PS3 WebMan: Display Game List Directly in XMB?

[zebragreen]

Hello, I'm trying to display the WebMan games list directly into the XMB (not in any folder).

Unfortunately, I can't get them to display in alphabetical order, so I manually edit "mygames.xml".

Unfortunately, this file won't make any change and doesn't have anything to do with the games list, until you enable the "WebMan Games" folder and get rid of the list being in the XMB.

Is there any way to display games directly in the XMB and have them in alphabetical order?

@aldostools Firstly thank you so much for all your work on this software which is incredibly integrated into the PS3 system.

I seem to have encountered some bugs in the latest release of WebMan MOD:

1) Changes to mygames.xml do not actually make any change to the list of games when the "WebMan Games" folder is checked.
2) When a change is made to mygames.xml, unchecking the "Webman Games" folder doesn't actually disable the WebMan Games folder, and the WebMan games folder still shows despite it's option being unchecked.
3) When the "WebMan Games" folder is either checked or unchecked, the XML folder for wm_custom.xml appears visually glitched, with both an invisible name and an endlessly loading icon, despite the folder still functioning correctly, whenever games aren't sorted by system.

Thanks again for your awesome work on this app.

 

[aldostools]

It could be the game of some game that is causing your issue.

Try disconnecting all your USB devices or uncheck all the scanning paths and uncheck webMAN MOD Games. Save the settings and refresh the games.

I scanned my games using the latest build and it shows the folders directly in Game column properly:

If it works, then it is some game in your USB devices. If it doesn't work, it is some game in your HDD0.

 

[zebragreen]

Hey aldos, thanks for the help!

I am using WebMan MOD 1.47.45 and I do not have a "Refresh" option that looks the same as yours.

I do however, have "Refresh XML" along the top. When I unchecked all the sources just like you showed, pressed Save on the bottom, then clicked "Refresh XML", my entire "mygames.xml" file was completely re-scanned and the custom edits did not remain, so that solution will not work for me.

Perhaps I didn't not explain my problem well enough:

1. I am trying to display the games directly in the XMB (not in any folder), I am not sorting by System, so I have Checked "Disable grouping of content in webMAN Games" and Unchecked "webMAN Games".

2. There is no problem with scanning games with WebMan, all games appear perfectly and there is no issue with any games as all games appear perfectly in the XMB after scanning with WebMan and refreshing XMB.

3. The problem is that the games list does not appear in alphabetical order, and there is no way to fix this. Since:

I seem to have encountered some bugs in the latest release of WebMan MOD:

1) Changes to mygames.xml do not actually make any change to the list of games when the "WebMan Games" folder is checked.
2) When a change is made to mygames.xml, unchecking the "Webman Games" folder doesn't actually disable the WebMan Games folder, and the WebMan games folder still shows despite it's option being unchecked.
3) When the "WebMan Games" folder is either checked or unchecked, the XML folder for wm_custom.xml appears visually glitched, with both an invisible name and an endlessly loading icon, despite the folder still functioning correctly, whenever games aren't sorted by system.

To clarify:

1. I put mygames.xml into XML formatter.
2. Edit the name of a game (the first one on the list) and change it to "AAAAA" and put it back in /xmlhost/game_plugin/
3. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
4. I run the Webman command "/reloadxmb.ps3". (This doesn't rescan games, just reloads XMB list)
5. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
6. I double check the file "mygames.xml" and the title "AAAAA" is still written in that file (it hasn't been replaced or rescanned).

Then, I do the following:

1. Enable "WebMan Games" folder. Now the change does appear "AAAAA".
2. Then, when I uncheck "WebMan Games" folder, there is no change. And the WebMan games folder stays there even though the option is unchecked and the setting is saved.

You can understand that, in order to manually arrange the games so that they are in alphabetical order, I need to make some change to "mygames.xml" however, this is not possible to display games directly in the system's XMB (not in any folder.)

The other problem is that the folder "XML" for "wm_custom.xml" appears glitched with a completely blank name space and an endlessly loading icon whenever "Disable Grouping of content in webMAN games" is checked.

