Seeds - Datoso

What are Seeds?

Seeds are Datoso’s plugin system that extends the core functionality to support different DAT file sources. Each seed implements the logic needed to:

Fetch: Download DAT files from a specific source
Parse: Understand source-specific naming and organization
Process: Apply custom rules for organizing ROMs

Think of seeds as adapters that teach Datoso how to work with different ROM preservation communities and their DAT repositories.

Architecture

Each seed is a standalone Python package that follows a standard structure:

datoso-seed-{name}/
├── __init__.py           # Metadata (__version__, __author__, __description__)
├── fetch.py              # Download logic
├── actions.py            # Processing pipeline definition
├── rules.py              # System detection and folder organization
└── args.py (optional)    # Additional CLI arguments

Seed Lifecycle

Available Official Seeds

Datoso supports multiple ROM preservation communities through official seeds:

Active Seeds

FBNeo

Final Burn Neo arcade emulator DATs

No-Intro

No-Intro Datomatic - Cartridge-based systems

Redump

Redump - Disc-based systems

Pleasuredome

Pleasuredome MAME sets

TDC

Total DOS Collection

VPinMAME

Visual Pinball ROM sets

WHDLoad

Amiga WHDLoad packages

Eggman

Teknoparrot and ALL.Net arcade ROMs

Deprecated Seeds

The following seeds are deprecated and included for backwards compatibility:

md_enhanced: Mega Drive Enhanced (use enhanced seed)
sfc_enhancedcolors: Super Famicom Enhanced Colors (use enhanced seed)
sfc_msu1: Super Famicom MSU1 (use enhanced seed)
sfc_speedhacks: Super Famicom Speed Hacks (use enhanced seed)
translatedenglish: Translated English ROMs (superseded by newer organization)

Seed Details

FBNeo

Package: datoso-seed-fbneo Final Burn Neo is a multi-system arcade emulator. This seed manages DAT files for arcade ROM sets.

Installation
Usage
Features

pip install datoso[fbneo]
# or
pip install datoso-seed-fbneo

# Fetch arcade DATs
datoso fbneo --fetch

# Process and organize
datoso fbneo --process

No-Intro

Package: datoso-seed-nointro No-Intro maintains preservation sets for cartridge-based systems through Datomatic.

Installation
Usage
Systems Covered

pip install datoso[nointro]
# or
pip install datoso-seed-nointro

# Fetch all No-Intro DATs
datoso nointro --fetch

# Process only Nintendo systems
datoso nointro --process --filter Nintendo

No-Intro DATs may require solving CAPTCHAs during fetch. Datoso will pause and prompt you if needed.

Redump

Package: datoso-seed-redump Redump preserves disc-based systems with verified dumps including hashes for all tracks.

Installation
Usage
Systems Covered

pip install datoso[redump]
# or
pip install datoso-seed-redump

# Fetch Redump DATs
datoso redump --fetch

# Process PlayStation systems only
datoso redump --process --filter PlayStation

Pleasuredome

Package: datoso-seed-pleasuredome Pleasuredome provides MAME ROM sets and related arcade preservation.

Installation
Usage
Features

pip install datoso[pleasuredome]
# or
pip install datoso-seed-pleasuredome

datoso pleasuredome --fetch
datoso pleasuredome --process

TDC (Total DOS Collection)

Package: datoso-seed-tdc Total DOS Collection preserves DOS games and software.

Installation
Usage

pip install datoso[tdc]
# or
pip install datoso-seed-tdc

datoso tdc --fetch
datoso tdc --process

VPinMAME

Package: datoso-seed-vpinmame Visual Pinball ROM sets for pinball machine emulation.

Installation
Usage

pip install datoso[vpinmame]
# or
pip install datoso-seed-vpinmame

datoso vpinmame --fetch
datoso vpinmame --process

WHDLoad

Package: datoso-seed-whdload WHDLoad packages for Amiga games installed to hard disk.

Installation
Usage

pip install datoso[whdload]
# or
pip install datoso-seed-whdload

datoso whdload --fetch
datoso whdload --process

Eggman

Package: datoso-seed-eggman Teknoparrot and ALL.Net arcade system ROMs.

Installation
Usage

pip install datoso[eggman]
# or
pip install datoso-seed-eggman

datoso eggman --fetch
datoso eggman --process

Installing Multiple Seeds

Install all official seeds at once:

pip install datoso[all]

Or select specific seeds:

pip install datoso[redump,nointro,fbneo]

Managing Seeds

List Installed Seeds

datoso seed installed

Output example:

Installed seeds:
* fbneo - Final Burn Neo arcade emulator DATs
* nointro - No-Intro Datomatic cartridge-based systems
* redump - Redump disc-based systems preservation

View Seed Details

datoso seed details redump

Output:

Seed redump details:
  * Name: datoso_seed_redump
  * Version: 1.0.1
  * Author: Lacides Miranda
  * Description: Redump disc-based systems preservation

Check Seed Health

# Check all seeds
datoso doctor

# Check specific seed
datoso doctor redump

The doctor command validates:

Python dependencies are installed
Module can be imported correctly
Required configuration exists
Network connectivity (for fetch operations)

Processing All Seeds

Process DATs from all installed seeds at once:

# Fetch from all seeds
datoso all --fetch

# Process all seeds
datoso all --process

# Combined operation
datoso all --fetch --process

How Seeds Work

Fetch Module

Each seed’s fetch.py implements the download logic:

def fetch():
    """Download DAT files from source."""
    # 1. Connect to source (HTTP, FTP, API, etc.)
    # 2. Authenticate if needed
    # 3. List available DATs
    # 4. Download to tmp/{seed}/dats/
    # 5. Handle errors and retries

