.. _menus: MAME Menus ========== .. contents:: :local: .. _menus-intro: Introduction ------------ To show the :ref:`main menu ` while running an emulated system in MAME, press the **Show/Hide Menu** key or button (**Tab** by default). If the emulated system has keyboard inputs, you may need to press the **Toggle UI Controls** key or button (**Scroll Lock**, or **Forward Delete** on macOS, by default) to enable user interface controls first. You can dismiss a menu by pressing the **UI Back** key or button (**Escape** by default). Dismissing a menu will return to its parent menu, or to the running system in the case of the main menu. You can hide a menu and return to the running system by pressing the **Show/Hide Menu** key or button. Pressing the **Show/Hide Menu** key or button again will jump back to the same menu. This is useful when testing changes to settings. Emulated system inputs are ignored while menus are displayed. You can still pause or resume the running system while most menus are displayed by pressing the **Pause** key or button (**F5** on the keyboard by default). If you start MAME without specifying a system on the command line, the system selection menu will be shown (assuming the :ref:`ui option ` is set to **cabinet**). The system selection menu is also shown if you select **Select New System** from the main menu during emulation. For more information on navigating menus, :ref:`see the relevant section `. .. _menus-main: Main menu --------- The main menu is shown when you press the **Show/Hide Menu** key or button while running an emulated system or while the system information screen is displayed. It provides access to menus used to change settings, control various features, and show information about the running system and MAME itself. If you press the **Show/Hide Menu** key or button to show the main menu while the system information screen is displayed, the emulated system will not start until the main menu is dismissed (either by selecting **Start System**, pressing the **UI Back** key or button, or pressing the **Show/Hide Menu** key or button). This can be useful for mounting media images or changing DIP switches and machine configuration settings before the emulated system starts. Input Settings Shows the :ref:`Input Settings ` menu, where you can assign controls to emulated inputs, adjust analog control settings, control toggle inputs, and test input devices. DIP Switches Shows the DIP Switches menu, where configuration switches for the running system can be changed. This item is not shown if the running system has no DIP switches. Machine Configuration Shows the Machine Configuration menu, where various settings specific to the emulated system can be changed. This item is not shown if the running system has no configuration settings. Bookkeeping Shows uptime, coin counter and ticket dispenser statistics (if relevant) for the running system. System Information Shows information about the running system as emulated in MAME, including CPU, sound and video devices. Warning Information Shows information about imperfectly emulated features of the running system. This item is not shown if there are no relevant warnings. Media Image Information Shows information about mounted media images (if any). This item is only shown if the running system has one or more media devices (e.g. floppy disk drives or memory card slots). File Manager Shows the File Manager menu, where you can mount new or existing media image files, or unmount currently mounted media images. This item is only shown if the running system has one or more media devices (e.g. floppy disk drives or memory card slots). Tape Control Shows the Tape Control menu, where you can control emulated cassette tape mechanisms. This item is only shown for systems that use cassette tape media. Pseudo Terminals Shows the status of any pseudo terminal devices in the running system (used to connect the emulated system to host pseudo terminals, for example via emulated serial ports). This item is not shown if there are no pseudo terminal devices in the running system. BIOS Selection Shows the BIOS Selection menu, where you can select the BIOS/boot ROM/firmware for the system and slot cards it contains. This item is not shown if no BIOS options are available. Slot Devices Shows the Slot Devices menu, where you can choose between emulated peripherals. This item is not shown for systems that have no slot devices. Barcode Reader Shows the Barcode Reader menu, where you can simulate scanning barcodes with emulated barcode readers. This item is not shown if there are no barcode readers in the running system. Network Devices Shows the Network Devices menu, where you can set up emulated network adapters that support bridging to a host network. This item is not shown if there are no network adaptors that support bridging in the running system. Slider Controls Shows the Slider Controls menu, where you can adjust various settings, including video adjustments and individual sound channel levels. Video Options Shows the Video Options menu, where you can change the view for each screen/window, as well as for screenshots. Crosshair Options Shows the Crosshair Options menu, where you can adjust the appearance of crosshairs used to show the location of emulated light guns and other absolute pointer inputs. This item is not shown if the emulated system has no absolute pointer inputs. Cheat Shows the Cheat menu, for controlling the built-in cheat engine. This item is only shown if the built-in chat engine is enabled. Note that the cheat plugin’s menu is accessed via the Plugin Options menu. Plugin Options Shows the Plugin Options menu, where you can access settings for enabled plugins. This item is not shown if no plugins are enabled, or if the main menu is shown before the emulated system starts (by pressing the Show/Hide Menu key/button while the system information screen is displayed). External DAT View Shows the info viewer, which displays information loaded from various external support files. This item is not shown if the :ref:`data plugin ` is not enabled, or if the main menu is shown before the emulated system starts (by pressing the Show/Hide Menu key/button while the system information screen is displayed). Add To Favorites/Remove From Favorites Adds the running system to the favourites list, or removes it if it’s already in the favourites list. The favourites list can be used as a filter for the system selection menu. About MAME Shows the emulator version, data model, and copyright license information. Select New System Shows