XSelect 0.9

Big thanks to the earlier developers of this program for releasing source!!!!!
	The old version almost fit my needs perfectly. (The main issue I had
	was reliance on configuration files that weren't copiable to unmodded
        systems from within the official MS Dashboard. This is now remedied.)

What is this?
	A program that can run other Xbox executables.

	It seems this was originally created to be the fastest interface to
	launch several different (dashboard) programs, and remember a default.

What is so good about this program?
        It is less than 35% of the size of the Evolution-X RemoteX dashboard,
	and less than 20% of the filesize of Evo-X RemoteX if XBEPack is used.
        Other dashboards are even larger: This is 12%-ish of UnleashX's size.

        This can be non-interactive and ignored except for when it is useful.

        An Xbox controller can be used to find any file to execute, even one
        buried deeply in nested sub-directories, without any pre-made config
        files. (Advantages over Evo-X RemoteX, not the single-file UnleashX.)

        These, and its speed of use, are the strong points. XSelect also has
        a password feature (which may be unique, if not very useful).

        Example uses of this are included below.

What is the biggest downside of this program, compared to similar programs?
        No included FTP server (one reason this is < 35% of Evo-X's size).
        No other super-fancy features: It's nice to have other dashboards too.

How to handle problems:
	Error 21:
                This has to do with signature checking. Try loading another
                BIOS using a mod chip's feature or using a correctly-signed
                Phoenix BIOX Loader w/ XBEDump. Research the issue elsewhere.
	Another error:
                Research the issue elsewhere. Learn how to make your own
		Xbox executables, and modify the source code to this program.

New features: Lots!  More than a dozen substantial new changes.
        Easy to use on any Xbox without earlier needing to put text file on it
        *       Configuration files are not needed to execute any file on
                        your hard drive. Earlier versions could be configured
                        within XSelect only to run *.XBE's in root directories
        *       Config files (now unnecessary, but nice for convenience) are
                        now copiable from within Microsoft's dashboard. Any
                        known configuration files in the old E:\UDATA\01010001
                        location get copied to the 0123456789ABC subdirectory.
                        Icons and titles are made as needed so saves are valid
        Important Improvements
        *       G: (LBA48) support (I think. Since the only hard drive in my
                        Xbox is the one Microsoft put there, F: and G: support
                        hasn't been tested by me. Basically, I expanded on
                        logic used by F:, so the code recognizes G: as a valid
                        possible drive letter, and assumed the custom KERNEL
                        and/or BIOS takes care of any very fancy LBA48 code.)
        Other Improvements/Fixes:
        *       The Applications Menu can be configured within the program.
        *       Configuration files may be loaded from where XSelect is. Now
                        multiple copies of XSelect can use multiple configs.
        *       Smaller, 256K executable.(bcl.sf.net's Data compression used.)
        *       For speed, removed unnecessary call to Sleep(2000) command.
                        This speed up is more than 250 times as good as what
                        the 7ms internal data decompression is bad for speed.
                        (The developer of 0.9 had no troubles pressing buttons
                        during allotted time with this intentional pause gone)
        *       Improved reliability (I hope :) ), works on formtted drive as
                        E:\UDATA is not assumed to pre-exist. (UNTESTED, maybe
                        old code somehow worked fine in these conditions.)
        *       QuickPick Applications now runs program from the list of Apps,
                        not the Dashboards list. This may solve problems from
                        when LoadAppSlots was called instead of LoadDashSlots.
        *       Displays directions when assigning programs (yay!) and on init
        *       Setup of programs now recognizes more programs. Recognition
                        support for Phoenix BIOS Loader and UnleashX added.
                        Also, any programs without support built into XSelect,
                        but with an embedded XBE title, will now show that.
	*       GUI now chops super-long filenames (uses ellipsis ("...")) if
                        it would otherwise cause menu unreadability. (This is
                        mainly evident when using multi-level subdirectories,
                        but E:\WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.XBE made trouble.)
        *       QuickPick Dash and QuickPick App are now on main configuration
                        menu, so program can be easily run after it is set up.
        *       Screen dimmer became saver: It can dim repeatedly and totally
                        blanks if dims enough times. Menus now also dim.
        *       Many new config files supported for use with new abilities.
        *       Can use file maintanance scripts (text list of files stored in
                        supported filenames). 'twas easier to code than to use
        Cosmetic/Informational (Developer preference, not so much a feature):
        *       When showing message and needing input, program suggests input
        *       Program saving will pause on message letting you know it saved
        *       Reboot option now renamed to Error 21, since that's what it
                        really does on a retail BIOS. (This does reboot with
                        some alternate BIOSes, just like any other Error 21.)
                        Evolution-X RemoteX's In Game Reset (IGR) acts on E21.
        *       The program now calls itself XSelect *everywhere*. References
                        to X-Select(or) refer to old versions. Inconsistencies
                        were in 0.6. 0.9's name follows file system's limits.
        Documentation Improvements:
        *       Documented interaction w/ other controllers (Gamepad 2, KeyB)
        *       Some documentation was only included in the source archive of
                        X-Select 0.6, but the important information is now
                        included in the main archive.
        *       Documentation formatted to 78 columns
        *       Documented information on modifying the *.XBE file. This ver
                        passes all of XBEDump's tests (no false negatives).
                        It seems that's just since VS6/an older XDK was used.
        *       Documentation is provided to help other developers make a
                        working XBE file from the source. (Relies on MS XDK.)
                        The Visual Studio .NET (7.0) project files are not
                        included like they were in 0.6. These files didn't
                        work in VS6, nor VS .NET 2003 (7.1) which converted
                        badly (into a Windows, not an Xbox, project). Instead,
                        documentation is provided to help with any XDK/VS ver.

