fix: find RetroArch where Windows and macOS keep it

install.ps1

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ param(
 
 $ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
 $defaultInstallUrl = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.py"
-$defaultInstallSha256 = "351450de7dc16195231c2065aef1d1ee72a2231d9a5d7af158dc199099b198ad"
+$defaultInstallSha256 = "3eac76733e9f27965ef62da4f3ef8e793b02af289d7a3317b1626c99a64ddcff"
 $maximumInstallerBytes = 2MB
 $installer = if ($PSScriptRoot) { Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "install.py" } else { $null }
 $temporary = $null

install.py

@@ -174,15 +174,15 @@ def _os_default_dests(os_type: str) -> dict[str, Path]:
         profile = Path(os.environ.get("USERPROFILE", str(home)))
         appdata = Path(os.environ.get("APPDATA", str(home / "AppData" / "Roaming")))
         return {
-            "retroarch": appdata / "RetroArch" / "system",
+            # RetroArch's system directory defaults to <exe folder>\system
+            # (platform_win32.c), and its installer to C:\RetroArch-Win64.
+            "retroarch": Path("C:/RetroArch-Win64/system"),
             # RetroBat's installer defaults to C:\RetroBat (installer.iss).
             "retrobat": Path("C:/RetroBat/bios"),
             "bizhawk": profile / "BizHawk" / "Firmware",
         }
     if os_type == "darwin":
-        return {
-            "retroarch": home / "Library" / "Application Support" / "RetroArch" / "system",
-        }
+        return {"retroarch": _macos_retroarch_base() / "system"}
     return {
         "retroarch": home / ".config" / "retroarch" / "system",
         "bizhawk": home / ".config" / "BizHawk" / "Firmware",
@@ -455,6 +455,27 @@ def _retroarch_cfg_dir(
     return None
 
 
+def _windows_retroarch_dirs() -> list[Path]:
+    """Folders holding retroarch.exe where the installer and the archive put
+    it: C:\RetroArch-Win64 by default, C:\RetroArch for 32-bit builds."""
+    candidates = [Path("C:/RetroArch-Win64"), Path("C:/RetroArch")]
+    for var in ("ProgramFiles", "ProgramFiles(x86)"):
+        root = os.environ.get(var, "")
+        if root:
+            candidates.append(Path(root) / "RetroArch")
+    return [folder for folder in candidates if (folder / "retroarch.exe").is_file()]
+
+
+def _macos_retroarch_base() -> Path:
+    """Where RetroArch on macOS keeps its system folder by default:
+    ~/Documents/RetroArch, or Application Support/RetroArch when that folder
+    holds portable.txt (platform_darwin.m)."""
+    support = Path.home() / "Library" / "Application Support" / "RetroArch"
+    if (support / "portable.txt").is_file():
+        return support
+    return Path.home() / "Documents" / "RetroArch"
+
+
 # System directory -> the retroarch.cfg it was read from and the directory
 # ':' expands to there, for finding the cores of the same installation.
 _RETROARCH_CONFIGS: dict[Path, tuple[Path, Path]] = {}
@@ -896,11 +917,17 @@ def detect_platforms(os_type: str) -> list[tuple[str, Path]]:
             found.append(("retroarch", ra_dir))
 
     if os_type == "darwin":
-        home = Path.home()
-        mac_cfg = home / "Library" / "Application Support" / "RetroArch" / "retroarch.cfg"
-        ra_dir = _parse_retroarch_system_dir(mac_cfg)
-        if ra_dir:
-            found.append(("retroarch", ra_dir))
+        # open_default_config_file reads <Application Support>/RetroArch/config
+        # (configuration.c); a value left at default is the documents folder,
+        # or Application Support itself for a portable install
+        # (platform_darwin.m). The config beside it is where older builds
+        # kept it.
+        support = Path.home() / "Library" / "Application Support" / "RetroArch"
+        for mac_cfg in (support / "config" / "retroarch.cfg", support / "retroarch.cfg"):
+            ra_dir = _parse_retroarch_system_dir(mac_cfg, _macos_retroarch_base())
+            if ra_dir:
+                found.append(("retroarch", ra_dir))
+                break
 
     if os_type in ("windows", "wsl"):
         # EmuDeck Windows
@@ -911,11 +938,20 @@ def detect_platforms(os_type: str) -> list[tuple[str, Path]]:
             if emu_path:
                 found.append(("emudeck", Path(emu_path) / "bios"))
 