Common fetch patterns:

HTTP scraping: Parse HTML to find download links
API calls: Use REST APIs where available
Direct downloads: Simple file downloads from known URLs
FTP: Connect to FTP servers for file retrieval

Rules Module

The rules.py module defines how to detect systems and organize folders:

from datoso.seeds.rules import Rules

class SeedRules(Rules):
    def get_company(self, name):
        """Extract company from DAT name."""
        if "Sony" in name:
            return "Sony"
        if "Nintendo" in name:
            return "Nintendo"
        return None
    
    def get_system(self, name):
        """Extract system/platform."""
        if "PlayStation 2" in name:
            return "PlayStation 2"
        return None

Actions Module

The actions.py module defines the processing pipeline:

def get_actions():
    """Return action pipeline for processing."""
    return {
        '{dat_origin}': [
            {'action': 'LoadDatFile', '_class': DatFile},
            {'action': 'DeleteOld', 'folder': '{dat_destination}'},
            {'action': 'Copy', 'folder': '{dat_destination}'},
            {'action': 'Deduplicate'},
            {'action': 'SaveToDatabase'},
            {'action': 'MarkMias'},
        ]
    }

Available actions:

LoadDatFile: Parse DAT file
DeleteOld: Remove outdated versions
Copy: Copy to organized location
Deduplicate: Remove duplicate ROMs
AutoMerge: Merge related DATs
SaveToDatabase: Persist metadata
MarkMias: Flag missing ROMs

Seed Configuration

Seeds can have their own configuration sections in datoso.config:

[REDUMP]
# Seed-specific settings
Username = your_username
Password = your_password

[NOINTRO]
# Override default actions
OverrideActions = LoadDatFile,Copy,SaveToDatabase

Creating Custom Seeds

While this documentation covers official seeds, you can create your own:

Clone the base seed template

git clone https://github.com/laromicas/datoso_seed_base

Implement required modules

__init__.py: Metadata
fetch.py: Download logic
actions.py: Processing pipeline
rules.py: System detection

Install and test

pip install -e .
datoso doctor your_seed

For detailed instructions on developing custom seeds, see the datoso_seed_base repository.

Seed Best Practices

Rate Limiting

Implement respectful rate limiting in fetch modules to avoid overwhelming source servers:

import time

def fetch():
    for dat in dats:
        download(dat)
        time.sleep(1)  # Wait 1 second between downloads

Error Handling

Handle network errors gracefully and provide useful error messages:

try:
    response = requests.get(url, timeout=30)
    response.raise_for_status()
except requests.RequestException as e:
    logger.error(f"Failed to download {url}: {e}")
    return False

Incremental Updates

Only download changed DATs by checking dates or ETags:

if remote_date > local_date:
    download(dat)
else:
    logger.info(f"Skipping {dat}, already up to date")

Authentication

Store credentials securely in configuration, never in code:

from datoso.configuration import config

username = config.get('SEEDNAME', 'Username')
password = config.get('SEEDNAME', 'Password')

Troubleshooting Seeds

Seed Not Found

Module datoso_seed_redump not found

Solution: Install the seed package

pip install datoso-seed-redump

Import Errors

Error: cannot import name 'fetch' from 'datoso_seed_redump'

Solution: Update the seed to the latest version

pip install --upgrade datoso-seed-redump

Fetch Failures

Errors fetching redump

Solution: Run doctor to diagnose

datoso doctor redump --verbose

Common causes:

Network connectivity issues
Source website changes
Authentication problems
Rate limiting or IP blocks

Next Steps

DATs and ROMs - Understanding DAT file formats and ROM organization
Configuration - Configure seed-specific settings
Plugin Development - Create your own custom seed

Get Started

Core Concepts

Commands

Configuration

Guides

Advanced

​What are Seeds?

​Architecture

​Seed Lifecycle

​Available Official Seeds

​Active Seeds

FBNeo

No-Intro

Redump

Pleasuredome

TDC

VPinMAME

WHDLoad

Eggman

​Deprecated Seeds

​Seed Details

​FBNeo

​No-Intro

​Redump

​Pleasuredome

​TDC (Total DOS Collection)

​VPinMAME

​WHDLoad

​Eggman

​Installing Multiple Seeds

​Managing Seeds

​List Installed Seeds

​View Seed Details

​Check Seed Health

​Processing All Seeds

​How Seeds Work

​Fetch Module

​Rules Module

​Actions Module

​Seed Configuration

​Creating Custom Seeds

​Seed Best Practices

​Troubleshooting Seeds

​Seed Not Found

​Import Errors

​Fetch Failures

​Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

What are Seeds?

Architecture

Seed Lifecycle

Available Official Seeds

Active Seeds

Deprecated Seeds

Seed Details

FBNeo

No-Intro

Redump

Pleasuredome

TDC (Total DOS Collection)

VPinMAME

WHDLoad

Eggman

Installing Multiple Seeds

Managing Seeds

List Installed Seeds

View Seed Details

Check Seed Health

Processing All Seeds

How Seeds Work

Fetch Module

Rules Module

Actions Module

Seed Configuration

Creating Custom Seeds

Seed Best Practices

Troubleshooting Seeds

Seed Not Found

Import Errors

Fetch Failures

Next Steps