Homebrew Channel

	Homebrew Channel
General
Author(s)	Team Twiizers
Type	Loaders
Version	beta9
Links
	[[Official site\|Download]]
	Source
Peripherals

The Homebrew Channel is a self-updating homebrew application loader by Team Twiizers which allows users to load homebrew applications without having to run the Twilight Hack every time. Once installed, users can access the channel from the Wii Menu just like any other Wii channel. It can launch homebrew applications from an SD card or via TCP/USB Gecko using Wiiload. The newest release is compatible with the 23 Oct Updates.

Download

The Homebrew Channel can be downloaded from the official site.

Installation

Using Twilight Hack

Assuming the Twilight Hack is already installed on your Wii;

Download the installer from the link above.
Expand the archive to find README.txt, wiiload and boot.elf
Place the boot.dol file in the root of your SD card.
Run the Twilight Hack, and allow the installer to load.
READ THE DISCLAIMER! In the VERY unlikely case your Wii should be bricked by the installer, this will let you know where you stand in regards to Team Twiizers.
Press the RESET button on your Wii.

The installation should be automatic from this point on, and your Wii will reboot.

Using DVD

The DVD method requires a drivechip and won't work on 3.3 firmware update or newer. DVD images for beta9 are currently unavailable, though you can install beta8 and then update.

Configuring Applications

In order to make an application appear in the Homebrew Channel, the following steps must be taken:

Make a folder on the root of your SD card called "apps".
In the folder "apps," create a folder for the application (for this example, ScummVM will be used).
Copy the files for the application into its folder (e.g. apps/scummvm/).
Find the executable file (either .elf or .dol) and rename it to boot.elf (or boot.dol if it was a .dol file) if it is not already named that (e.g. apps/scummvm/boot.dol). If the app comes with these files, copy the icon.png and meta.xml files into this folder.

Now the application will appear in the Homebrew Channel. However, if the application did not come with icon.png or meta.xml, its appearance on the menu is ugly, and difficult to distinguish from other applications. To fix this, text and an image can be added.

Adding Text

To add text to an application in the Homebrew Channel, do the following:

Make a file in the folder of the application (e.g. apps/scummvm/) called "meta.xml" (e.g. apps/scummvm/meta.xml).
Open "meta.xml" in Notepad and add the following text as a template:

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
  <app version="1">
    <name></name>
    <coder></coder>
    <version></version>
    <release_date></release_date>
    <short_description></short_description>
    <long_description></long_description>
  </app>

Add the appropriate information in between the relevant indicators. For example, the name of the application goes between <name> and </name>. The purpose of each field is as follows:

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
  <app version="1">
    <name>The name of the application</name>
    <coder>The name of the person or group that wrote the code for the program.</coder>
    <version>The version of the application.</version>
    <release_date>The data the application was released.
    It has to be a timestamp using this format: YYYYmmddHHMMSS</release_date>
    <short_description>This is displayed on the main menu of the Homebrew Channel (before you select an application) and is
    used as a space to add a few words to describe the program.</short_description>
    <long_description>This is displayed once the application is chosen. It describes the program and its function in great
    detail, and can be used to elaborate on a program's controls.</long_description>
  </app>

An example of a completed "meta.xml" for ScummVM is provided below:

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
  <app version="1">
    <name>ScummVM</name>
    <coder>dhewg</coder>
    <version>rev32231</version>
    <release_date>200805230000</release_date>
    <short_description>Point &amp; Click Adventures</short_description>
    <long_description>ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games,
    provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executables shipped
    with the games, allowing you to play them on systems for which they were never designed! Some of the adventures ScummVM
    supports include Adventure Soft's Simon the Sorcerer 1 and 2; Revolution's Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword 1 and
    Broken Sword 2; Flight of the Amazon Queen; Wyrmkeep's Inherit the Earth; Coktel Vision's Gobliiins; Westwood Studios'
    The Legend of Kyrandia and games based on LucasArts' SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) system such as
    Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max and more.</long_description>
  </app>

A web application to create meta.xml files and code was made by abeisgreat, and is available here [1]. Alternatively, you can use Pinecone's Java-based HBCXMLGen program.

Adding an Icon

See also: Homebrew Channel/Icons

In order to make icons for the Homebrew Channel show up, they must be in .png format with dimensions of 128x48 pixels. The full alpha channel can be used. Copy it into the folder of the application under the name "icon.png" (e.g. apps/scummvm/icon.png).

Complete Setup Format

An SD card should be formatted in FAT16 or FAT32. After you have installed the apps on your SD card, its folder structure should look something like this:

Removable Disk (eg: (E:) on Windows and where it is mounted to on Linux or Mac OS X eg: /media/disk/ )
- apps
  - ScummVM
    - boot.dol
    - meta.xml(Optional)
    - icon.png(Optional)
  - WiiShopInstaller
    - boot.dol
    - meta.xml(Optional)
    - icon.png(Optional)

If you have any problems having your Applications showing up on the 'HBC', make sure you are following the correct format.

Controls

You can use to navigate though the application list.

	Action
/	Move through the applications Up/Down
/	Change applications page left/right
	Select option
	Menu

Removal

Removing the channel can be done by simply deleting it with the channel management in the Wii system software.

Changelog

1.0

meta.xml now handles all ISO-8859-1 characters properly
Wiimote power button support (shutdown)
Wiimote rumble honors system setting
Fixed some crash bugs
Fix meta.xml UNIX style newline regression
All wiimotes work now, not just the first one
Classic Controller support
Nunchuk support (scroll only)
Guitar Hero 3 guitar support
Left and right change pages too
Hit 1 on Wiimote for net reload (like net icon click or GC Z)
Add information to installer
Fixed some networking issues with net disabled
Pushed in some text to avoid overscan crop
Widened video width to match system menu ("black bars" fix)
B returns from app screen (unless scrolling)
Try to initialize network earlier
Retry network init a few times
Fix a networking issue (libogc)
Reload stub now identifies itself (magic number)
Support broken HTTP proxies in update check
Show IOS revision in main menu

Beta 9

Installer / updater now works with the October 23 update
SDHC support
REALLY fixed the memcard bug
Installer now picks newest sane IOS, fixes some beta8 regressions
Added a reload button (for SD card changes)
Return to system menu skips warning
Fixed some graphical glitches
Compliant ELF loading code (if you get errors use ELF to DOL Converter)
Saner XML load code
Many fixes to underlying stuff in the newer libogc

Beta 8

you don’t need to eject your memcards anymore
switched from IOS35 to IOS21, this makes the hbc usable on older firmwares
improved SD card loading performance (thanks, svpe!)
improved some translations
the IP label isn’t cut off anymore
fixed argv support when loading SD apps
fixed a minor wiiload issue
the SD app entries are now sorted alphabetically
wiimote rumble support
installer overhaul, it now warns you if your System Menu is too new (future updates)

Beta 7

(Initial Public Release besides chainloader)

minor bugfixes and last GUI updates
more translations
ISO distribution
first public beta

Beta 6

GUI overhaul chapter two
translations
wiimote dragging on memo widget
auto disconnect wiimote after idle time
various fixes

Beta 5

GUI overhaul chapter one
IR pointer smoothing
improved argv support
fixed bugs introduced with wiimote code
fixed update bugs
SD card is scanned for boot.dol then boot.elf

Beta 4

wiimote IR cursor

Beta 3

flicker fix
stable wiimote libraries
argv support

FAQ

The official FAQ from the developers of the Homebrew Channel can be found here.

Bugs

If you believe you've found a bug in the Homebrew Channel, report it here.