PluginQL -- A kX Addon

Maddogg6

Oh - I thought the entry in the 'ADD ONS' submenu wasnt finished - so - i guess its not working for me.. I click on it - but no GUI pops up..

When I click on it - nothing happens.


The plug-in registered no problem tho...

Maddogg6

The plug-in works to open tweak windows properly tho - btw.

Russ

The Addon menu item is for enabling/disabling the hotkeys (checked means it is enabled). It does not open the GUI. The GUI is accessed through the plugin.

Maddogg6

Ok - I looked and looked... read this thread over again...

I conclude that;
The add-on didnt add a plugin - the hot keys work but:
I assume the plugin is called 'PluginQL' - I dont see the plugin anywhere.

Also,
in the addon sub-menu - 'PluginQL' will never get checked - it will always be unchecked - BUT hot keys work.

Ive re-booted and tried fresh - and same thing happens.

PITmaster

Plugin is a very good idea. And my little ask is, please add device selection, I think like this:
CTRL-SHIFT-x________Device________1
and
CTRL-SHIFT-y________Device________2

BTW:
ComboBoxes doesn't work (doesn't appear), I have to use key arrows (left, right). But the same happens with standard ComboBox on Synth Compatibility window or 24/96 Router window. Is it a 3538h version issue or something?

I guess modes should be in order 0,1,2,..9 instead 1,2,3,...0 because it's more natural to press ALT-SHIFT-2 and CTRL-SHIFT-3 to open plugin nr 23.

3538h, w2k
PITmaster

Russ

@Maddogg6, I do not understand what you are saying. In one message you said the plugin works to open the tweak window, but in another you say that the you cannot find the plugin.

The zip file should contain the plugin and the addon (PluginQL.kxa and PluginQL.kxl). You need to register both yourself, the addon does not auto-register the plugin.

Make sure you have the right version, as the menu item should have a check mark next to it by default. Again the test version is only available from the secondary download link, and it is called: PluginQL_beta_3538x.zip

Please confirm that is the version you are using.

Russ

@PITmaster,

I am not sure why you cannot see the ComboBoxes. That is strange. I had no such problems when I was using 3538h. What OS are you using? Does anyone else have the same problem?

As for device selection, I had considered adding that, but I did not see a function to find out the number of devices, so I left it out.

As for the number order (1234567890), I thought it was natural to use this ordering because it is the way the numbers appear on the keyboard, and as there is no plugin number 0, it made sense to make 0 = 10. This way the plugin numbers are 1 to 1 with the keyboard numbers. I had considered making the modes 0-9, for the same reason you mentioned, but I decided to do it the same way as the keys for consistancy.

In any case, this is just a test version, if enough people agree that it would be better to do it another way, I would definatley consider changing it in the final version.

Maddogg6

I installed this -
PluginQL_3538h.zip - the KXA file is dated 12/7/2005

So this explains the missing GUI for PluginQL..

Now - if I press hot keys - the tweak window for the corresponding plugin will pop up.

BUT - I CANT de-activate the addon - Although theres NEVER a check next to PluginQL - no check will appear next to this addon. No matter what I do - no check mark will show next to PluginQL in the ADDON sub-menu of KX tray menu.

Seems a bug with KX - in V3538h... ??

Russ

Ok, then you definately are using the older version. That version did not have any of those features. Please try the new test version.

Here is the link for the new test versions:
http://home.comcast.net/~garberr

Maddogg6

Ok - will do -

edit..
When I first tried the link above - it didnt work - I tried the OP one - and it showed %7E instead of the '~' tilde - so I first was warning that ~ wasnt translating in firefox... but then I tried again and it worked.... ?? [puzzled]

Maddogg6

SWEET! - This IS NICE - oh, and I can de-activate now also...

NICE WORK -
TRUELY... a FINE 'RUSSWARE' release... lol

Russ

It was probably a bad idea to put the files on only the secondary download site.
I added the files to both download sites to avoid any more confusion.