        Other Changes:
        *       Internationalization may be in a less ideal state than earlier
                        versions. The developer of this version is less well
                        versed with some modern Int'l-aware methods of coding.
                        For instance, references to _T() may have been
                        removed, LPCTSTRs were made or converted to on an
                        as-needed basis w/o knowing reasons behind the choice
                        of that filetype. (Ah, the good ol' days of char *)
        *       Many code changes. Now uses STL (part of recent Visual Studio
                        releases) and BCL (external library). Due to support
                        for G: (LBA48 drives) and data compression, several
                        files have been updated. MessageBox() has been renamed
                        (so it can be searched for separate from RenderM'Box).
                        New functions added, some old functions have merged.
                        Functions may not be listed at top of files. (Seemed
                        better to release program early than worry about that)

History/Future:
        0.9:
        This version was created by a new developer, different from X-Select
                0.6 (who were new developers who gave the application a new
                name, different from older developer(s) who made X-Selector
                0.5). The developer who made 0.9 will probably not make any
                further changes to this program, and does not suggest that
                this person is now in charge of this program's development.
        The reason for the 0.9 (rather than 0.61 or 0.7) version change is
                because there has been substantial updating, and the program
                is now very near the quality one would expect for a 1.0
                product. There are no known problems, and almost every good
                thing that was thought of but planned to NOT make it into this
                version, did make it into this release. The main reasons I'm
                not calling this 1.0 are because some things are just untested
                (like the whole program, but especially if LBA48 G: works),
                and I didn't want to take the honor away from the program's
                original creators before trying to find out if they yet have
                some plans of their own for a 1.0 release.
        Earlier versions were numbered appropriately. Version 0.6 was in many
                ways half done, such as not yet having support to set up the
                Applications slots in-program. It is good not to have a ton of
                updates and massive new features and not always be under 1.0.
                The developer of version 0.9 may release a new, slightly
                improved version and call it 1.0. Just don't count on it.

Older history:
        0.6:
        * Name Change ("the new authors will be taking over, wanted to change
                the name"). Once "X-Selector", this is now named "X-Select".
        * Time Check performed on bootup to avoid hassles if the Xbox's clock
                resets (happens after a long period with power disconnected).
        * Boot to DVD option added. * Signed w/ Font Exploit's signature.

