GPL Screen Selector User Guide

Welcome to the GPL Screen Selector! This tool allows you to easily manage and switch between different screen layouts for the Grand Prix Legends racing simulator. You can preview and apply new screens, randomise them for a fresh look, and launch your favourite mods directly from the app.

🚀 Getting Started: First-Time Setup

The very first time you run the application, you'll be asked to locate your main GPL installation folder.

1. A pop-up window may or may not appear but you will need to click OPTIONS to "Select your GPL Installation Folder".

2. Navigate to and select the folder that contains the gpl.exe file. The application needs this to find your Layout directory where all the mod screens are stored.

3. Once selected, the application will remember this path for future use.

Note: If you ever move your GPL installation, you can set the correct folder again by going to Options -> Set GPL Folder... in the menu.

🖥️ The Main Interface Explained

The application window is divided into a few key areas:

1. Top Selection Menus: At the top left, you'll find two dropdown menus:

   • Select MOD: Choose the car mod (e.g., 1967 F1, 1969 F1) you want to customise.

   • Select SCREEN: After selecting a mod, choose which screen you want to change (e.g., the start screen, main menu background).

2. Thumbnail Gallery (Left Pane): This area displays all the available replacement images for the selected screen.

   • Images with a red border are missing a corresponding .pbf file. While they will work, they may not be perfectly aligned.

   • Use your mouse wheel or the arrow keys to navigate through the thumbnails.

3. Preview & Action Area (Centre Pane): This is where you see a large preview of the selected image.

   • LAUNCH buttons: If the selected mod has associated executables (like GPL 67, 65, etc.), buttons to launch them will appear here.

   • RANDOM: Clicks a random screen from the thumbnail gallery.

   • Clear: Clears your selection and shows the currently installed screen.

   • Open Folder: Opens the folder containing the screen images in your file explorer.

   • CONFIRM CHOICE: This is the most important button! Click it to apply the selected screen to GPL.

4. Current Screens (Right Pane): This sidebar shows you small previews of the screens currently installed for the selected mod (Start, Main, and Credits). You can click on any of these previews to quickly jump to that screen's selection gallery.

5. Status Bar (Bottom): Displays useful information like the current GPL folder path, the number of available images, and the filename of the selected or current screen.

📝 How to Change a Screen

Changing a screen is a simple, three-step process:

1. Select Your Mod and Screen: Use the dropdown menus at the top to choose the mod and the specific screen you want to change.

2. Choose a New Image: Click on any thumbnail in the left-hand gallery. A large preview will appear in the centre.

3. Apply Your Choice: Click the CONFIRM CHOICE button at the bottom of the preview area. A confirmation message will appear once the files have been copied successfully. That's it! The next time you launch GPL, you'll see your new screen.

✨ Advanced Features & Options

The application has several extra features accessible from the top menu bar.

View Menu

• Dark Mode: Toggles the application's colour scheme between a light and dark theme.

• Thumbnail Size: Change the size of the images in the gallery to Small, Medium, or Large.

• Show Current Previews: Show or hide the right-hand sidebar that displays your currently installed screens.

Options Menu

• Set GPL Folder...: Allows you to change the location of your GPL installation directory.

• Configure Randomiser...: Opens a new window where you can check which mods you want to include in the automatic randomisation process.

• Run Randomiser Now: Immediately applies a random screen to all the mods you've selected in the Randomiser Configuration.

• Open Logfile...: Opens the randomizer.log file, which keeps a record of all changes made by the randomiser.

Automatic & Background Randomisation

You can run the randomiser feature automatically without opening the main application window. This is perfect for setting up a scheduled task or a startup script.

1. First, configure which mods you want to randomise using the Options -> Configure Randomiser... menu inside the application. Your choices will be saved.

2. To run the randomiser silently in the background, you need to run the executable with a special command, known as a flag. Open a Command Prompt or PowerShell, navigate to the application's directory, and run the command: GPLscreens.exe --auto

3. For convenience, you can create a shortcut to do this automatically:

   • Right-click on GPLscreens.exe and select Create shortcut.

   • Right-click the new shortcut and go to Properties.

   • In the Target field, add a space and then --auto at the very end of the path.

   • Place this shortcut in your Windows Startup folder to have your screens randomised automatically every time you log in.