Question: How to use Retool?

[ebzero]

I think the wiki is a bit lacking. I am trying to figure out how to use the GUI and I am having a lot of trouble. How do i obtain a dat file? and what kind of dat does it need to be? Once Retool makes the new file how do i use that to get a 1g1r? The instructions are very vague and assume that people know a lot. I have downloaded dats from dat-o-matic no intro, then used retool to make a "new" dat then used CLRMame pro with the new dat, and it does not remove anything. It just passes every single rom though, and I have no way of knowing what the issue is.

[unexpectedpanda]

Thank you for relating your experience. It's true that the documentation (and indeed Retool) is intentionally aimed at those who already have a certain level of exposure, and know where and how to source DAT files and use DAT managers. Potentially in the future I can make things more approachable for beginners.

If you're the same EBZero as on Reddit, then hopefully I can help you out here. I'm a little confused though -- you've already commented on the post there that has the very instructions you're asking for!

Given you have specific questions, I'll answer them here, but I'd suggest returning to the Reddit post linked above for a beginner's guide.

How do i obtain a dat file?

There are links in the Reddit post to No-Intro and Redump DATs. There's also links to the home pages of both groups on the Github page, although you'll have to find your own way to the downloads.

and what kind of dat does it need to be?

It's stated In quite a few places (Github page, wiki, the app itself) that Retool works with No-Intro and Redump DATs -- there are no other conditions.

I have downloaded dats from dat-o-matic no intro, then used retool to make a "new" dat then used CLRMAMEPro with the new dat, and it does not remove anything. It just passes every single rom though, and I have no way of knowing what the issue is.

Unless there is literally nothing to do to the DAT -- that is, there are no clones in there at all -- then the CLRMAMEPro Scanner should be searching for less files than it was compared to the original DAT. What you see from there depends on what exactly is in the folder you're scanning.

Here are a few things you can do to make sure things are on the right track:

1. Have you downloaded the Retool clone lists (in the GUI, File > Check for clone list updates) before processing the DAT?
2. You've said you're already doing this, but for peace of mind and to make extra sure, double check that you're loading the Retool DAT file in CLRMAMEPro, and not the original DAT.
3. If you want to know exactly what Retool has removed from the input DAT, in the Modes tab, select Also output lists of what titles have been kept and removed. This outputs a pair of TXT files with a full list of what has been kept, and what has been removed.

[ebzero]

Thanks for the response. About a year ago I followed that thread and made 1g1r sets. I recently wanted to update them. I could not find that thread (I actually forgot about it) and completely forgot how to use the program. Maybe you can take that thread and integrate that information into the wiki, I think that might be helpful.

I think the 2 points of confusion are: What kind of dats are needed? I believe the answer is No-Intro standard dats (not P/C or xml, etc)

The second point of confusion is how to use clrmamepro to trim which is what that thread explains nicely

[unexpectedpanda]

For No-Intro, P/C and standard DATs work fine. P/C XMDB is a different thing, but good point, I'll have to make that distinction in the future.

I'm reluctant to document other people's software, that should be their job. However DAT managers are notoriously difficult to use. I'll consider some beginner guides when I have the capacity. Right now most of my energy is going into Retool 2.0.