uLaunch

Custom, open-source replacement/reimplementation for Nintendo Switch's HOME Menu (qlaunch), extending it with amazing, homebrew-orienteed functionality!

uLaunch is a very ambicious project, consisting on two custom library applets, a custom system application and a custom system applet, in order to replace the console's HOME menu with a custom, homebrew-orienteed one.

No, this isn't any kind of HOME menu extension, injection, patch, etc. uLaunch is a complete reimplementation, 100% open-source, which also takes over eShop and Mii applets and flog system title, for its extended functionality.

NOTE: the project is still a work-in-progress. Check what's left to do before release here!

• The project is licensed as GPLv2.

• For those who are interested in how the UI was done, this project is, like Goldleaf, a good example of how powerful Plutonium libraries can be in order to make beautiful UIs.

Are you looking for help with themes? Check this document for more info!

1. Features
2. Disclaimer
3. Project and subprojects
4. Custom menu entries
5. Installing and removing
6. Compiling
7. Errors
8. Credits

Features

This is the amount of features uLaunch contains, compared to the original HOME menu:

• Homebrew support

  • Launching as applets (no need of Album!)

  • Launching as applications (no need of any titles to do so!)

  • Custom basic homebrew menu

  • Option to add custom NRO accessors to main menu (homebrew or custom items easily accessible, no more need of forwarders!)

• Miscellaneous extras

  • Web browsing (via web-applet) directly from the main menu!

  • Foreground capturing from PC itself (Windows-only) via USB-C cable and QForegroundViewer!

• UI

  • Themes (different to official HOME menu themes/NXThemes)

    • Custom icons, menu gfx, background...

    • Custom background music and sound effects!

  • Folders in order to keep your main menu organized!

  • Option to show the suspended title in the background (like 3DS's HOME menu did!)

• Users

  • PC-like login on startup (select user and use it for everything, log off, register/change/remove password...)

  • User password support! (up to 15 characters)

Note: some classic HOME menu functionality (eShop, friends...) isn't implemented here. This reimplementation is mainly homebrew-orienteed, so it will lack some classic functionality.

Disclaimer

Homebrew as applications

uLaunch launches homebrew present (added) to main menu as an application, taking advantage of flog's built-in application title, which was stubbed but not removed, thus it's content can be overriden via LayeredFS and launched.

Since launching this title should be impossible, it might involve ban risk, so use it at your own risk. uLaunch warns on launching titles this way.

Project and subprojects

uLaunch is split, as mentioned above, into several sub-projects:

QDaemon (SystemAppletQDaemon)

This sub-project replaces qlaunch, aka title 0100000000001000.

This is the technically actual qlaunch reimplementation. However, to avoid memory issues it does not use any kind of UI (except console for development debug, which is removed for releases), and thus it uses 8MB of heap, while official HOME menu uses 56MB.

Instead, it uses QMenu custom library applet (launches and communicates with it) in order to display a proper menu UI.

But, if all the functionality is handled by QMenu, why is this daemon process necessary? Well, mainly since the system applet process has a lot of unique code it's the only one who can use, specially, related to title launching, focus managing...

TL;DR: this is a simple daemon process which stays communicated with QMenu to perform tasks it is asked to so, specially with code it is the only one that can access.

QMenu (LibraryAppletQMenu)

This sub-project replaces "cabinet" library applet, aka title 0100000000001002.

This is the HOME menu the user will see and interact with. It contains all the UI and sounc functionality, password, themes...

QHbTarget

This is the name for two related projects, whose aim is to target and launch homebrew NROs in a simple way. It can be considered as a simple and helpful wrapper around nx-hbloader's code:

System application (SystemApplicationQHbTarget)

This sub-project replaces "flog" system application, aka title 01008BB00013C000.

This is the process which runs instead of flog, which is used to launch homebrew as applications.

Library applet (LibraryAppletQHbTarget)

This sub-project replaces "myPage" library applet, aka title 0100000000001013.

This is the same process but, like in normal HOME menu and Album, it runs homebrew as an applet. However, exiting homebrew here will exit to HOME menu instead of exiting to hbmenu.

QForegroundViewer

QDaemon daemon process, appart from usual (and special) HOME menu functions, it also sends the console's foreground display via USB as a raw RGBA8 1280x720 ~3MB buffer. QForegroundViewer is the PC tool (WinForms) which intercepts those sent buffers and renders them. It is a bit laggy, but can be very useful for taking quick screenshots!

Unlike the other projects, this one isn't essential and uLaunch would be perfectly usable ignoring this sent data.

For more technical information about uLaunch and qlaunch, check this.

Custom menu entries

uLaunch supports adding custom shortcuts. This means you can show entries with a custom icon, which launch a NRO with certain argv, what could be potentially used for stuff like emulator ROM shorcuts.

Entries consist on JSON files (one per entry) located at sd:/ulaunch/entries. They are used for two main purposes:

• Adding homebrew accesses (as stated above) to the main menu

• Specifying that a homebrew access or a system title go inside a folder

If you want to make your own access, create a JSON file in the entries folder (the name doesn't matter) like this:

{
  "type": 2,
  "nro_path": "<path-to-nro>",
  "nro_argv": "<custom-argv>",
  "icon": "<custom-icon-jpeg>",

  "name": "My custom entry",
  "author": "Second text for whatever I want",
  "version": "Third text"
}

Note that type needs to be always 2, and that type, nro_path must be present. The others are all optional.

Note that if name, author or version fields aren't set they will be loaded from the NRO, thus it would show the RetroArch core's name, etc., same with the icon.

Installing and removing

In order to check uLaunch's installation, you will need to pay attention to the titles directory of the CFW you're using.

How do I know whether it is installed?

Check if folders 0100000000001000, 0100000000001002, 0100000000001013 and 01008BB00013C000 exist. (and that they aren't empty, or at least contain a exefs.nsp file)

How do I remove it?

1 - Delete the following folders: 0100000000001002, 0100000000001013 and 01008BB00013C000.

2 - Delete only exefs.nsp file from 0100000000001000 directory (if there is a romfs folder present it could be a normal HOME menu theme)

Compiling

You will need devkitPro, devkitA64, libnx and all SDL2 libraries for switch development.

Clone (recursively!) this repo (uses libstratosphere and Plutonium submodules) and hit make in root. It should build everything and generate a titles folder ready for use inside SdOut.

Errors

If you get a crash using uLaunch, please check:

• If the crash's title is 0100000000001000, 0100000000001002, 0100000000001013 or 01008BB00013C000 and you know for sure you have this project in your SD, then it is very likely related to this project.

Credits

• Several scene developers for help with small issues or features.

• SciresM for libstratosphere.

• Switchbrew team for libnx and hbloader, the base of *QHbTarget projects (they're some useful wrappers of hbloader in the end)

• Icons8 website for a big part of the icons used by the default style.