-        # RetroArch Windows
+        # RetroArch Windows: open_default_config_file reads retroarch.cfg
+        # beside the exe, then under %APPDATA%\RetroArch, and a value left at
+        # default is <exe folder>\system (configuration.c, platform_win32.c).
         appdata = os.environ.get("APPDATA", "")
-        if appdata:
-            win_cfg = Path(appdata) / "RetroArch" / "retroarch.cfg"
-            ra_dir = _parse_retroarch_system_dir(win_cfg)
+        appdata_cfg = Path(appdata) / "RetroArch" / "retroarch.cfg" if appdata else None
+        exe_dirs = _windows_retroarch_dirs() if os_type == "windows" else []
+        for exe_dir in exe_dirs:
+            ra_dir = _parse_retroarch_system_dir(exe_dir / "retroarch.cfg", exe_dir)
+            if ra_dir is None and appdata_cfg is not None:
+                ra_dir = _parse_retroarch_system_dir(appdata_cfg, exe_dir)
+            found.append(("retroarch", ra_dir or exe_dir / "system"))
+            break
+        if not exe_dirs and appdata_cfg is not None:
+            ra_dir = _parse_retroarch_system_dir(appdata_cfg)
             if ra_dir:
                 found.append(("retroarch", ra_dir))
 

install.sh

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ esac
 TEMP_INSTALLER=""
 TEMP_DIRECTORY=""
 DEFAULT_INSTALL_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.py"
-DEFAULT_INSTALL_SHA256="351450de7dc16195231c2065aef1d1ee72a2231d9a5d7af158dc199099b198ad"
+DEFAULT_INSTALL_SHA256="3eac76733e9f27965ef62da4f3ef8e793b02af289d7a3317b1626c99a64ddcff"
 MAX_INSTALLER_BYTES=2097152
 
 cleanup() {

platforms/_registry.yml

@@ -171,9 +171,17 @@ platforms:
         method: config_file
         config: $HOME/.config/retroarch/retroarch.cfg
         parse_key: system_directory
+      # configuration.c reads <Application Support>/RetroArch/config; a value
+      # left at default is ~/Documents/RetroArch/system (platform_darwin.m).
       - os: darwin
         method: config_file
-        config: $HOME/Library/Application Support/RetroArch/retroarch.cfg
+        config: $HOME/Library/Application Support/RetroArch/config/retroarch.cfg
+        parse_key: system_directory
+        bios_path: $HOME/Documents/RetroArch/system
+      # Beside retroarch.exe first, then %APPDATA%; default <exe folder>\system.
+      - os: windows
+        method: config_file
+        config: 'C:\RetroArch-Win64\retroarch.cfg'
         parse_key: system_directory
       - os: windows
         method: config_file

tests/test_install.py

@@ -1743,5 +1743,54 @@ class TargetListFailureIsNotAnAnswer(unittest.TestCase):
         with unittest.mock.patch.object(install.urllib.request, "urlopen", missing):
             self.assertEqual(install.fetch_targets("retroarch"), {})
 
