.. _frontends:

Front-ends
==========

A number of third party tools for MAME to make system and software selection
simpler are available.  These tools are called “front-ends”, and there are far
too many to list exhaustively here.  Some are free, some are commercial –
caveat emptor.  Some older front-ends predate the merging of MAME and MESS and
do not support the additional console, hand-held, and computer functionality
inherited from MESS.

This following list is not an endorsement of any of these front-ends by the MAME
team.  It simply shows a number of commonly used free front-ends to provide a
starting point.

`QMC2 <http://qmc2.batcom-it.net/>`__ (multiple platforms)
    Provides a graphical interface for configuring many of MAME’s settings and
    features.  Also includes ROM management and media auditing features.
    Written in C++ using the Qt toolkit, the
    `source code is on SourceForge <https://sourceforge.net/projects/qmc2/>`__.
`Negatron <http://negatron.net/>`__ (multiple platforms)
    Negatron emphasises features for configuring emulated computers and
    consoles.  Written in Java, the
    `source code is on GitHub <https://github.com/xinyingho/Negatron>`__.
`BletchMAME <https://www.bletchmame.org/>`__ (multiple platforms)
    BletchMAME takes advantage of MAME’s Lua scripting interface to integrate
    tightly and effectively replace MAME’s internal user interface.  It has
    many useful features for home computer emulation.  Written in C++, the
    `source code is on GitHub <https://github.com/npwoods/bletchmame>`__.
`IV/Play <https://john-iv.github.io/iv-play/>`__ (Microsoft Windows)
    IV/Play has a customisable interface designed to be navigated with a
    keyboard.  It supports software lists and has flexible filtering.
`Retrofire <https://e2j.net/downloads/>`__ (Japanese, Microsoft Windows)
    Provides a Japanese-language graphical interface for launching systems or
    software in MAME.

The MAME team will not provide support for issues with front-ends.  For support,
we suggest contacting the front-end author or asking on one of the popular
MAME-friendly forums on the Internet.
