wasn't a moment to soon as I had just finished the auto-mounting hdd partitions via FTP client. The transition to Filezilla was a breeze after that.:)
I've never even used FTP yet, I just use a USB key or HOST. I have to do some experientation with that so I understand what's involved. I played around with FlashFXP with the built-in PS2Net client, and was able browse my MC, HDD, etc.

Anyway you're free to use my earlier info in the manual/documentation if you want in any way you want.:)
Thanks. I really appreciate it since I'm still learning new things about this program and don't always know what is missing or needs explaining. Of course once I really start digging into those older posts and experimenting on my own, I'll probably have a much better idea.

[nevalabs]

Thanks ps2dragon, this doc was really useful for me!

I hope you keep updating it! :)

Regards from Brazil,
Claudio Neves

[ps2dragon]

Thanks ps2dragon, this doc was really useful for me!

I hope you keep updating it! :)
Thanks nevalabs, but I'm not the only one who was working on it, although I am the last one to update it. I haven't had much interest currently in updating this document, mainly because uLaunchELF is not an easy program to explain, and maybe that's why it was left un-changed for a while before I started updating it again. I have a current work-in-progress v0.3.2, but there hasn't been enough changed for it to be worth releasing yet.

Anyone is welcome to help me in continuing this documentation. I can easily update it with any new information anyone provides me. This could be some missing section/information, or comments/changes (with specifics) on what is already in the document. Helpers can upload their new information in a text file to make it simple.

Right now the documentation is all on one page, and I have been thinking of breaking it down into separate pages like a website. The only problem with that is my HTML to MHT converter doesn't support multiple HTML pages. Although, I can edit the new multi-page documentation into a single page, just for the MHT file (if anyone even uses it versus the HTML version?).

Maybe the lack of feedback is also preventing me from feeling the need to update it, but it's also probably because I'm still learning new things about this program myself, and I hate releasing something that isn't completely accurate. I just wanted to reply with the current situation, since I haven't updated it in a while.

EDIT: I would also really like to know who originally wrote most of the sections in this documentation. Was it one person, or was it multiple contributors? I'm thinking it was just one person (maybe HyperSonic), because I don't see much information exhanging happening in this documentation thread. Was the information written from memory, or was it copied and pasted from previous posts in the Unoffcial LaunchELF (http://www.ps2-scene.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37242) thread?

[Wallyman]

I see v3.92 is out there in the world.. any updated DOCs to go with it?

Wallyman

[Deedlythcetilye]

Where to put uLaunchELF skins?

[dlanor]

Where to put uLaunchELF skins?
Anywhere you please, as long as they're available when uLaunchELF needs to load a skin. Most people prefer to put them either in the same place as the ELF, or in some collection folder for JPGs (usually on mass: or hdd0: ).

The skin will be loaded at least once each time you start uLaunchELF, and will need to be reloaded again after using the JPG viewer in fullscreen mode. It will also need to be reloaded whenever you use any of the "load CNF" commands, each time loading the skin (if any) specified by the new CNF. As long as you keep such skins on a medium which is available at the time of such reloading, you don't need to worry about it.

Best regards: dlanor

[subichan]

I wish to have those docs but the links to them don't work :/ Can anyone help please?
Thanks in advance!

[ps2dragon]

I wish to have those docs but the links to them don't work :/ Can anyone help please?
Thanks in advance!
Are you referring to the uLaunchELF documentation? The last version I released is still there in post #43 (http://www.ps2-scene.org/forums/showpost.php?p=313840&postcount=43).

I am thinking working on the documentation again, hopefully I will get some free time and get some more updates together by next week.

[dlanor]

Are you referring to the uLaunchELF documentation?
He probably just tried the links in the initial post of the thread, which are of course dead since way back...


The last version I released is still there in post #43 (http://www.ps2-scene.org/forums/showpost.php?p=313840&postcount=43).

I am thinking working on the documentation again, hopefully I will get some free time and get some more updates together by next week.
That sounds great. Perhaps we should then make a new thread for it, with a proper release post on the first page, created by you so that you can maintain it by later editing. I and EP can do it too if you're busy sometime, as we are moderators here, but for you to be able to do it, that first post must be made by you. That's why we can't just change this for the old thread.

Best regards: dlanor

[HypERSoniC]

my bad guys.. kinda dropped out of the scene recently..

i think docman is the way to go for the launchelf documentation.

cant you guys as moderators edit my top post?

[ps2dragon]

Welcome back Hyper, yea sorry I also became busy with personal stuff right after I said I would start working on releasing an update to the documentation. Proper documentation is what this project really needs. I think using DocMan would be a great idea, if your intention is to have it setup so contributors can login and update it. From what I can see, this would be a web-based forum type of documentation project, and there is no way to export it into a stand-alone document. Yet, turning it into a stand-alone document wouldn't be that difficult, and the content is what really matters. Does this mean you plan on hosting it?