 

[aldostools]

After you make changes in /setup.ps3 you need to perform a /refresh.ps3 and reload XMB to see the changes in the game list. If you make custom changes to the xml, the changes will be lost and replaced with the new scanned file. Only wm_custom.xml retain the custom changes.

NOTE: If you're using the nonCobra edition, the game list is jbgames.xml. mygames.xml is used by full/standard/lite (Cobra) editions.

If you share your wm_custom.xml, mygames.xml and wm_config.bin maybe I could reproduce your issue.

Clear the IDPS/PSID found in wm_config.bin before post it.

In regards to the sort issue, webMAN MOD only uses the first 6 characters of the name due the limited memory in VSH memory.

 

[zebragreen]

Thanks for the help,

I am using the default/example wm_custom.xml found on the GitHub. I'm using a test mygames.xml with 19 titles.

I think you are misunderstanding, if I re-scan and replace the mygames.xml using WebMAN, how will that help me to manually edit mygames.xml to arrange them in alphabetical order?

I am trying to achieve the following:

A) Edit mygames.xml to rearrange the games so that they appear in alphabetical order.

B) Display the games list directly in the XMB (not in any folder).

I've uploaded 4 different mygames.xml files from different stages of the process.

Step 1. Scan the games with Webman.

(1) mygames.xml - This is the one after first generated by WebMAN.

Step 2. Drag that file onto the XML Formatter.

(2) mygames.xml - This is the file generated by the XML Formatter.

Step 3. Change the name of the first title to AAAAAAAAA.

(3) mygames.xml - This is the file after changing the title.

Step 4. Put the file in /xmlhost/game_plugin/

Step 5. There is no change (game does not say AAAAAAAAA).

Step 6. Run the WebMAN command "/reloadxmb.ps3".

Step 7. There is no change (game does not say AAAAAAAAA).

Step 8. Enable "webMAN games" folder in webMAN setup and then press "Save", then restart the PS3.

Step 9. "WebMAN Games" folder appears on XMB and inside, the game is called "AAAAAAAAA".

Step 10. Uncheck "webMAN games" folder in webMAN setup and then press "Save", then restart the PS3.

Step 11. WebMAN Games folder remains on XMB and isn't removed, despite it's option being unchecked.

(4) mygames.xml - Here is the mygames.xml file at this moment for good measure.

I don't have a jbgames.xml anywhere in the folder /xmlhost/game_plugin/.

To recreate the XML Folder just do the following:

A) Place a wm_custom.xml file on the root of HDD0.
B) Check "Disable Grouping of content in webMAN games".

Links to files: https://mega.nz/folder/Fj9k2T6C#lC4etSAVv2JEOZSZ7QJNEw

 

[zebragreen]

Hi @aldostools, thanks again for your amazing work both on this app and for being active on here to answer questions!

I realized I made a mistake on my second post, I wrote:

Changes to mygames.xml don't actually change the games when "WebMan Games" folder is checked.

I meant to write, when the folder is UN-checked.

I was wondering, maybe it has something to do with the fact I'm on DEX.

I know that in the XMB column Game, which is where this list appears, DEX reads instead from "category_game_tool2.xml" instead of "category_game.xml".

Thanks again for your time aldostools

 

[zebragreen]

Hey @aldostools

Any updates?

Is there any way you can fix the bug so the games list can display directly in the XMB?

 

[aldostools]

No. Unfortunately I cannot fix something that I cannot reproduce.

Maybe it could be fixed if some developer with your same issue could identify where is the bug (assuming that it is not an user error).

 

[zebragreen]

No. Unfortunately I cannot fix something that I cannot reproduce.

Maybe it could be fixed if some developer with your same issue could identify where is the bug (assuming that it is not an user error).

Thanks for your time and help @aldostools!

Have you yet followed these steps?

1. I put mygames.xml into XML formatter.
2. Edit the name of a game (the first one on the list) and change it to "AAAAA" and put it back in /xmlhost/game_plugin/
3. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
4. I run the Webman command "/reloadxmb.ps3". (This doesn't rescan games, just reloads XMB list)
5. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
6. I double check the file "mygames.xml" and the title "AAAAA" is still written in that file (it hasn't been replaced or rescanned).

