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Bicubic · Joined: 11 Jun 2008 Posts: 6

Hi all, I'm interested in extending the XMB and have a few questions relating to it. I'm very new to psp development, so please excuse any obvious things.

I would like to perform some automated tasks while the XMB is running, add menu items to it, and possibly change the visuals. How hard are these to achieve? I was thinking about hooking the flip call to draw my own icons, but I'd also need to have the XMB shift its current icons so it comes back to modifying its memory?
How about changing the wave/whatever background in the XMB? Is there any way to hook the drawing of the background, do my own drawing, and then let the XMB go on to draw the foreground?

angelo · Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 168

To do visule effects isn't really C/C++ related.

It's more to do with HEX and image editing with the files that make up the theme in flash 0.

This really isn't the forums for help. There are forums out there that specialise in *ONLY* customizing PSP themes,

If you want to start customizing the PSP's looks, I suggest you google CXMB. It stands for Custom Xross Media Bar.

It's very easy to add custom themes to your PSP (there are thousands out there!) and make your own.

If you want to make your own, I suggest you have a good image editor that has the ability to convert image files. Infraview is a good freeware version.

I hope that solves your question!

Bicubic · Joined: 11 Jun 2008 Posts: 6

I am aware that you can change themes of on the psp, mine's as customised as they come.
However what I'm asking is not to fiddle with the wave texture or mesh, but to replace the wave alltogether with my own code. And more importantly, make it possible to run my own code by selecting new or modified old icons in the XMB.

jean · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 489

C/C++ is a programming language, so a problem can be solved by coding a math function into sourcecode being a class or what the hell you like; saying such a problem is not C++ related is like saying that a book isn't language related. The thing Bicubic asks is indeed PSP related so it deserves an answer. Unfortunately the pointed out effect is very difficult to achieve: it's not as easy as wait a vsync and add your graph just before the next. I have one or two ideas but i wouldn't know where to start. The only thing i can do for you is defend your question as reasonable. In the meanwhile you could quick-search on google for a plugin written by dark-alex to programmatically change XMB's waves speed and appearance: it would be a nice "XMB programming primer". I don't remember the name of this app but it was released after the discover of an easter-egg that makes M33 CF's XMB go wild on April's 3rd (that means March 33...M33). If you can take a glance into sourcecode, you could start from it, _i guess_.

Pirata Nervo · Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 409

the plugin was written by Red_Squirel
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jean · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 489

red squirrel wrote something that at each reboot sets the date to april 3rd (that's useless for what we want). Then he implemented some code by dark alex that does it without tricks. (at least that's what i read)

a_noob · Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:46 am Post subject:

Dont listen to the bullshit in this thread, it is completely 100% possible. You just need to hook some of the GU functions. Take a look at my 3D VSHPong and VSHTime.
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Bicubic · Joined: 11 Jun 2008 Posts: 6

Thanks for the heads up a_noob, exactly what I had in mind.
Have you released the source for them, or do you mind explaining what you're hooking?

Its pretty dissapointing that I got absolutely no help here from all these posters before. If you have nothing to contribute, don't contribute.

angelo · Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 168

I just answered as well as I could to the first post... O_o

Sorry I tried to help!

pspZorba · Joined: 22 Sep 2007 Posts: 156 Location: NY

J.F. · Joined: 22 Feb 2004 Posts: 2906

Bicubic · Joined: 11 Jun 2008 Posts: 6

Pirata Nervo · Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 409

What has the umd icons to do with what you want ?
They only show if there is a umd inserted and that check is made by the system.
instead of blitting the xmb without the umd update and umd icons, the xmb is blitted with the umd update/umd icons if the check returns true.

And not by patches.

This is what I think the system does. I can be wrong of course.
I may be misunderstanding you
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Bicubic · Joined: 11 Jun 2008 Posts: 6

Well its not quite that simple. If my UMD can offer an icon to update to firmware 2.00, perhaps its also capable of offering an icon to 'dance', or whatever the code asks for. Of course this may be limited, such as only the game title and update, the code for both could be fixed to doing two preset actions so they'd be useless.
I guess I should clarify what I want. An example might be a decent RSS reader. I would like to 1: have a background thread that connects to the 1st wifi network and downloads all my feeds at 5am each day, and 2: add an icon to my XMB menu somewhere (not in the depths of game>memory stick) called 'rss reader' which launches my reader eboot.

The other part is pretty clear: I don't like the wave, I'd like to do my own drawing on top of it. Better yet, I'd like to replace it with my own drawing so its not wasting cpu cycles.

PS: 'blit' is the action of shifting image data from system memory to the screen. In the context of gu, it has no place. The joys of hardware 3d acceleration!

Pirata Nervo · Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 409

you didn't understand me but ok lol. (in the blitting part) I am not english so some times I don't know the exact words to to use.

As far As I know all umd's offer the update thing.
At least all my umd's do.
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jas0nuk · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 137

The VSH checks for the presence of an UPDATE folder in the SYSDIR directory of the disc; if it is there and the update files are present, an update icon is displayed. There is no other check of that kind.

If you want to literally add icons to the XMB/VSH you'll need to look into the RCO format and how vshmain.prx processes it to determine which icons to add. Doing it by hooking a vshmain.prx function might work, though none of their names are known.

And replacing the wave is possible*, but probably not with an image. There is a wallpaper function built into the firmware which does that, and disables the waves while it is enabled.

* http://forums.qj.net/f-psp-development-forum-11/t-releasetgawave-creative-studio-97755.html

jas0nuk · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 137

AHH damn, delete this please. >_>

Pirata Nervo · Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 409

then it's what I thought.
The firmware checks for the update and displays it and does not add an icon to the vsh, the only thing is it is not being displayed. (I think)

delete what?
the thread ??
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jas0nuk · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 137

I double posted by quoting myself when I actually meant to click the edit button.

Pirata Nervo · Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 409

oh lol xD
that happens to me on other forums when I am used to different forum systems
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