PROJECT: MultiEx Plugin Support

Rahly · Post by **Rahly** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:14 am

do you want a WORKING delphi application? or how it SHOULD work for you, but in delphi?

I have talored the Manager to work with VB, and because of VB crazy dll talking, i've had to do some special. So if i wrote a working application, it would do have to do some cleanup, that VB does automatically and stuff like that.

Post by **Mr.Mouse** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:22 am

I guess it's just all the new manager source (functions, declares, consts) etc.

No need to rewrite it

Rahly · Post by **Rahly** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:29 am

Code: Select all

// Plugin Support Information

function GetManagerVersion(var Major, Minor: LongInt): LongBool; stdcall;
function GetSupportedInterfaceVersion(var Major, Minor: LongInt): LongBool; stdcall;
function SetPluginDirectory(Directory: PChar): LongBool; stdcall;
function RefreshPluginList(): LongBool; stdcall;
function PluginCount(): LongInt; stdcall;
function PluginInfo(Index: LongInt; var MyPluginInfo: TManagerPluginInfo): LongBool; stdcall;
function FreeCache():LongBool; stdcall;
function SetCacheSize(Size: LongInt):LongBool; stdcall;

// Plugin Calls

function mpGetFormatCount(): LongWord; stdcall;
function mpGetFormatInfo(FormatIndex: LongInt; var FormatInfo: TFormatInfo): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpGetOptions(FormatIndex: LongInt; OptionType: LongInt): PChar; stdcall;
function mpSetOption(FormatIndex: LongInt; OptionType: LongInt; Name: PChar; Value: PChar): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpOpenArchive(var ArchiveHandle: LongInt; FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveName: PChar; Flags: Cardinal): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpOpenArchiveBindStream(var ArchiveHandle: LongInt; FormatIndex: LongInt; Stream: IStream; Flags: Cardinal): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpCloseArchive(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpIndexCount(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt): LongInt; stdcall;
function mpIndexedInfo(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; Index: LongInt; Item: PChar): PChar; stdcall;
function mpFindInfo(FormatIndex: LongInt; Handle: LongInt; Field: PChar): PChar; stdcall;
function mpFindFirstFile(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; FileMask: PChar): LongInt; stdcall;
function mpFindNextFile(FormatIndex: LongInt; FindHandle: LongInt): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpFindClose(FormatIndex: LongInt; FindHandle: LongInt): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpIsFileAnArchive(FormatIndex: LongInt; Filename: PChar): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpIsStreamAnArchive(FormatIndex: LongInt; Stream: IStream): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpExportFileByNameToFile(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; ArchiveFile: PChar; ExternalFile: PChar): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpExportFileByIndexToFile(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; FileIndex: LongInt; ExternalFile: PChar): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpExportFileByNameToStream(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; ArchiveFile: PChar; Stream: IStream): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpExportFileByIndexToStream(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; FileIndex: LongInt; Stream: IStream): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpImportFileFromFile(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; ArchiveFile: PChar; ExternalFile: PChar): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpImportFileFromStream(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; ArchiveFile: PChar; Stream: IStream): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpRemoveFileByName(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; Filename: PChar): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpRemoveFileByIndex(FormatIndex: LongInt; ArchiveHandle: LongInt; FileIndex: LongInt): LongBool; stdcall;
function mpGetLastError(FormatIndex: LongInt): Cardinal; stdcall;
function mpGetErrorText(FormatIndex: LongInt; Value: Cardinal): PChar; stdcall;

that it?

Rahly · Post by **Rahly** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:42 am

Saw this, didn't know if maybe you wanted to read it.

http://www.vbaccelerator.com/home/VB/Ty ... rticle.asp

Post by **Mr.Mouse** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 9:08 am

Rahly wrote:Saw this, didn't know if maybe you wanted to read it.

http://www.vbaccelerator.com/home/VB/Ty ... rticle.asp

Ah yes, something like that may come in handy in the future.

Rahly · Post by **Rahly** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:39 am

Hey, i'm also looking at the prospect of binding with explorer, similar to how ZIP files are implemented in XP.

Rahly · Post by **Rahly** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:30 pm

Example

this binds .fpk archives (from Sid Meier's Pirates!) with explorer.

Post by **Mr.Mouse** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 7:39 am

That is nice stuff.

Captain · Post by **Captain** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 7:51 am

Awesome!

Neko · Post by **Neko** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:09 pm

Are there any examples of a Delphi plug-in or plug-in manager?
I want to make one.

Rahly · Post by **Rahly** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 6:09 am

it was just released this week, i haven't had time to finish the documentation yet. nor have i finished the C/C++ header files for generating a plugin.

Neko · Post by **Neko** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 6:56 pm

Can you send me a copy of the current Common.pas and the list of mp* function definitions? I don't know if the ones in this topic are still current and wouldn't want to get it wrong.

Neko · Post by **Neko** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 11:40 pm

On the current API: it might be possible to change the PChar arguments to WideString. That would make it not reference counted and prevent certain problems. Visual Basic will just take it... but I cannot easily check.

Returning strings (PChar) in DLL functions (also WideStrings) generally leads to problems. Do these functions work right now?

Rahly · Post by **Rahly** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 11:50 pm

I'll have a plugin skeleton shortly, PChars are not referenced counted, AnsiStrings are.

And VB Doesn't take it. ByVal Value as String <--- VB converts a UTF-16 String to an Ansi String. I'm trying to see if i can find a better way to get WideStrings, as I would like to have that implemented in a later version.

MrMouse and I have spend a few hours just getting strings to work. PChar is what the plugins use as its easy for a C/C++ pluging to make a char* and delphi already has support (PChar). The plugin manager itself acts as a buffer between MexCom and the Plugins. There are a few reasons that make VB a terrible language to implement plugins in.

Neko · Post by **Neko** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:27 am

Rahly wrote: MrMouse and I have spend a few hours just getting strings to work. PChar is what the plugins use as its easy for a C/C++ pluging to make a char* and delphi already has support (PChar). The plugin manager itself acts as a buffer between MexCom and the Plugins. There are a few reasons that make VB a terrible language to implement plugins in.

I know, I've spend days on it in the past. And got it to work eventually. The 'correct' way to return a string (this is what I used anyway):

Code: Select all

  function PlugInVersions(Path: PChar; BufferSize: Integer; var Buffer: PChar): Integer; stdcall; forward;

(returning string length as function result).

Code: Select all

  for i:=1 to Length(tmpDynaFile) do begin
    Buffer[i-1]:=tmpDynaFile[i];
  end;
  Buffer[Length(tmpDynaFile)]:=#0;
  Result:=Length(tmpDynaFile);

And this would return something. But note that this code does not check BufferSize, which is a requirement these days. Wouldn't want buffer overflows.
This is the corresponding VB declaration and code:

Code: Select all

Private Declare Function PlugInVersions Lib "tibedhlp.dll" (ByVal Path As String, ByVal BufferLength As Long, BufferText As String) As Long

Function GetPluginLiveUpdateInfo() As String
  Dim Buffer As String * 255
  Dim q As Long
  q = PlugInVersions(DataDir$, 255, Buffer)
  GetPluginLiveUpdateInfo = Left$(Buffer, q)
End Function

Might be useful.

XeNTaX

XeNTaX

PROJECT: MultiEx Plugin Support