Then, I do the following:

1. Enable "WebMan Games" folder. Now the change does appear "AAAAA".
2. Then, when I uncheck "WebMan Games" folder, there is no change. And the WebMan games folder stays there even though the option is unchecked and the setting is saved.

Or is it a matter of, you don't need to follow these steps because you already know there is no bug?

 

[zebragreen]

Thanks for your time and help @aldostools!

Have you yet followed these steps?

1. I put mygames.xml into XML formatter.
2. Edit the name of a game (the first one on the list) and change it to "AAAAA" and put it back in /xmlhost/game_plugin/
3. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
4. I run the Webman command "/reloadxmb.ps3". (This doesn't rescan games, just reloads XMB list)
5. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
6. I double check the file "mygames.xml" and the title "AAAAA" is still written in that file (it hasn't been replaced or rescanned).

Then, I do the following:

1. Enable "WebMan Games" folder. Now the change does appear "AAAAA".
2. Then, when I uncheck "WebMan Games" folder, there is no change. And the WebMan games folder stays there even though the option is unchecked and the setting is saved.

Or is it a matter of, you don't need to follow these steps because you already know there is no bug?

Could you share with me a screenshot showing the wm_custom.xml folder displaying with its name and folder icon appearing, at a time when "Disable Grouping of content in webMAN games" is checked? You don't show that in any of your screenshot above.

 

[zebragreen]

Could you share with me a screenshot showing the wm_custom.xml folder displaying with its name and folder icon appearing, at a time when "Disable Grouping of content in webMAN games" is checked? You don't show that in any of your screenshot above.

I am using the default / example wm_custom.xml file found on the GitHub, with no changes.

 

[zebragreen]

I am using the default / example wm_custom.xml file found on the GitHub, with no changes.

Thanks again for your time and help @aldostools, if it's a user error, what's the recommended way to refresh the XMB when using a custom mygames.xml file processed by the XML formatter? Am I correct to use the command "/reloadxmb.ps3"? I can't find any other way to actually display the changes made by replacing the mygames.xml file.

Changes to mygames.xml appear instantly when "WebMan Games" is checked.

 

[aldostools]

Thanks for your time and help @aldostools!

Have you yet followed these steps?

1. I put mygames.xml into XML formatter.
2. Edit the name of a game (the first one on the list) and change it to "AAAAA" and put it back in /xmlhost/game_plugin/
3. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
4. I run the Webman command "/reloadxmb.ps3". (This doesn't rescan games, just reloads XMB list)
5. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
6. I double check the file "mygames.xml" and the title "AAAAA" is still written in that file (it hasn't been replaced or rescanned).

Then, I do the following:

1. Enable "WebMan Games" folder. Now the change does appear "AAAAA".
2. Then, when I uncheck "WebMan Games" folder, there is no change. And the WebMan games folder stays there even though the option is unchecked and the setting is saved.

Or is it a matter of, you don't need to follow these steps because you already know there is no bug?

If you check or uncheck "webMAN Games" in /setup.ps3 to show the games directly on XMB or in webMAN Games folder, the game list need to be re-scanned because the XML needs to be generated again.

 

[zebragreen]

Thanks @aldostools for getting back to me! And thanks again for your app which is incredibly powerful.

I just want to be very clear

Are you aware, I am trying to manually edit the file mygames.xml using the tool you provided here: https://github.com/aldostools/webMAN-MOD/discussions/583

That is to say, the WebMan-generated XML file is unusable, because, it is not scanned in the correct order at all. This is not just alphabetical order but there are things I need to make to rearrange the XML titles so that it displays correctly, so, I am using a custom-edited XML file.

Is there, anyway that you are aware of to:

A) Display a list of games outside the WebMan Games folder.

B) Show them in alphabetical order.

 

[zebragreen]

If you check or uncheck "webMAN Games" in /setup.ps3 to show the games directly on XMB or in webMAN Games folder, the game list need to be re-scanned because the XML needs to be generated again.

Let's say I DON'T ever check or uncheck "webMAN Games" in /setup.ps3 at any point. I never touch the setting and I just leave it unchecked the entire time. After the very first install, I uncheck it and never touch the setting again in all my years of usage.

Now, through normal usage, I scan my list of games in webMAN and the order isn't correct. So, I want to edit the mygames.xml file using the XML formatter.