        0.5: First release

Why use this program?
        1. It seems this was originally created to be the fastest interface to
        launch several different programs. It's even less input needed than
	Evolution-X RemoteX, where you just scroll to an option and push 1
	button.

        2. This program does its default thing without manual intervention,
        so it can be placed early in a chain of execution and then pretty much
        forgotten about (much like Phoenix BIOS Loader, which executes a BIOS,
        which then runs a dashboard). However, manual intervention is possible
        for dealing with unexpected problems. XSelect is easily signable with
        XBEDump so you can run this program before Phoenix BIOS Loader and the
        alternative dashboard of choice (likely with the built-in FTP server).
        This way if more complex apps have problems (incompatbility on another
        Xbox, or buggy new version), older versions can be found (manually if
        needed) and run. Restoring an old boot sequence (if testing a new hack
        that doesn't work) may be eaier when old FTP server/PBL are in tact.

        3. On my system, I'd rather run UnleashX with a built in file manager,
        but there are times when a person cannot easily choose the location(s)
        where the executed code may reside, such as the original unsigned code
        that is executed from a saved game location, a dashboard hack, or an
        alternate BIOS. Having lots of copies of XSelect uses less disk space
        than lots of copies of a larger program, which is especially important
        if distributing a package on a memory unit (a "memory card"), and
        useful to keep distribution file sizes low.

        4. Password protection can be used if you put this program by all
        possible entry points. (However, some entry points may not be so easy
        to block. If you run the Microsoft dashboard, a saved game exploit
        can be copied over this program, and any Boot To DVD Drive option
        could allow for code to come from a disc, and any mod chip's FTP
        server may be able to overwrite this file.)

Who made what?
        Basically, much of the code is Microsoft's (Direct3D). Much of the
                underlying code for handling graphics and launching a program
                and some basic menu support was handled by the developers of
                versions 0.5/0.6. Much of the rest of the functionality, such
                as hard drive searching code, doubling the amount of menus
                and configuration files, interal data compression, and so on,
                was handled by the developer of 0.9. Although a lot of the
                code is by the developer of version 0.9, ver 0.9 wouldn't have
                existed if it wasn't for the excellent idea to release source.
                Many thanks to the developers of versions 0.5 / 0.6 for this!

Logical things (possibly easy things) that could be implemented next:
	(Not that the most recent developer is promising to do any of these.)
                Determine why program does not find files in the current
                        directory during Evolution-X RemoteX's ID_No_D_Mount.
                Test the use of hard drive partitions beyond E: (F:, G:, etc.)
                        (Note: XDK documentation says F:-M: should be the mem
                        units (cards), so partitions after E: should be N:-W:)
                Use XDK Save Game XFindFirstSaveGame(), XCreateSaveGame(), and
                        similar functions, rather than a made up directory.
                        Note: That may make config file locations variable.
                        The reason this wasn't pursued earlier: It seems that
                        these functions would save data to a random-ish place
                        under E:\UDATA\01010001\. Then code would have to be
                        added to locate what directory was used (which isn't
                        necessarily a bad thing), but worse yet, a user would
                        not be able to easiliy know what directory under
                        E:\UDATA\01010001, if there are 2 valid possibilities
                        or more, gets used. = harder manual text file editing.
                        XBE would be a few K larger without compressed icons.
                        Achieving and keeping XSelect under 256K was hard.
                        Would uncompressed icons show up in Avalaunch, though?
                On start, display files in the QuickDash menu, along with what
                        buttons will run them, and then look for controller
                        input. This way people can earlier see what is set up.
                Allow user to have more options on where to find files.
                        (Current order: directory where XSelect resides, then
                        E:\UDATA\01010001\0123456789ABC. Allow user to choose
                        any other directory, or load a directories text file.
                Allow multiple menus (somewhat supported now, having both the
			Dashboards menu and the Applications menu, but allow
                        for easier creation of them so a programmer, or even a
                        user, can easily add more). Some progress on this was
                        made in 0.9 (the menus share more code rather than
                        having it duplicated). Loading any file as a possible
                        menu (the last option listed) would be the easiest
                        quick way to add this. Super-basic support for this is
                        added in 0.9 since XSelect can now use different
                        configuration files (based on different directories).
                Multiple button input (like a password entry) as a possibility
                        to allow for more programs (possibly kinda synonymous
                        with the idea of multiple menus stated above).
                Better handling of using ellipsis. Allow for scrolling, or at
                        least some user configuration so that any part of any
                        filename/description can be seen if the user selects
                        the right width options. Make it so that the more of
                        the description (up to all of it) can be seen if this
                        can be done at no cost to how much filename is shown.
                Support reading other fonts, either from the actual dashboard
                        or perhaps with XPR files that UnleashX puts under
                        E:\UDATA\93115330\. XboxDings.xpr has nice sprites of
                        buttons which would make for prettier in-program help.
                More rigorous error checking. (A perfect program would check
                        the memory stack to ensure there is enough memory for
                        each function call, something C/C++ (and so the XDK)
                        wasn't designed to easily allow for. So: Infeasible.)
                Add FTP server?  (XBFileZilla?)  This would eliminate the need
                        for 700K Evolution-X RemoteX for tight distributions.
                        (Or maybe, to minimize file size, this should NOT be
			done, and FTP servers should be separate.)

