Manually downloaded/extracted cores are not listed in "Load Core"

[davidhedlund]

[This is a copy of: https://github.com//issues/16128]

First and foremost consider this:

• Only RetroArch bugs should be filed here. Not core bugs or game bugs
• This is not a forum or a help section, this is strictly developer oriented

Description

I cannot load any core that I have manually downloaded and extracted to the core directory.

This issue could be reproced for:

• Appimage
• The retroarch GNU/Linux package

Interestingly, hizzlekizzle could not reproduce my issue.

Expected behavior

Should it not be listed? What have I missed?

Actual behavior

The bsnes hd is not listed in Load Core

As Rob taught me, I had to run:
./RetroArch-Linux-x86_64.AppImage -L RetroArch-Linux-x86_64.AppImage.home/.config/retroarch/cores/bsnes_hd_beta_libretro.so "~/Downloads/Legend of Zelda, The - A Link to the Past (USA).sfc"

Steps to reproduce the bug

• Downloaded http://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/linux/x86_64/latest/bsnes_hd_beta_libretro.so.zip
• Extracted bsnes_hd_beta_libretro.so.zip
• Moved bsnes_hd_beta_libretro.so to ~/Downloads//RetroArch-Linux-x86_64/RetroArch-Linux-x86_64.AppImage.home/.config/retroarch/cores/
• Opened ~/Downloads//RetroArch-Linux-x86_64/RetroArch-Linux-x86_64.AppImage
• In RetroArch: Load Core -- it's empty, the bsnes-hd beta core is not listed, so it cannot be loaded.

Bisect Results

[Try to bisect and tell us when this started happening]

Version/Commit

You can find this information under Information/System Information

• RetroArch: 1.16.0

Environment information

• OS: Trisquel 11 (a distro based on Ubuntu)
• Compiler: [In case you are running local builds]

[davidhedlund]

@RobLoach Can you please give me a minute on this?

[RobLoach]

Logs

[davidhedlund]

Logs

The logs directory is empty. What do you want me to do specifically?

[RobLoach]

Enable verbose logging and post the logs https://docs.libretro.com/guides/generating-retroarch-logs/

[davidhedlund]

Enable verbose logging and post the logs https://docs.libretro.com/guides/generating-retroarch-logs/

Here you go: retroarch.log

[davidhedlund]

• https://docs.libretro.com/guides/download-cores/: Add a section how to manually download cores docs#912

[RobLoach]

When you go to Load Core, it doesn't appear? It's likely because the info file isn't there or something. Try passing it as an command line argument.

retroarch -L mycore.so mycontent.zip

As for AppImage, make an issue for the repo over at https://github.com/hizzlekizzle/RetroArch-AppImage

AppImage uses its own set of libraries to my knowledge, so there's likely a missing library that bsnes-hd expects if it errors out when loading.

[davidhedlund]

When you go to Load Core, it doesn't appear? It's likely because the info file isn't there or something. Try passing it as an command line argument.

retroarch -L mycore.so mycontent.zip

As for AppImage, make an issue for the repo over at https://github.com/hizzlekizzle/RetroArch-AppImage

AppImage uses its own set of libraries to my knowledge, so there's likely a missing library that bsnes-hd expects if it errors out when loading.

Rob, you made my day! 😁 It's working with the command (I added them to the proposed documentation sample).

[davidhedlund]

This is not an Appimage issue for me specifically. I just reproduce the issue for the retroarch package for GNU/Linux. Should the issue be re-opened @RobLoach ?

[RobLoach]

I believe you need the associated .info file. Either that or RetroArch is unable to load the file for the data itself.

[davidhedlund]

"I can't reproduce this issue. I downloaded the appimage and put a core (bsnes-hd_beta) into the portable home's .config/retroarch/cores directory and it popped right up in 'load core'." - @hizzlekizzle

• Which distro did you use?

[davidhedlund]

I believe you need the associated .info file.

• cores/bsnes_hd_beta_libretro.info -- this files is shipped with the Appimage
• cores/bsnes_hd_beta_libretro.so -- this is the file that I downloaded/extrected, the file name match the info file

Either that or RetroArch is unable to load the file for the data itself.

Yeah. I'm running Trisquel 11 (a distro based on Ubuntu 22.04).

I really want to solve this. Why don't you think that the issue should be re-opened?

[davidhedlund]

• retroarch -L mycore.so does not open without game file argument passed #16132

[i30817]

Info files currently have their own user settable directory. Check if your core info file is in the setting your RetroArch install has as the info directory in settings > directory.

In a sandbox, it's more complicated to access those, as I'm sure you know if you're trying it.

[davidhedlund]

"Something is going on somewhere in your system, then, because it should definitely work for a regular linux install (self-compile or whatever). And, of course, "works on my machine"" - @hizzlekizzle

I just merged the discussion here so I have everything gathered in one place.