Getting Started
Wii homebrew is compiled using devkitpro, specifically devkitPPC. It compiles to a boot.dol
and a boot.elf
file, we're more interested in the first.
Repository Setup
Use the wii-template template repository to create your git repo. You can either click the "Use this template" button, or select "alex/wii-template" from the "Template" dropdown when making a repository. The template includes:
- The example hello world application from devkitpro.
- The devkitpro example Makefile, modified to always output a file named
boot.dol
for the Homebrew Channel. - A Jenkinsfile that will build your code using the Makefile in the devkitppc Docker container.
- The icon.png and meta.xml files needed for the Homebrew Channel.
Local Compilation
Most sources online recommend you install devkitpro locally, so that's definitely an option. Nobody really mentions the Docker container, but if you want you can use that locally too, using the following command from the project root directory:
docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd):/src devkitpro/devkitppc bash -c 'cd /src; make'
This will output your boot.dol
and boot.elf
to the same folder.
Emulating Your Code
You can quite eaisly run your code in the Dolphin emulator, just go to "Open" and select your boot.dol
file.
Homebrew Channel Installation
To get the code running on an actual Wii, you need to install it to the Homebrew Channel. Applications are installed to the apps
folder in the root of your SD card, each application has its own folder. Just put your boot.dol
, meta.xml
and icon.png
in a new folder in the apps folder, and you should be good to go.
The meta.xml
describes what appears in the menu for your application in the Homebrew Channel. Its fields are documented on wiibrew, here.
The icon.png
is the application's icon in the Homebrew Channel. Wiibrew says it should be 128x48 pixels (see here), and provides a seperate page with a lot of templates.
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