Other things that older developers suggested would be in future versions:
                "Understanding more dashboard types"
                        (This probably referred to just recognizing more dash-
                        boards by program ID, and naming them using the 3 or 4
                        letter name codes. This has been done a bit, but of
                        course any new dashboard can cause more work on this.)
                "Add ability to tell versions of recognized dashboards."
                        (This probably referred to version numbers. That might
                        need to be unique for each dash. So, also neverending)
                "Include ability to configure Applications Slots"(Done in 0.9)
                "Modify launch procedure to have dashboards launch as
                        TRUE dashboards (undocumented calls)" (What's this?)
		Small 3-D "bug" instead of boring text when X-Selector is
                        waiting for user decision on startup.
                        (Note: This would have a bad side to it, by making the
                        file larger, and the program's small file size is 1 of
                        its greatest characteristics. However,it seems there's
                        already graphical support using DirectX (to display a
                        message box, and measure the pixel width of a string
                        when rendered in a font), so the file size increase
                        may be negligible.)
        Suggestion: Don't try to hold your breath until these things are
                further implemented by earlier developers. Prior to this
                writing, it had been eight and a half months since the release
                before 0.9.

Notes on modifying the XBE file:
        *       XBEDumper 0.5-BETA tests the file for validity, and reports
                        errors. Don't believe XBEDump. The XBE header really
                        "is a valid header for the Xbox kernel) (see
                        http://cvs.xbox-linux.org/viewcvs.py/xbox-linux/
                                cromwell/boot_xbe/xbeboot.S?rev=1.10 ), even
                        if it isn't decodable by other apps such as XBEDump.
			In fact, I have (thanks to Visual Studio making *.EXE
			files that CXBE can convert) made a *.XBE file that
			passes XBEDump's integrity check, but then XBEPack
                        crashes on it. Just ignore XBEDump's validity checks.
        *       XBEPack can shrink the file to less than half of its regular
                        size. Great!  The one downside: The program can't be
                        successfully executed from some (many) environments,
                        including: Evolution-X RemoteX's launch menu (using
                        the game pad), UnleashX, 007: Agent Under Fire exploit
                        save game, hard drive audio copying dashboard exploit,
                        and more. Oddly enough, it does work from Evolution-X
                        RemoteX when using the raw "execute" literal QUOTe. Y?
                        Running XSelect from another environment that doesn't
                        work causes a freeze until restart of Xbox.
			Note: XBEPack 0.2 comes for WinNT (I guess) and Linux
			executable. It worked in WinXP but not Win98SE.
        *       XBEDumpable, so you can make it signed for font or audio hacks
        *       By default, signed with XBEDump -habibi (audio hack).
                        (Last version was signed for font hack by default.)

