libretro / libretro/RetroArch

[Feature Request] Being able to delete overrides and core options files from RetroArch UI.

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#11,442 3 comments 7 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Dominant language
C
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Description

Hey!

It's really easy to have a core not starting (or even crashing RetroArch :p) while testing settings/core options, but no options to undo your mistake inside RA. Like you changed a core option and the core doesn't boot anymore? You have no other choice than deleting the .opt file manually.

Of course for a lot of us it's a trivial thing to do but on some systems it's not that easy, you may have to use FTP or Telnet/SSH for example, which can be "scary" for new users, or you may have to plug a keyboard/mouse "just for that". I have no experience with streaming machines such as Nvidia Shield, etc. but I guess it can be problematic on these too. And even on PC it can be annoying since you have to close/Alt-Tab RA, navigate to the folder, delete the file and restart/switch back to RA.

So yeah, IMO it would be a GREAT addition to have a new menu when a core is loaded, idk something like Main Menu > Manage Core Configuration Files maybe? So basically you'd load the core then go to that menu and you'd see:

  • Delete Core Override (which internally would simply delete retroarch/config/name_of_the_core/name_of_the_core.cfg).
  • Delete Specific Overrides (a submenu that would list all the others .cfg files found for the core).
  • Reset Core Options (deletes name_of_the_core.opt or the core lines from retroarch-core-options.cfg depending on the "Use Global Core Options File" setting).
  • Delete Specific Game Options Files (a submenu that would list all the others .opt files found for the core).

And maybe even put duplicates for the existing "Delete Core/Content Dir/Game Remap File" and shaders presets options in that menu as well?

I'm not a dev or anything so there's maybe probably a better way to handle that, but you get the idea: something that would allow the user to delete overrides/core options within the RA UI!

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the existing UI actions for deleting core/content, game remap, and shader preset files, then trace how the proposed retroarch/config/name_of_the_core/name_of_the_core.cfg and .opt paths are resolved. Done means the RetroArch UI exposes the requested deletion and reset actions, including specific override and game-option files, without requiring manual filesystem access.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c
Domain
frontend
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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