Creating a Plugin System

[Mephisto]

Does anyone here have any links to tutorials or information regarding this creating/implementing a plugin system, both creating the plugins and the system for the plugins.  Thanks to anyone who provides. 

[MyndFyre]

Does anyone here have any links to tutorials or information regarding this creating/implementing a plugin system, both creating the plugins and the system for the plugins.  Thanks to anyone who provides. 

You should be more specific.  What kind of plugins are we talking about (for example, something core/essential to the product or extra features, such as a primary protocol vs. a protocol extension)?  What platforms are you targetting?  Etc.

[Mephisto]

Win32, extensions for the program (the plugins are not the program's core), and general tutorials on creating plugins.  I have a general idea on how to develop them, but I haven't been able to find any decent resources on creating them, nor example programs.

[Grok]

You could study COM or CORBA, both which implement a style of plugin.  Once you get the big picture you could use that knowledge to design your own system.  Generally, though, it is better to use an existing well-defined interface system than to roll your own.

[Mephisto]

You could study COM or CORBA, both which implement a style of plugin.  Once you get the big picture you could use that knowledge to design your own system.  Generally, though, it is better to use an existing well-defined interface system than to roll your own.

Are these already created systems free and avaliable to the public?  If so, do you know where I could attain one?

[MyndFyre]

You could study COM or CORBA, both which implement a style of plugin.  Once you get the big picture you could use that knowledge to design your own system.  Generally, though, it is better to use an existing well-defined interface system than to roll your own.

Are these already created systems free and avaliable to the public?  If so, do you know where I could attain one?

COM is part of Visual C++, implemented generally in the Active Template Library (ATL).

[Skywing]

You could study COM or CORBA, both which implement a style of plugin.  Once you get the big picture you could use that knowledge to design your own system.  Generally, though, it is better to use an existing well-defined interface system than to roll your own.

Note that COM is extremely painful to use from a language that doesn't have built-in support for it (e.g. VB, C#, ...).

[Banana fanna fo fanna]

I had to do a ton of webcam/directshow COM programming, and let me tell you, it SUCKS. It's mainly a documentation issue, though.

[Grok]

I had to do a ton of webcam/directshow COM programming, and let me tell you, it SUCKS. It's mainly a documentation issue, though.

A particular implementation of a library is way off topic to whether COM or CORBA is a suitable plugin platform.

[Grok]

You could study COM or CORBA, both which implement a style of plugin.  Once you get the big picture you could use that knowledge to design your own system.  Generally, though, it is better to use an existing well-defined interface system than to roll your own.

Note that COM is extremely painful to use from a language that doesn't have built-in support for it (e.g. VB, C#, ...).

Probably.  Now that I think about it, COM or CORBA might not be an answer to the question.  COM/CORBA are designed to provide self-describing interfaces between unfamiliar code objects.

Now I think the request was to provide a well-known interface, so COM might only be an available mechanism, not a predefined interface.  If he wants a well-known plugin interface, I do not have an answer for him.  Does he want one with callbacks?

[MyndFyre]

Note that COM is extremely painful to use from a language that doesn't have built-in support for it (e.g. VB, C#, ...).

I thought VB *does* have built-in support via ActiveX.  I could be off.  But VB7 and C# do have nearly-built-in support via RCWs.  All you have to do is import it into your VS.NET project, or use the command-line tool to generate an assembly.

[Skywing]

Note that COM is extremely painful to use from a language that doesn't have built-in support for it (e.g. VB, C#, ...).

I thought VB *does* have built-in support via ActiveX.  I could be off.  But VB7 and C# do have nearly-built-in support via RCWs.  All you have to do is import it into your VS.NET project, or use the command-line tool to generate an assembly.

Rephrasing:

Note that COM is extremely painful to use from a language that doesn't have built-in support for it (like for instance VB and C# do).

[Banana fanna fo fanna]

Is COM available for Linux?

[thetempest]

COM is just "C Object Modle" I fogot what C stands for, anyways, the methodolgy is easy to do on linux...

the problem, i dont think you can get your COM to work with M$.  I used to do COM but it's been a while.

Sorry, wish i could be of more help, if i get some freetime, i'll see what i can digup.

Good luck

[MyndFyre]

COM is just "C Object Modle" I fogot what C stands for, anyways, the methodolgy is easy to do on linux...

the problem, i dont think you can get your COM to work with M$.  I used to do COM but it's been a while.

Sorry, wish i could be of more help, if i get some freetime, i'll see what i can digup.

Good luck

COM is "Component Object Model".  COM is not available for Linux, unless it was implemented with Wine, which I highly doubt.  It's generally messy, a pain, and requires a lot of work; it's supposed to provide language interoperability.  I don't know what in hell you're talking about, tempest, with it working easily for Linux and not for Windows...