Controllers:
        XSelect 0.9 has been tested using multiple controllers. Any standard
                Xbox controller in any of the controller ports will act just
                like one plugged into the first port. The controllers do not
                need to be plugged into the port when the program starts (but
                if there is not a controller in any port than expect the
                default dash to be loaded). You can even press and hold the
                Left Trigger on 1 controller and the Right Trigger on another
                to get to the configuration menu. Keyboards aren't recognized.

Directions (mostly copied from old version):
- 8 Dashboard selections, assignable to a button on the game controller.
- Because of issues with the input routines, you must press the gamepad button
        when the brief message pops up on the screen.
  (Sorry, tried to do it differently, but the gamepad refused to see buttons
        pressed before the app is running)
- Right-Trigger, by itself, brings up the Dash Quick-Pick menu, allowing you
        to quickly select the 'default' dashboard.
- Left-Trigger, by itself, brings up the application Quick-Pick menu, for fast
        selection of your top games or apps.
- Left-Trigger and Right-Trigger at same time bring up configuration menu.
- Without input, Boots the last dashboard selected with Right-Trigger+<Button>
        or via the Quick-Pick menu.
- Holding a button will result in the booting of the dash assigned to that
        button (though it does NOT set it as the default)
- Holding a button, with the Right-Trigger, will result in the booting of the
        dash assigned to that button and select that dashboard as the default.
- Holding a button, with the Left-Trigger, will result in the booting of the
        application assigned to that button
- Holding Left-Trigger and Right-Trigger START held will result in display of
        the configuration menu. START button does NOT do this (unlike what
        has been erroneously indicated in documentation of X-Select 0.6.)

Left and Right on the plus pad (also known as the "D-Pad", supposedly standing
        for "Digital pad"), cycles through executables that have been found.

Note: When scanning a directory's sub-directory, only the sub-directories are
        scanned, not the actual directory. For instance, scanning E:\APPS\'s
        subdirectories will find E:\Apps\Aval0483\DEFAULT.XBE but not
        E:\APPS\UnleashX.XBE.

Installing: Just place this program on your hard drive, and run it from there.
	Learning how to run unsigned code on your Xbox is outside the scope of
		this simple document, but this works w/ saved game exploits.
                NOTE: Backup ALL of your files, and make sure you have a valid
                        bootable dash [MXM, Evo-X or Avalaunch] disc handy, or
                        a valid saved game exploit (if you're not altering
                        the original boot sequence), or some recovery method.                       
                You alone are responsible for anything 'bad' happening. If you
                        are unsure about what you are doing, then don't do it.
                1. Copy XSelect.xbe to your boot partition (usually C:\,
                        unless you're using a BIOS that changes this)
                2. Rename your primary Dashboard to something else (so if your
                        BIOS boots "evoxdash.xbe", rename Evo-X to "evox.xbe")
                3. Rename "XSelect.xbe" to the same name the BIOS boots as the
                        primary dashboard (in the above example, rename
                        "XSelect.xbe" to "evoxdash.xbe")
                4. Reboot (or activate your dashboard exploit, or whatever).

