System Manager - syd711/vpin-studio GitHub Wiki

The VPin Studio's "System Manager" gives you an overview about the different software components that are usually used on VPin.

Updates

The overview page shows a summary of all components and their installed and a available versions. If the section shows question marks, you installation does not match with the latest artifacts available on Github.

Use the "Refresh Version Information" button to fetch the latest artifacts and check your installation.

System Manager Updates Overview

Component Tabs

Besides the general overview, dedicated tabs exist for VPX, VPin MAME, B2S Server, Freezy (DMD), FlexDMD, DOFLinx and DOF. The component tabs share the same functionalities. The most important feature is that the latest Github artifacts from the component can be compared to your local installation. Additionally, you can simulate or execute updates.

Updates Tab

It's recommended to simulate updates first! Check if the folders are matching and which files are overwritten.

If the installation button is disabled, check the button tooltip. Some updates can only be performend on the cabinet!

Depending on the component, green system buttons are shown that open tools from these components. So they are only enabled, when you work on the cabinet, not remote.

Emulators

The Emulators tab lists every configured game emulator (VPX, Future Pinball, Pinball FX/FX3/M, Zaccaria and others) with its enabled state, games folder and file extension.

Emulators

Adding an Emulator

Use the Create button to add a new emulator. Pick the Emulator Type from the dropdown - the dialog validates the type immediately and shows either a Validation Successful message or an Emulator Validation Failed error. Give the emulator a folder-safe Name and confirm with Create Emulator.

Editing an Emulator

Select an emulator from the table to edit its details in the right-hand panel:

  • Emulator is active - enables or disables the emulator entirely
  • Name (folder safe), Display Name, Description
  • Launch Folder and Games Folder, both with a folder picker and an "open folder" shortcut
  • File Extension (PinUP Popper) or Executable (PinballX)
  • Media Folder (Popper) or Parameters (PinballX)
  • ROMs Folder (Popper only)

Use Duplicate to clone an emulator configuration under a new name, or Delete to remove it (with a confirmation prompt). Changes are only applied once you press Save.

Editing an Emulator

A validation banner appears at the bottom of the screen if the emulator is misconfigured - for example an invalid launch, games, media or ROMs folder, a missing file extension, or no games found for the current folder/extension combination.

Launch & Exit Scripts

Every emulator has a dedicated script panel, which differs by frontend:

  • PinUP Popper: three raw script editors - Launch Script, VR Launch Script and Exit Script. Placeholders like [DIREMU], [DIRGAME], [GAMENAME], [STARTDIR], [ALTEXE] or [MEDIADIR] can be inserted directly into the script text via the Insert button. Note that for VPX emulators these scripts are generated automatically on server startup - to customize them you have to edit the corresponding emulator-*.bat file in the resources folder of the VPin Studio Server directly.
  • PinballX: discrete fields instead of raw scripts - Script Execution Enabled, Wait For Exit and Hide Window checkboxes, plus Working Directory, Executable and Parameters text fields.

Screens

The Screens tab draws a canvas of your cabinet's display configuration, so you can visually compare what Windows reports, what the frontend expects, and what VPX/PinMAME actually use - and spot misconfigurations before they cause a black screen in-game.

Screens View

The canvas overlays four sources, each drawn in its own color:

  • Monitor (gray) - the physical monitors reported by Windows.
  • Frontend Displays (blue) - the displays configured in your frontend (PinUP Popper, PinballX or PinballY).
  • ScreenRes.txt Displays (green) - the display regions defined in screenres.txt.
  • VPX Display (brown) - the playfield display as VPX itself reports it. This is only shown if a VPX display is detected.

Screens Canvas with Source Legend

Each source has a "Show All" checkbox plus one checkbox per individual display, so you can isolate a single source or display to compare it against the others. These checkboxes only control what's drawn on the canvas - toggling them does not change any actual configuration. Use the magnifier buttons in the toolbar to zoom the canvas in or out.

If a mismatch is detected, a validation banner below the canvas explains exactly what doesn't line up - for example a monitor that isn't vertically aligned with the primary one, a monitor positioned to the left of the primary (unsupported in Popper), or a screen's position/size in VPinballX.ini or screenres.txt not matching what the frontend has configured.

Screens Validation Errors

DOF Tester

This is a hidden, advanced feature - it's disabled by default and has no visible toggle in the preferences. To enable it, add doftester.enabled=true to config/settings.properties in your VPin Studio installation folder and restart the client. Once enabled, a DOF Tester tab appears next to Emulators and Screens.

The tab lists your tables with a DOF Mapped indicator (a green check if the table's DOF mapping was found) and its ROM. Selecting a table shows its toys - the individual DOF outputs (flashers, contactors, LED strings, etc.) extracted from the table's script. Each toy has a Test button to physically trigger that output on your cabinet for a configurable duration, which is useful for verifying your DOF/DirectOutput wiring without having to actually play the table. This screen only tests and displays existing DOF mappings - it doesn't let you create or edit the mapping itself, which is still managed through your DOF configuration files (linked via the settings button on this tab).