Homebrew Channel

	Homebrew Channel
General
Author(s)	Team Twiizers
Type	Loaders
Version	beta8
Links
	[[Official site\|Download]]
	Source
Peripherals

The Homebrew Channel is a 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 in dol or elf -- either from an SD card, or via TCP or USB Gecko using Wiiload. It is also capable of downloading online updates for itself.

The Homebrew Channel can be downloaded from the official site.

Installation

Using DVD

This method is only applied prior to 3.3 firmware update

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.elf 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.

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).

Now the application will appear in the Homebrew Channel. However, its appearance on the menu is 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:

 *Name: The name of the application
 *Coder: The name of the person or group that wrote the code for the program.
 *Version: The version of the application.
 *Release_date: The data the application was released. It has to be a timestamp using this format: YYYYmmddHHMMSS
 *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.
 *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.

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 & 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]

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).