Configuration Files:
        New since version 0.9: All of the program's setup has been advanced
                now that you can create all of the configuration files in the
                program, and so you do not need to create them outside of this
                program (by using a text editor).
        Configuration files store data from previous sessions, and lets you
                retrieve data from earlier sessions (so that in the future,
                instead of having to define what application to run when you
                push the X button, you can just push the X button and run the
                program).
        Configuration files get stored in E:\UDATA\01010001\0123456789ABC\. If
                any of the 4 *.txt configuration files used by the first two
                versions of X-Select(or) are found in their old locations (in
                E:\UDATA\01010001 but not any subdirectories under that spot),
                and if no newer version is in the new location (0123456789ABC\
                under E:\UDATA\01010001\), the data is copied from the old
                location to the new location, where they can be copied by the
                Microsoft Dashboard. Once this is done, if config files are in
                the old location, they'll have no effect: They can be deleted
                or left there to be run by an old version of XSelect(or).
        Configuration files are loaded from the directory that the program
                executes from, if the files can be found there. Otherwise, the
                files are loaded from under the main configuration spot under
                E:\UDATA. If any configuration file is seen in the directory
                where the program is run from, all configuration files are
                saved there. It is possible to load a configuration file from
                one spot (E:\UDATA), and save changes to another location.

dashes.txt
- Dashboard slots, 8 lines of dashboard applications, with drive/paths,
        Corresponding to buttons: A, B, X, Y, Up, Down, Left, and Right. (Yes,
        this is the same order as what shows up in the in-program
        configuration setup.)

apps.txt
- Application slots, 8 lines of application filepaths. Launched when the
        Left-Trigger is used with the corresponding buttons: A, B, X, Y, Up,
        Down, Left, and Right.
Example "apps.txt":
-----Between these lines------
F:\EMUS\PCSX\default.xbe
F:\EMUS\SNES\default.xbe
E:\GAMES\X-Marbles\default.xbe
E:\GAMES\SENSEX\default.xbe
E:\APPS\BOX\default.xbe
E:\APPS\DVDRX2\default.xbe
E:\APPS\FlashX\default.xbe
E:\APPS\XCOMM\default.xbe
-----Between these lines------

lastdash.txt
- The path to the 'default' dashboard. This will be changed when the
        Right-Trigger is used with the Dash button, or when the "Quick-Pick"
        menu is brought up.

passcode.txt
- This is the passcode used for the Xbox. There is a default password as well.
        Do not set this file manually... use the configuration menu.

filespec.txt
- Stores file specifications (things like "*.abc"), which can be selected in
        the search for Xbox Executable files. This isn't really very useful
        since it is so unnecessary: the most common filespecs (*.xbe and *.)
        are built into the program, as well as * (like *.*) which can be used
        in a pinch. There was simply no reason to not have this functionality
        be user-customizable. The format is: One file specification per line.
        Note that since X-Select before 0.9 didn't use this file, this is not
        looked for, and this won't be read or copied from E:\UDATA\01010001.

dirslook.txt
- List of directories, not including drive letters, but with backslashes at
        the start of each line. Ending with a backslash will cause only that
        directory to be searched. Ending without a backslash will cause all
        directories UNDER the one specified to be searched.
Example "dirslook.txt":
-----Between these lines------
\Apps
\Apps\UnleashX\
-----Between these lines------
The first line finds E:\Apps\EvoX\Default.XBE, but not E:\Apps\Favorite.XBE.
The 2nd line fines \Apps\UnleashX\BestDash.XBE, not E:\Apps\UnleashX\Backup\*    

xselcpyf.txt
- A list of files to be copied, or directories to be created. The first not-
        yet-processed line is checked to see if it ends with a backslash. If
        so, an attempt is made to make that directory (be sure to make all
        parent directories first). Otherwise, an attempt is made to copy the
        file listed to the destination listed on the next line, and the next
        line isn't processed as source filename or directory. Repeat pattern.
        Note that this will not copy / write over any already existing files.

xseldelf.txt
- A list of files and/or directories to be deleted. This and xselcpyf.txt will
        let you copy of other files. Due to the potential for misuse, before
        the program deletes any files, the program displays a warning and will
        wait for input. If there's a message warning of impending file erasure
        and the user does not know what the contents of the xseldelf.txt file
        or where the xseldelf.txt file came from, a power down is a good idea.

showpath.nul
- Causes program to interactively show info, including all used config files.

* No animals were harmed during the process of updating this program to 0.9.
        Many pixels were heavily mutilated, though. M-wa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