[dlanor]

my bad guys.. kinda dropped out of the scene recently..
That's OK. You never had any obligation to work on the docs to start with, and we're grateful for the effort you put into it.


i think docman is the way to go for the launchelf documentation.
Why ?

I see no special gains to be won from making the document maintenance dependent on a relatively complex piece of system software. Except that it would perhaps scare off any less serious contenders from taking up the task... ;)

TBH most of what we really need done can be handled by any normal text editor, though something a little more advanced may be needed for illustrations. But there are many programs available with the capability to handle both pictures and text. Personally I think that standard HTML format would do fine (NB: script-free to avoid complications).


cant you guys as moderators edit my top post?
Yes we can, but we can't give any other normal user the right to do so, and that is what's needed, as neither EP nor I want to handle the doc maintenance. And we also do NOT have the power to create new moderators, as that is reserved for the real site moderators, not us sub-forum moderators.

IMHO the only practical solution is for a new doc maintainer to post a new thread. Then we moderators can 'sticky' it, 'unsticky' the old one, and let it sink into oblivion... (After transferring any files and info of interest of course).

Best regards: dlanor

[cronot]

Reviving this thread...

May I suggest transfering the documentation into a Wiki? So everyone may be able contribute in an easy and familiar way, and at the same time keeping the docs updated in an easy way? Then you can just leave the link for the wiki in a sticky-ied post, and that's it.

[ps2dragon]

Reviving this thread...

May I suggest transfering the documentation into a Wiki? So everyone may be able contribute in an easy and familiar way, and at the same time keeping the docs updated in an easy way? Then you can just leave the link for the wiki in a sticky-ied post, and that's it.
I completely agree, although that means someone has to host and create it. I would love to help with updating it, but I have no experience in setting that up. This would be better for uLE, since uLE is constantly changing.

[ubergeek42]

I managed to find a free wiki host, and setup a wiki, there are really small text ads at the bottom, but I guess thats what you get for free. I already added a few things, from my forum that I keep my content in, feel free to add anything, or edit what I already have. I will continue to add more to it as I go along, mostly just merging my existing content located at my website to the wiki.

It's open for anyone to edit/register, so go ahead and knock yourself out.

http://ulaunchelf.on-wiki.net/MainPage
Discuss the wiki and how its organized/suggestions should go on the talk page:
http://ulaunchelf.on-wiki.net/Talk_Page

Maybe every now and then someone could consolidate all the wiki info into a downloadable html/pdf/ w/e(I think I could manage something like that pretty easily)

[ps2dragon]

@ubergeek42: nice idea, I never checked to see if there were free online wiki sites. Although, the one major problem I have with this one is you can't remove attachments once you have already uploaded them. I searched and found another free wiki site here: http://pbwiki.com, but someone already registered ulaunchelf as a wiki site, was this you by any chance?

[ubergeek42]

You can remove attachments, just click attachments at the top, and then find the one that you want to remove and click del(It will say [del | get | view] for each item). Or something like that, I know you can because it defaults to 2 attachments on the main page, and I removed them.

And no, I didn't register it on that site(pbwiki.com). Hmm that site looks better, maybe register under a different name, something like ps2ulaunchelf, or your username, or anything really, since its just a link.

[ps2dragon]

Ok ubergeek42, I took your advice and created http://ps2ulaunchelf.pbwiki.com. It's late and I have to do some other things, but will start working on this ASAP. The password for the wiki is '9times9' if you want to login and do some editing. One great thing about this wiki is you can use HTML tags. :)

[ubergeek42]

Alright, I'll start to add some content, and probably create a talk page so we don't have to spam the thread with wiki discussions. Although I do see that there are comments, I feel a talk page would be better, since comments seem to be hidden from not logged in users.

[ubergeek42]

We have finished adding the current docs to the wiki(Granted they are old, but we needed somewhere to start), and will now begin work on adding/updating it all to match the featureset of the latest uLaunchElf. I strongly encourage anyone who is able to help out, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave them on the talk page.(or in this thread I guess)

http://ps2ulaunchelf.pbwiki.com/uLaunchElfOriginalDoc
http://ps2ulaunchelf.pbwiki.com/Talk

[dlanor]

We have finished adding the current docs to the wiki(Granted they are old, but we needed somewhere to start), and will now begin work on adding/updating it all to match the featureset of the latest uLaunchElf. I strongly encourage anyone who is able to help out, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave them on the talk page.(or in this thread I guess)

http://ps2ulaunchelf.pbwiki.com/uLaunchElfOriginalDoc
http://ps2ulaunchelf.pbwiki.com/Talk
Maybe I'm just being stupid, but I don't understand that site at all.
As far as I can tell it's impossible to register without creating yet another new wiki, which I have no interest in doing.

So how am I supposed to be able to contribute anything if I can't log in,
which I can't do without registering,
which there are no links available for doing ???

It's like an Internet version of 'Catch 22'...

