DataPlugin SDK Quickstart

1) Open up vs.net and click New Project
2) Choose the language of your choise and create a new Class library project and call it MyPlugin
3) Add a reference to CoreInterfaces.dll located in your lcdstudio folder.
4) Paste the following code into class1.cs (C# is used but this code is that basic it shoudn't be hard to convert to VB.Net)

Code:

using System;
using LcdStudio.CoreInterfaces;

namespace MyPlugin
{
public class Plugin : AbstractDataPlugin
{
   public override void RegisterData(IDataService ds)
   {
      ds.RegisterVariable(Group,"MyPlugin.HelloWorld","MyPlugin\\Hello world");
      ds.RegisterVariable(Group,"MyPlugin.TimeMsg","MyPlugin\\Time");
      this.UpdateInterval = 10000; //Update every 10000ms (10 sec)
   }

   public override void UpdateData(IDataService ds)
   {
      ds.SetValue("MyPlugin.HelloWorld","Hello world");
      ds.SetValue("MyPlugin.TimeMsg",string.Format("The time is {0} ",DateTime.Now.ToShortTimeString()));
   }

}
}

5) Compile your project and copy the resulting MyPlugin.dll to your LcdStudio folder
6) Create a file in your LcdStudio folder called MyPlugin.Plugin with the following lines

	Code:
	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <Plugins> <Plugin ID="My Plugin" Type="MyPlugin.Plugin, MyPlugin" Visible="Yes" > <Depends ID="DataService" /> <Depends ID="DispatchService" /> </Plugin> </Plugins>

7) Run LcdStudio and add your Plugin in the config panel.

Can't make it any easyer to extend LcdStudio.

If you guys have questions or need help feel free to ask.

Remember this is just a quickstart sdk a full sdk containing more documentation will be made at a later time.

Last edited by Ray on Fri May 19, 2006 6:44 pm; edited 2 times in total

A Vb.Net version

as you can see its not that much different (just ugly... ehhehe)

Code:

Public Class Plugin
Inherits LcdStudio.CoreInterfaces.AbstractDataPlugin

Public Overrides Sub RegisterData(ByVal ds As LcdStudio.CoreInterfaces.IDataService)
ds.RegisterVariable(Group, "MyPlugin.HelloWorld", "MyPlugin\Hello world")
ds.RegisterVariable(Group, "MyPlugin.TimeMsg", "MyPlugin\Time")
Me.UpdateInterval = 10000 'Update every 10000ms (10 sec)
End Sub

Public Overrides Sub UpdateData(ByVal ds As LcdStudio.CoreInterfaces.IDataService)
ds.SetValue("MyPlugin.HelloWorld", "Hello VB.NET world")
ds.SetValue("MyPlugin.TimeMsg", String.Format("The time is {0} ", DateTime.Now.ToShortTimeString()))
End Sub
End Class

Where do I put the code to have a configuration screen ala the MailChecker plugin?

I updated the sample a little showing how to do a basic config panel and saving/loading the settings.

http://updates.lcdstudio.com/~ray/site/MyPlugin.zip

A user control - clever!

Is the example's user control size fixed at the appropriate dimensions?

the panel size is indeed fixed, if you make your config control bigger it would just clip at the edges and lose all thats not in sight.

Humm i'm trying your sample here translated to c++;
I got this code i belive it's right:

Code:

using namespace System;
using namespace LcdStudio::CoreInterfaces;

namespace MyPlugin
{
public ref class Plugin:AbstractDataPlugin
   {
   public:
   virtual void RegisterData(IDataService ^ds)override
      {
      ds->RegisterVariable(Group,"MyPlugin.HelloWorld","MyPlugin\\Hello world");
      ds->RegisterVariable(Group,"MyPlugin.TimeMsg","MyPlugin\\Time");
      this->UpdateInterval = 10000; //Update every 10000ms (10 sec)
      }
   virtual void UpdateData(IDataService ^ds)override
      {
      ds->SetValue("MyPlugin.HelloWorld","Hello world");
      ds->SetValue("MyPlugin.TimeMsg",String::Format("The time is {0} ",DateTime().Now.ToShortTimeString()));
      }
   };
}

however unless i add System.Windows.Form as a Reference i get the compile error.

Code:

c:\documents and settings\aanagnos\my documents\visual studio 2005\projects\myplugin\myplugin\MyPlugin.h(24) : error C3766: 'MyPlugin::Plugin' must provide an implementation for the interface method 'System::Windows::Forms::Control ^LcdStudio::CoreInterfaces::IPlugin::ConfigPanel::get(void)'
c:\documents and settings\aanagnos\my documents\visual studio 2005\projects\myplugin\myplugin\MyPlugin.h(11) : see declaration of 'LcdStudio::CoreInterfaces::IPlugin::ConfigPanel::get'

When i add it it removes the error and i can see the plugin in the LcdStudio's Options Menu but i can't check the Load @ StartUp box nor is their anything regarding it in the DataView tab.

The reference you have to add is normal, in C# of vb you need to do the same thing.

Your code looks fine to me, best thing i can come up with is you have a wrong type entry in your .plugin file?

Please check that if you still can't get it going please send me a copy of your sample project i'd be happy to look at it.

Unless their is a change that needs to be made to the .plug example you have posed above it's right.

I made sure to name all the clases the same as in the example.

i'll send my Project via e-mail.. Sry but it's a Visual C++ 2005 project so it won't open right in any of the older versions that i know of..

Source is easy to copy paste though it's only that one MyPlugin.cpp file

Ahh there we go, the dotnet 1.1 runtime refuses to load 2.0 modules thats why its not loading.

Now that vs.net 2005 is final i am looking into compiling studio on that platform but i sadly don't have an eta on that for you.

thtas ok since for the time being .nwt 1.1 and 2.0 can be installed side by side i'll just make 1.1 modules for the time being

Just a quick question:

"3) Add a reference to CoreInterfaces.dll located in your lcdstudio folder. "

How do I do this in VC++ Express?

Never tried VC++ express but in C# and VB there is a References tree node underneath your main project file. I assume it's there too in VC++ but not really sure

Ok I compiled this in VC# and it worked right a way!

I created the MyPlugin.plugin file and pasted the text from above. Now the problem is making the checkbox checked in the options menu for MyPlugin... For some reason it can't be check on Sad

?

All 4 MyPlugin.dll's I tried (in bin\release, bin\debug, obj\release and obj\debug)

you probably messed up the fully qualyfied name you have to specify in the .plugin file.

make sure it matches your class exactly.

if you keep having problems, email me the project i'll take a look at it