the system selection menu, where you can select a system to start a new emulation session. This item is not shown if the main menu is shown before the emulated system starts (by pressing the Show/Hide Menu key/button while the system information screen is displayed). Close Menu/Start System Closes the main menu, returning control of the running system. Shows **Start System** if the main menu is shown before the emulated system starts (by pressing the Show/Hide Menu key/button while the system information screen is displayed). .. _menus-inputopts: Input Settings menu ------------------- The Input Settings provides options for assigning controls to emulated inputs, adjusting analog control settings, controlling toggle inputs, and testing input devices. You can reach the Input Settings menu by selecting **Input Settings** from the :ref:`main menu `. The items shown on this menu depend on available emulated inputs for the running system. Available emulated inputs may depend on slot options, machine configuration settings and DIP switch settings. Input Assignments (this system) Lets you select assign controls to emulated inputs for the running system. See the section on :ref:`configuring inputs ` for more details. This item is not shown if the running system has no enabled inputs that can be assigned controls. Analog Input Adjustments Shows the Analog Input Adjustments menu, where you can adjust sensitivity, auto-centring speed and inversion settings for emulated analog inputs, and see how the emulated analog inputs respond to controls with your settings. For more details, see the :ref:`analog input settings ` section for more details. This item is not shown if the running system has no enabled analog inputs. Keyboard Selection Shows the :ref:`Keyboard Selection menu `, where you can select between emulated and natural keyboard modes, and enable and disable keyboard and keypad inputs for individual emulated devices. This item is not shown if the running system has no keyboard or keypad inputs. Toggle Inputs Shows the :ref:`Toggle Inputs menu `, where you can view and adjust the state of multi-position or toggle inputs. This item is not shown if the running system has no enabled toggle inputs. Input Assignments (general) Lets you select assign user interface controls, or assign default controls for all emulated systems. See the section on :ref:`configuring inputs ` for more details. Input Devices Shows the :ref:`Input Devices menu `, which lists the input devices recognised by MAME. .. _menus-inputtoggle: Toggle Inputs menu ------------------ The Toggle Inputs menu shows the current state of multi-position or toggle inputs. Common examples include mechanically locking Caps Lock keys on computers, and two-position gear shit levers on driving games. You can reach the Toggle Inputs menu by selecting **Toggle Inputs** from the :ref:`Input Settings menu `. Note that available emulated inputs may depend on slot options, machine configuration settings and DIP switch settings. Inputs are grouped by the emulated device they belong to. You can move between devices using the **Next Group** and **Previous Group** keys or buttons. Names of inputs are shown on the left, and the current settings are shown on the right. To change the state of an input, highlight it and use the **UI Left** and **UI Right** keys or buttons, or click the arrows beside the current setting. .. _menus-keyboard: Keyboard Selection menu ----------------------- The Keyboard Selection menu lets your switch between emulated and natural keyboard modes, and enable or disable keyboard inputs for individual emulated devices. You can reach the Keyboard Selection menu by selecting **Keyboard Selection** from the :ref:`Input Settings menu `. In emulated keyboard mode, keyboard and keypad inputs behave like any other digital inputs, responding to their assigned controls. In natural keyboard mode, MAME attempts to translate typed characters to emulated keystrokes. The initial keyboard mode is set using the :ref:`natural option `. There are a number of unavoidable limitations in natural keyboard mode: * The emulated system must to support it. * The selected keyboard *must* match the keyboard layout selected in the emulated software. * Keystrokes that don’t produce characters can’t be translated. (e.g. pressing a modifier key on its own, such as **Shift** or **Control**). * Holding a key until the character repeats will cause the emulated key to be pressed repeatedly as opposed to being held down. * Dead key sequences are cumbersome to use at best. * Complex input methods will not work at all (e.g. for Chinese/Japanese/Korean). Each emulated device in the system that has keyboard and/or keypad inputs is listed on the menu, allowing keyboard/keypad inputs to be enabled or disabled for individual devices. By default, keyboard/keypad inputs are enabled for the first device with keyboard inputs (if any), and for all other devices that have keypad inputs but no keyboard inputs. The enabled keyboard/keypad inputs are automatically saved to the configuration file for the system when the emulation session ends. .. _menus-inputdevices: Input Devices menu ------------------ The Input Devices menu lists input devices recognised by MAME and enabled with your current settings. Recognised input devices depend on the :ref:`keyboardprovider `, :ref:`mouseprovider `, :ref:`lightgunprovider ` and :ref:`joystickprovider ` options. Classes of input devices can be enabled or disabled using the :ref:`mouse `, :ref:`lightgun ` and :ref:`joystick ` options. You can reach the Input Devices menu by selecting **Input Devices** from the :ref:`Input Settings menu ` or the General Settings menu. Input devices are grouped by device class (for example keyboards or light guns). You can move between device classes using the **Next Group** and **Previous Group** keys or buttons. For each device, the device number (within its class) is shown on the left, and the name is shown on the right. Select a device to show the supported controls for the device. The name of each control is displayed on the left and its current state is shown on the right. When an analog axis control is highlighted, its state is also shown in graphical form below the menu. Digital control states are either zero (inactive) or one (active). Analog axis input states range from -65,536 to 65,536 with the neutral position at zero. You can also select **Copy Device ID** to copy the device’s ID to the clipboard. This is useful for setting up :ref:`stable controller IDs ` in :ref:`controller configuration files `.