Russ

Thanks Maddogg6
lol @ RussWare

BTW: Do you have any problems with the ComboBoxes like PITmaster described?

Maddogg6

Not a bad Idea - actually mabe ixnay the NONGUI one.. ??

Id say its satable enough so far in h anyway...

But whats 'DOO'? - im thinking its one of them non-supported features you warned of earlier. But Im curious now. All the others are supported.


Again.. Nice job.

Maddogg6

No combo box problems - nope. not a bug in sight.

Russ

Thanks again Maddogg6

@PITmaster
Do you have the Tahoma TrueType font installed?
What OS are you using?
What are your display settings? i.e. Resolution, Color Depth, any effects in use (i.e. XP visual effects)

Maddogg6

Ok - because im an 'idea' guy - lol (who isn't hehe)

It would be cool if:
If (window.x.open=true) window.x.close else window.x.open

Ya know, to close the window if already open... would make memorizing the keys easier (easier to undo mistake of hitting wrong key)

Also - if 'LOAD SETTINGS' was an option and the added param was a file name of all settings files in the KX install directory - as a drop down list - so switch dsp sttings are as easy as a key stroke... This would win you a golden duckie award.

Well, no real award - but it would be super cool...

just ideas - 0 expectations....

I was stupid happy with JUST the keystroke opening tweak windows working in V1 (non-beta) Everything else is like 'Clean up' after a happy ending at massage parlor.

Russ

hehe,
I had the same idea about closing the windows, but found no functions to do it. I will look around some more and see if I can figure something out, as I think that would be good as well.

As for LOAD_SETTINGS, I think that should be do-able.

Maddogg6

Also - make sure its not corrupt - dbl click on the TTF file and make sure all the 'The Quick Brown Fox...' is showing. if not, get a newer version of the Tahoma font file.


This bit me once before....

Russ

Oops, missed that post somehow...

I left the old version on there in case anyone prefers that version...

DOO is Digital Output Only mode

Russ

BTW: Regarding features that might not be supported. Obviously it would be better to detect such things and leave them out for cards that do not support it, but unfortunatly I do not know every model nor what features they support, so that would be difficult to do. I am hoping that Eugene accounted for this (i.e. made it in such a way that enabling such features does not do anything for cards that do not support it), considering that all the same things can be done using kxctrl.

Maddogg6

Yeah - that would be quite the matrix... hehe
Seems like a LOT of card models made.

Russ

The problem is not really with closing the tweak windows (that is not a problem for most plugins), it is with plugins whose tweak window is another kX window (i.e. kxmixer, or kxrouter, etc). I am not sure how to determine which plugins are like this (other than comparing names, etc).

Russ

I would like to know what everyone thinks about the idea of an open/close toggle for the tweak windows (for other windows it would be a little more complicated, so I am not sure if I would want to do it for all the windows). If I ignored those plugins (FxBus, epilog, xrouting, etc.) then an open/close toggle would not be hard to do (i.e. I could use get_user_interface(), and if it returns "None" (which it does for those plugins) then I do nothing). Those windows can be opened using one of the other functions, so maybe it would not be so bad ignoring those plugins.

One issue would be that if you have one tweak window open, and you open another tweak window, and then want to go back to the first tweak window, you would first have to close the window, and then open it again.

It might be better to just close the window(s) using the Windows shortcut ALT-F4. The only issue with that is that the window must be the active window to close it using ALT-F4, where-as doing it from the addon would not have that limitation.

Maddogg6

well - Even if just closing tweak windows, is cool too - for the NON mixer plugins.
The MIXER PLUGINs being a different 'mode' - makes the other tweak windows - (ones to learn new key strokes for..) still easier to find the right tweak window.

I find my self trying key strokesuntil I find the tweak window I need - unless the DSP window is open - but normally Im using the hot keys to avoid going to the dsp window - this is me anyway...

Another angle - what about closing ALL KX* windows - ??

Russ

If it is just a matter of closing the window after accidentally opening the wrong one, ALT-F4 should work for any window (and ALT-TAB to switch between open windows).