+
+class RetroArchWhereItReallyLives(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Windows: retroarch.cfg sits beside retroarch.exe and system defaults
+    to <exe folder>\\system; only %APPDATA% was read, and the fallback was a
+    folder RetroArch never reads. macOS: the config is under
+    Application Support/RetroArch/config, the system folder in Documents."""
+
+    def _exe_dir(self) -> tuple[Path, dict]:
+        program_files = Path(_tempdir(self))
+        exe_dir = program_files / "RetroArch"
+        exe_dir.mkdir()
+        (exe_dir / "retroarch.exe").write_bytes(b"MZ")
+        return exe_dir, {"ProgramFiles": str(program_files)}
+
+    def test_windows_install_folder_without_a_config(self):
+        exe_dir, env = self._exe_dir()
+        with unittest.mock.patch.dict(os.environ, env, clear=True):
+            found = install.detect_platforms("windows")
+        self.assertIn(("retroarch", exe_dir / "system"), found)
+
+    def test_windows_appdata_config_at_default_names_the_exe_folder(self):
+        exe_dir, env = self._exe_dir()
+        appdata = Path(_tempdir(self))
+        (appdata / "RetroArch").mkdir()
+        (appdata / "RetroArch" / "retroarch.cfg").write_text('system_directory = "default"\n')
+        env["APPDATA"] = str(appdata)
+        with unittest.mock.patch.dict(os.environ, env, clear=True):
+            found = install.detect_platforms("windows")
+        self.assertIn(("retroarch", exe_dir / "system"), found)
+
+    def test_windows_config_beside_the_exe_wins(self):
+        exe_dir, env = self._exe_dir()
+        (exe_dir / "retroarch.cfg").write_text('system_directory = "D:\\bios"\n')
+        with unittest.mock.patch.dict(os.environ, env, clear=True):
+            found = install.detect_platforms("windows")
+        self.assertIn(("retroarch", Path("D:\\bios")), found)
+
+    def test_macos_config_folder_and_documents_default(self):
+        home = Path(_tempdir(self))
+        support = home / "Library" / "Application Support" / "RetroArch"
+        (support / "config").mkdir(parents=True)
+        (support / "config" / "retroarch.cfg").write_text('system_directory = "default"\n')
+        with unittest.mock.patch.object(install.Path, "home", return_value=home):
+            found = install.detect_platforms("darwin")
+            self.assertIn(("retroarch", home / "Documents" / "RetroArch" / "system"), found)
+            (support / "portable.txt").write_text("")
+            found = install.detect_platforms("darwin")
+            self.assertIn(("retroarch", support / "system"), found)
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()

wiki/installer.md

@@ -277,8 +277,9 @@ found on one machine.
 | `~/.var/app/org.libretro.RetroArch/config/retroarch/retroarch.cfg` | RetroArch (Flatpak) | `system_directory` |
 | `~/snap/retroarch/current/.config/retroarch/retroarch.cfg` | RetroArch (Snap) | `system_directory` |
 | `~/.config/retroarch/retroarch.cfg` | RetroArch (native) | `system_directory` |
-| `~/Library/Application Support/RetroArch/retroarch.cfg` | RetroArch (macOS) | `system_directory` |
-| `%APPDATA%\RetroArch\retroarch.cfg` | RetroArch (Windows) | `system_directory` |
+| `~/Library/Application Support/RetroArch/config/retroarch.cfg` | RetroArch (macOS) | `system_directory`; at default, `~/Documents/RetroArch/system` (portable: `Application Support/RetroArch/system`) |
+| `retroarch.cfg` beside `retroarch.exe` (`C:\RetroArch-Win64`, `C:\RetroArch`, `Program Files\RetroArch`) | RetroArch (Windows) | `system_directory`; at default or without a config, `system` beside the exe |
+| `%APPDATA%\RetroArch\retroarch.cfg` | RetroArch (Windows) | `system_directory`, read when the exe folder has no config |
 | `%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Steam\steamapps\common\RetroArch\retroarch.cfg` | RetroArch (Steam) | `system_directory` |
 | LaunchBox `Data\Emulators.xml` | RetroArch (portable) | the system directory that entry points at |