So, I make the change, and now paste the edited "mygames.xml" file into the folder /xmlhost/game_plugin/.

Now, what do I do to make the changes appear?

This is all without ever touching the check or uncheck of "webMAN Games" in /setup.ps3, so, there's no need to regenerate the XML like you said.

So, after pasting the edited "mygames.xml" file in the folder /xmlhost/game_plugin/, what do I do? There's nothing that can be done to make the changes appear. You can use the PS3 for months and the changes made will never appear (I've tried it) and this is all without checking or unchecking "webMAN Games" in /setup.ps3 at any point.

It's only when you do actually check webMan Games and save it, that the changes appear. Even after months of not touching the setting at all.

 

[zebragreen]

I think the reasons you weren't able to recreate the issue is because of the following reasons:
1. In your screenshots, you didn't use a custom edited mygames.xml file, instead, in your screenshots you used a webMAN generated game list.
2. In your screenshots, you didn't have the option "Disable Sorting of Games By System" checked, instead there's separate folders for separate systems.
3. You did not show a wm_custom.xml folder in your screenshots, and, the wm_custom.xml folder only appears visually glitched when Disable Sorting of Games By System is checked, which in the screenshots it wasn't.
4. You said the issue was a game title, but, there is no issue with the scan or with the titles appearing, only a problem editing the name in mygames.xml of any single title to "AAAAA".

After you make changes in /setup.ps3 you need to perform a /refresh.ps3 and reload XMB to see the changes in the game list. If you make custom changes to the xml, the changes will be lost and replaced with the new scanned file.

As we already explained, I am trying to use a custom edited XML file. However, I am making NO CHANGES to any settings in /setup.ps3. Therefore, there is no reason to regenerate and erase the custom edits to the XML file.

I only told you about the changed setting in /setup.ps3 (enabling "webMAN Games") as an example of what FIXES the problem.

However, the problem exists with absolutely NO CHANGES being made to a single setting in /setup.ps3. So, there is no reason to erase the custom mygames.xml file.

 

[zebragreen]

Hey, @aldostools, I was giving some thought to this today:

Again, no change has been made to setup.ps3 at any point.

The prime cause of this bug is trying to use a mygames.xml file which has had custom edits made to it.

Changing a setting in setup.ps3 = NO BUG

Using a custom mygames.xml = BUG

Your suggestions are for the reverse of the bug I am actually experiencing. It's specifically because I'm NOT editing setup.ps3, that I'm experiencing a bug. It's only when I change a setting in setup.ps3, that the bug goes away.

What I really need, is a way to get the custom changes made to mygames.xml to show up without needing to refresh and erase the custom edits. Since, if the only way to get the custom changes made to mygames.xml to actually show up/display in the XMB is to first refresh/erase the custom edits made, this means using a custom edited mygames.xml is simply not possible.

The only other way to get the custom changes to show up, is to edit setup.ps3 WebMan Games folder, which I do not want to do.

So, the only two ways to make the custom edits made to a mygames.xml file to actually appear are:

1. Erase the custom edits.
2. Use the WebMan Games folder.

This means the two things you can do to get the custom mygames.xml file to actually show it's changes in the XMB are either:

1. Don't use a custom mygames.xml
2. Don't display them directly in the XMB

As a result, there is no way to get a custom mygames.xml file to actually display (when not using the WebMan Games folder).

As a result of this, I've been thinking of some potential workarounds to this, and am curious as to what you think would be the most achievable way to get this games list directly in the XMB:

1. The first is to combine WebMan's launch commands to launch titles and incorperate them into harcoded XMB entries individually hardcoded directly into the XMB's category_game.xml. I am reluctant to attempt this as not even the PS3 hardcodes individual app installs directly into category_games.xml, so I am likely expecting issues or bugs attempting this.

2. The second is to attempt to change my CFW, to something which instead uses jbgames.xml, as there's a small chance that for whatever reason the bug will randomly disapear when using jbgames.xml.