Best regards: dlanor

[Jones23]

Just login with password '9times9' (ps2dragon told it some posts above). You also need cookies enabled. No need to register at all.

best regards Jones23

[dlanor]

Just login with password '9times9' (ps2dragon told it some posts above).
Yes. I found it in that other post now, though I somehow missed it earlier.


You also need cookies enabled. No need to register at all.
I understand, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea.

Let's just hope that no spammer or practical joker sees these posts too, as that could ruin a lot of hard work put into the new docs. And I hope you are backing up all your edited pages in local storage as well.

Best regards: dlanor

[ps2dragon]

Let's just hope that no spammer or practical joker sees these posts too, as that could ruin a lot of hard work put into the new docs. And I hope you are backing up all your edited pages in local storage as well.
Yes, we should be making regular backups. This site has the option of letting you download a current .zip of the entire wiki in "Settings" under "Backup". So backing up is not a problem. Also, only the creator of the wiki can change the password, even if others know it. So I can change the password if someone has the password and decides to ruin everything.

[ubergeek42]

Plus the fact that its a wiki, it stores all revisions, so if someone screws with it we can just revert to a revision where it was fine.

[E P]

Nice work guys.:) There's a lot of stuff around here that needs to be catalogued so dlanor and myself don't have to keep repeating things over and over again. Also I have a few things that I need to add like finishing up my notes on compiling uLE. I?ve even considered making a document for using ps2netFS since few seem to know what it is or what it does.

[ubergeek42]

@EP
I added a section for ps2net, and included a section on netFS, but I am unsure on some of the commands for fsclient. I would appreciate it if you would take a look and change anything that needs changing.
http://ps2ulaunchelf.pbwiki.com/PS2Net

[E P]

@EP
I added a section for ps2net, and included a section on netFS, but I am unsure on some of the commands for fsclient. I would appreciate it if you would take a look and change anything that needs changing.
http://ps2ulaunchelf.pbwiki.com/PS2Net
Sure, I added a few slight changes. I also changed the sync command as it's supposed to work something like the following:

fsclient -h PS2 sync pfs0:/

At least that's how it's supposed to work with FTP. I never quite understood how the sync command works, as I have not used it. If anyone out there has an answer to its relevance, then please let me know.:) Yes, I know it's supposed to synchronize files between two sources: local and remote.

[dlanor]

Nice work guys.:) There's a lot of stuff around here that needs to be catalogued so dlanor and myself don't have to keep repeating things over and over again. Also I have a few things that I need to add like finishing up my notes on compiling uLE. I?ve even considered making a document for using ps2netFS since few seem to know what it is or what it does.
It's true that the doc situation for NetFS is even worse than usual for PS2 stuff, so in my tests the other day I even had to experiment to find the proper order of the arguments for mounting a partition.

If anyone wonders, it's done like this:
fsclient -h ps2 pfs0: "hdd0:your partition name"
where the 'ps2' part is either a numeric IP address, or a name entry from your "hosts" file (in "Windows\system32\drivers\etc\").

Anyway, fsclient is a bit awkward to use as-is, so I think very few users will bother with it, unless someone develops a frontend GUI for it.

Best regards: dlanor

[E P]

It's true that the doc situation for NetFS is even worse than usual for PS2 stuff, so in my tests the other day I even had to experiment to find the proper order of the arguments for mounting a partition.
I saw that as well but since I already knew how FTP did it, I just reversed the two arguments.:)

If anyone wonders, it's done like this:
fsclient -h ps2 pfs0: "hdd0:your partition name"
where the 'ps2' part is either a numeric IP address, or a name entry from your "hosts" file (in "Windows\system32\drivers\etc\").
Yeah, only you forgot the mount command:
fsclient -h ps2 mount pfs0: "hdd0:your partition name"

Anyway, fsclient is a bit awkward to use as-is, so I think very few users will bother with it, unless someone develops a frontend GUI for it.
I agree but I'm sure there are still some devs that still use it. It's really not so bad if you use batch files. It's still odd that no one ever made a GUI for it though.

I did notice that after transferring the newer SMS.elf to hdd via ps2netfs that it had that same truncate issue, which I've mentioned before with ps2ftpd. The file is written over the previously existing file without chopping off the excess data.

[dlanor]

Yeah, only you forgot the mount command:
fsclient -h ps2 mount pfs0: "hdd0:your partition name"
Ooops!

You're right of course, I was too hasty in writing that post so I happened to skip a word there.


I agree but I'm sure there are still some devs that still use it. It's really not so bad if you use batch files. It's still odd that no one ever made a GUI for it though.
Yes, and even more odd since a lot of people want the kind of ability this could give, of using Windows' drag-drop methods to copy files to/from the PS2 HDD.


I did notice that after transferring the newer SMS.elf to hdd via ps2netfs that it had that same truncate issue, which I've mentioned before with ps2ftpd. The file is written over the previously existing file without chopping off the excess data.
That is an unpleasant bug of course, which should be fixable in the fsclient source. But even without such a fix a GUI shell could handle it easily anyway, simply by pre-deleting any file to be overwritten.

Best regards: dlanor