I imagine that the hotkeys are more useful for DSP configs that are fairly permanant (i.e. ones that you use all the time and do not change much), as memorizing several different configs would be difficult. For configs that you do not know well, it might be better to just use the hotkey to open the DSP window, and then you can see the plugin numbers, etc. Memorizing the other keys (i.e. opening the DSP/mixer/router, etc) should be a little easier as those keys would not need to change. Also with so many possible hotkeys (i.e under the default setup, modes 9 and 10 are not even used for anything), and with the ability to configure them how you want, you can leave out the ones you might never use and thus have less to remember. I did not expect that anyone would use all 100 hotkeys, nor use all of the possible options, but rather that having several to choose from would allow people to choose which ones are most useful to them, and that they would configure it in whatever way is easiest for them to remember.

As for the open/close toggle, another possible option is to have that as a seperate item in the ComboBoxes. i.e. Have one option work as it does now, and a seperate one that is an open/close toggle. That way people could decide for themselves which way they prefer.

As for closing all kX Windows, I did see a close_all_windows function in there, so that might be possible.

PITmaster

@Russ,

> I am not sure why you cannot see the ComboBoxes. That is strange. I had no such
> problems when I was using 3538h. What OS are you using? Does anyone else have the
> same problem?
I can see them but I can't unwrap them. I have w2k sp4. Maybe it's system library issue? But, I use kX3537 with w98se at work too and there is the same problem. For example bank selection in Synth Compatibility window is a ComboBox which I can't unwrap.

> As for device selection, I had considered adding that, but I did not see a function to find
> out the number of devices, so I left it out.
I have two cards
Seriously, Who knows this function, Eugene?

> As for the number order (1234567890), ...
> ...In any case, this is just a test version, if enough people agree that it would be better
> to do it another way, I would definatley consider changing it in the final version.
Ok, lets vote it.
When I get know plugin ID (digital number) I'd like to open, my mathematical mind suggests me first digit as a mode number.

PITmaster

Russ

I agree about the mode numbers. Mathmatically it makes more sense, but I did have it like that originally, and I kept finding myself hitting the wrong keys (without thinking I kept expecting 1 to be the first mode and then was surprised when it was opening up the 11-20 plugins). We will see what other people think about it, as I can live with it either way.

As for the comboboxes, that is very strange, particulairly since it is happening on 2 different computers. I would look for some software that you are using on both machines (that is not something common (otherwise it would be a common problem)), as a possible cause. (BTW: What happens if you select an item in the combobox and then hit ALT-DOWN_ARROW ?)

As for the number of devices, I am sure there is something in there that can tell me, and I just have not found it yet. I will keep looking.
<edit>
I looked again and do not see any specific function to get the number of devices, but I did think of some possible ways to determine it. I think the 'kX' -> 'General' key in the regsitry probably lists all the devices, so I could determine it by reading that key. There are also some things in the API that I think I could enumerate to determine the number of devices, but I think the registry key is probably the best bet.
</edit>

PITmaster

I've just updated Tahoma font from v2.30 to 2.80 but it didn't help.
I have w2000 with sp4; Radeon Omega drivers; 1024x760; 32bit; all effects off.
I'm sure it's not a question of your PluginQL, Russ, though it's only kX drivers and soft issue. Anyway thanks for suggestions, guys.

PITmaster

PITmaster

I can see wraped ComboBox with arrow-down icon on the right side.
When I have focus I can click on icon or press ALT-DOWN_ARROW. Then small shadow line appears on the bottom - nothing more.
I can change box content pressing _ARROW keys.
As I mentioned somewhere above, this is only (my) kX drivers issue. But,...this is interesting, all comboboxes on kX Mixer works right and selections in Setup Buffers window too. Therefore I always thought bank selection method in Synth Compatibility window is not implemented at all.

The common detail in both PCs are radeon type gfx card, WinBest 4D+ A4Tech mouse (without dedicated software) and Creative card (of course )

PITmaster