3. The third is to attempt to edit the "real" source of WebMan's games list. Since, at the moment of changing the mygames.xml file, the changes do not appear in the XMB, this means that the XMB is not storing it's games list in the XMB. My idea is to individually edit every single Param.SFO so each title looks like this 1.AAA 2.AAA 3.AAA, then, find the Param.SFO files which WebMan generates in it's temporary folders, and edit those to display the actual titles, thereby getting the sort from one but the title from the other, succesfully rearranging the titles in alphabetical order.

4. The fourth option is to attempt to test the XML formatter, since the mygames.xml file generated by WebMan successfully displays in the XMB, but, at the moment of replacing the mygames.xml file with the custom editted one, the changes do not appear (even after months) unless you then change setup.ps3 to enable WebMan Games folder (then they do appear). This suggests, that perhaps it's the different formatting generated by the XML formatter, which causes this bug, since the unformatted XML displays properly, but the formatted XML does not. It's possible I could try to generate TWO WebMan-generated files with different sources and different titles, and having these two WebMan-generated files, and pasting one over the other, and see if the changes will actually show. If so, this would suggest it's the formatting generated by the XML formatter which is causing this bug.

 

[zebragreen]

If you check or uncheck "webMAN Games" in /setup.ps3 to show the games directly on XMB or in webMAN Games folder, the game list need to be re-scanned because the XML needs to be generated again.

There is a misunderstanding here. It's because I am NOT checking or unchecking "webMAN Games" in /setup.ps3 that therefore the CUSTOM CHANGES DO NOT SHOW.

It's only by checking "webMAN Games" in /setup.ps3, that causes the custom changes made to mygames.xml to show.

 

[zebragreen]

Just to be 100% clear Just so there's no misunderstanding:

1. I make NO CHANGE to any WebMan setting in /setup.ps3.
2. "WebMan Games" is Unchecked.
3. I rescan games list and regenerate the mygames.xml using WebMan.
4. I copy that mygames.xml file to my computer, and put mygames.xml into XML formatter.
5. I edit the name of a game (the first one on the list) and change it to "AAAAA" and put it back in /xmlhost/game_plugin/
6. There is no change, game does not say "AAAAA".
7. I run the Webman command "/reloadxmb.ps3".
8. No change, game does not say "AAAAA".
9. I double check the file "mygames.xml" and the title "AAAAA" is still written in that file (it hasn't been replaced or rescanned).
10. I have ran the PS3 for months, and still the custom changes do not show in the XMB.
11. Again, from the beginning to end, no one setting was changed in WebMan Settings /setup.ps3.

Hope that makes sense

 

[zebragreen]

Hey @aldostools, any insight to which of these might be the most achievable/straightforward way forward:

Or any other developer who might have the time to test this that you could tag? Thanks as always

Hey, @aldostools,

1. The first is to combine WebMan's launch commands to launch titles and incorperate them into hardcoded XMB entries individually hardcoded directly into the XMB's category_game.xml. I am reluctant to attempt this as not even the PS3 hardcodes individual app installs directly into category_games.xml, so I am likely expecting issues or bugs attempting this.

2. The second is to attempt to change my CFW, to something which instead uses jbgames.xml, as there's a small chance that for whatever reason the bug will randomly disapear when using jbgames.xml.

3. The third is to attempt to edit the "real" source of WebMan's games list. Since, at the moment of changing the mygames.xml file, the changes do not appear in the XMB, this means that the XMB is not storing it's games list in the XMB. My idea is to individually edit every single Param.SFO so each title looks like this 1.AAA 2.AAA 3.AAA, then, find the Param.SFO files which WebMan generates in it's temporary folders, and edit those to display the actual titles, thereby getting the sort from one but the title from the other, succesfully rearranging the titles in alphabetical order.

4. The fourth option is to attempt to test the XML formatter, since the mygames.xml file generated by WebMan successfully displays in the XMB, but, at the moment of replacing the mygames.xml file with the custom editted one, the changes do not appear (even after months) unless you then change setup.ps3 to enable WebMan Games folder (then they do appear). This suggests, that perhaps it's the different formatting generated by the XML formatter, which causes this bug, since the unformatted XML displays properly, but the formatted XML does not. It's possible I could try to generate TWO WebMan-generated files with different sources and different titles, and having these two WebMan-generated files, and pasting one over the other, and see if the changes will actually show. If so, this would suggest it's the formatting generated by the XML formatter which is causing this bug.