The Options Menu is a custom menu that can be launched via a controller button combo at any point during the console’s operation. It features a variety of commands to enhance the user experience of the console.
The options menu is easily extendible, allowing for other developers to add their own custom commands to the menu via hmods.
Below is a detailed guide on what specific options actually do and what their purpose is.
This option launches Swingflip’s power menu. The power menu will provide the following options:
- Hibernate - Put the console in a low power state, turn the screen off and when woken up the console will resume whatever you were doing before you put the console in hibernate.
- Standby - Put the console in lowest power state possible, turn the screen off and when woken up the console will reboot and start the console from a fresh boot.
Note: Basically... Standby saves more energy however when you remotely wake the console it will start up as a fresh boot where hibernate will resume where ever you left off when you put it in to hibernate.
To wake the console when in hibernate or standby please refer to the below table:
| Button combination | Hibernate Mode | Standby Mode |
|---|---|---|
| L + R + UP | Resume Console | Reboot Console |
| L + R + DOWN | Reboot Console | Shutdown Console |
This option will safely shut down the console.*
This option will safely restart the console.*
This option will open a menu for managing retroarch configurations (see below).
This option will open a menu containing more advanced features (see below).
*Note: You should NOT turn off your console via the options/power menu while running retroarch. Ensure you properly exit retroarch before shutting down/restarting or you may experience a loss of saves.
Replaces your current retroarch config files with the default files included in the module. This option deletes all game/core overrides and remap files.
Replaces your current retroarch config files with the default files included in the module. Does not erase your game/core overrides and remap files.
Copies your current retroarch config files to a backup file located at /etc/ra_backup/
Copies your current retroarch config files to a backup file located at USB:/data/ra_backup/
Overwrites your retroarch configs with the backups located at /etc/ra_backup/
Overwrites your retroarch configs with the backups located at USB:/data/ra_backup/
Removes all backup files on both NAND and USB.
Copies bios files to USB:/data/ra_bios. Restores bios files from this folder to NAND.
Removes only the game and core overrides. Does not modify the Retroarch settings and remap files.
Removes only the remap files. Does not modify the Retroarch settings, game and core overrides.
Removes all bios files from NAND only.
Toggle the RetroArch and Canoe loading screens on or off.
This option launches the module uninstaller program. This program allows you to remove modules from your device. Press the up and down buttons to select a module. Press A to add a module to the uninstall list. Press B to remove a module from the uninstall list. Pressing start will exit if no modules are added to the uninstall list. If there are modules on the uninstall this you will be prompted to ensure you want to remove them press START+SELECT to remove selected modules or B to cancel.
Caution: The uninstaller will list all modules on the device including the default hakchi modules. Only delete modules you have added yourself. Deleting the default hakchi modules can have unintended effects on your console.
This option will display the current temperature of the CPU.
This option runs and displays the output of the top binary. This shows the current CPU, memory usage and list of running processes.
This option will go through and echo out useful information regarding your console. It will also include information on your:
- Current disk mounting information
- CPU analysis information
- RAM analysis information
Note: The information is displayed in 4 parts and has a 2 second wait between each part
This option will map and echo out your complete file and directory structure for your console and any mounted disks. The log file will be saved to your mounted USB/SD card at:
/media/data/log/Hakchi_file_structure.log
Note: If these folders do not exist, they will be created when the option is ran.
The log file will also include information on:
- Symbolic Links (Overmounts)
- File and directory permissions
This option will toggle read write access on your USB device. By default, if you don't have a saves folder located on your USB/SD, write access is disabled. If you wish to write logs or use your external mounted storage and not use external saves... This is the toggle for you.
Note: If you already use external saves. You don't need to use this toggle.
This option will run your locally installed RetroArch in full verbose mode. It will also copy the config files for your RetroArch and save them to:
/media/data/log/RetroArchConfig
The full verbose log will be located here:
/media/data/log/Hakchi_retroarch_debug.log
Note: Depending on what you are trying to do, you might have limited functionality within RetroArch when running it via the debugger. This app is primarily designed to debug cores, custom configs and themes.
This option will allow you to change the button combo used to launch the options menu. You will need to restart the console after setting a new combo.
This option will force the kernel to clear the page cache and free up unused memory. You should not need to call this as the system should manage memory fine on it's own.
This option will display both your public and internal ip addresses if you have a network adapter connected to your device.
This option will restart the network service on your device if you are not connected to the internet already.
This option will scan and display a list of available SSIDs.
The options mod is comprised of two executables. The optiond executable acts as a watchdog that waits for the controller combo to be held down and executes the options executable. All files are stored with the /etc/options_menu/ folder. There are two important folders for the usage of the options menu these are the commands and scripts folders. The commands folder stores the options to be displayed on the menu. The scripts folder contains scripts executed by these commands.
Note: The options menu should always be called with the full file path. /etc/options_menu/options
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
| --commandPath <Command Folder Path> | Set a custom command folder. |
| --scriptPath <Script Folder Path> | Set custom script folder. |
| --title <Window Title> | Set custom title for options menu screen. |
Command Files must be named in the following format:
cxxxx_CommandName
Command Files should contain the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| COMMAND_NAME | Display Name of command. |
| COMMAND_TYPE | Specifies whether command is run inside the options menu pseudo terminal (internally) or run externally. Possible values INTERNAL or EXTERNAL |
| RESTART_UI | Specifies if the paused UI should be resumed after running command (external commands only). If you set this value to FALSE you must manually resume the UI using /bin/sh /etc/options_menu/script/ResumeUI.sh after executing your code. |
| COMMAND_STR | Command string to be executed. Commands must be single line only. To execute multi-line scripts use a script file. |
| PREVIEW_IMAGE | Specifies the path to a thumbnail/icon to the oprion menu. |
| PREVIEW_IMAGE_X | Position the thumbnail/icon on the X axys |
| PREVIEW_IMAGE_Y | Position the thumbnail/icon on the Y axys. |
| PREVIEW_IMAGE_WIDTH | Sets the width for the thumbnail/icon. |
| PREVIEW_IMAGE_HEIGHT | Sets the height for the thumbnail/icon. |
Note: Fields and values are case sensitive. Values should be separated from fields using '=' without spaces.
The command string supports the use of the following variables:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| %options_path% | Path to the folder containing the options binary. |
| %script_dir% | Path to the current script folder set in the options binary. |
The options menu can be compiled using the makefile provided. To compile the options menu you must have the SDL2 and libpng libraries as well as GNU Make installed. To cross-compile the options menu call make with the CROSS_PREFIX set to the prefix of your cross-compiler toolchain eg. make CROSS_PREFIX=arm-linux-gnueabihf-.
- Hibernate Mod and Hakchi-Option-Pack scripts courtesy of Swingflip
- Retroarch Configuration scripts courtesy of BsLeNuL
- Thanks to ThanosRD for assistance with UI Layout/Design
Extra thanks to DNA64 (viral_dna) and Swingflip for always testing features.
Also thanks to the following people for testing the options menu:
- BsLeNuL
- DefKorns
- DR1001
- Patton Plays
- ThanosRD