Plugin Tutorial Please.

Please make a quick text based tutorial on how to make a plugin. I want to make one (plugin) but the video tutorial is taking too long to load.

Seriously, Vity or the other guys, make one.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2009 08:26PM by hoola.

The link above:
[wordrider.net]

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I know about that one. How about a text-based one, like the ones in instructables.com

I don't think it's necessary. Other developers were satisfied enough.
What do you miss in the tutorial?

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Vity,

With much respect for you, I agree with Hoola. People like to move at different paces when learning new things. For example, during the video tutorial you move fairly quickly with things familiar to you, such as navigating directory structures and your IDE. The speed of things might confuse people not so familiar with Java, or IDEA. On the other hand, while you type quickly enough for normal purposes, I can usually read things at a much faster pace than you type and even hilight at. I appreciate that you're writing in English for the global community, but I think this also makes you type a little slower than you could in Czech. For this reason, it's a little tedious to sit through the parts when you are doing this. It's required to spend 24 minutes to learn to make a plugin. It's not possible to do in 5 or 15 minutes, or one hour; the video takes a static amount of time to complete. And it's more difficult to jump around to different sections like you can with text -- we're more or less constrained to follow your linear monologue.

Having said all that, I think a video tutorial has some merits all its own, and could be more helpful for certain people. It would also be a good complement or @#$%& to a textual tutorial. For me, it was a little helpful, but personally I much prefer text for the reasons stated above. I hope you can understand my arguments in favor of a textual tutorial, without perceiving them as any kind of attack. I know you want others to start coding and maintaining plugins, and if you really do then you should facilitate the learning process as much as possible for all -- including those who prefer the written word for technical issues, and I think we're many.

As for what I missed in the tutorial: I'm not sure where to obtain the template file you started with! I also saw the second tutorial, which ran some kind of 'ANT' script to get a basic template set up. But I'm not sure where to get the ANT script (and I don't know what ANT is, but I think I'll be able to figure that out myself). Where are these available to download? I'm not incredibly familiar with Java either, but I know many flavors of C, as well as Javascript, so I think I'll be fine once I can access some source code. In the plugins directory of FreeRapid on my Windows machines, all of them appear to be binary files in the *.frd extension. Should I simply try to decompile one of these somehow, and modify it?

Maybe once I've gotten the hang of it, I can write a text-based tutorial myself... In the meantime, thanks for any help.

Cheers,
Doctor Colossus

Tangent: By the way, I wonder if it might be possible to simplify the process of plugin creation. I have no experience with it yet, so I'm sure many others would know better. But, to me, it seems that the basic process is just to create three regular expressions. Like I say, there are probably complex problems possible which I'm overlooking. But if the basic process is really as simple as making three regular expressions, there not even a reason to involve code in the plugin-creation process at all. I can deal with code myself, but I think simplifying the process to eliminate coding in favor of straight regexes would attract a lot more people to participate, as with reg-ex based proxies, web browser ad-removers, etc.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2009 08:14AM by Doctor Colossus.

I am at my job now. I will answer to you later.

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No problem, Vity. I'm not in a great hurry; please take your time.

Meanwhile I have learned a bit about Ant now. But now it's time for bed. ::yawn:: (it's almost 4AM here...)

Doctor Colossus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Vity,
>
> With much respect for you, I agree with Hoola.
> People like to move at different paces when
> learning new things. For example, during the
> video tutorial you move fairly quickly with things
> familiar to you, such as navigating directory
> structures and your IDE. The speed of things
> might confuse people not so familiar with Java, or
> IDEA. On the other hand, while you type quickly
> enough for normal purposes, I can usually read
> things at a much faster pace than you type and
> even hilight at.

I absolutely agree => you can always pause or play faster the video, rewind, forward, jump to specific location...

I appreciate that you're writing
> in English for the global community, but I think
> this also makes you type a little slower than you
> could in Czech.

Haha, no Latvian .

For this reason, it's a little
> tedious to sit through the parts when you are
> doing this. It's required to spend 24 minutes to
> learn to make a plugin. It's not possible to do
> in 5 or 15 minutes, or one hour; the video takes a
> static amount of time to complete. And it's more
> difficult to jump around to different sections
> like you can with text -- we're more or less
> constrained to follow your linear monologue.
>
> Having said all that, I think a video tutorial has
> some merits all its own, and could be more helpful
> for certain people. It would also be a good
> complement or @#$%& to a textual tutorial.
> For me, it was a little helpful, but personally I
> much prefer text for the reasons stated above. I
> hope you can understand my arguments in favor of a
> textual tutorial, without perceiving them as any
> kind of attack.

I agree.

I know you want others to start
> coding and maintaining plugins, and if you really
> do then you should facilitate the learning process
> as much as possible for all -- including those who
> prefer the written word for technical issues, and
> I think we're many.

Again. I agree .

> As for what I missed in the tutorial: I'm not sure
> where to obtain the template file you started
> with!

I copied previous existing plugin.

I also saw the second tutorial, which ran
> some kind of 'ANT' script to get a basic template
> set up. But I'm not sure where to get the ANT
> script (and I don't know what ANT is, but I think
> I'll be able to figure that out myself). Where
> are these available to download?

At the beginning of the video tutorial I write minimal knowledge to understand what I am doing. If you would know Java, you would probably know what Apache Ant is.
I don't plan to explain Java language, how to use any Java IDE, SVN etc. There are hundreds existing tutorials for it.
I expect people are used to use Google...

I'm not
> incredibly familiar with Java either, but I know
> many flavors of C, as well as Javascript, so I
> think I'll be fine once I can access some source
> code. In the plugins directory of FreeRapid on my
> Windows machines, all of them appear to be binary
> files in the *.frd extension. Should I simply try
> to decompile one of these somehow, and modify it?

All source, include plugins source code, is in the Subversion repository - see download section.

> Maybe once I've gotten the hang of it, I can write
> a text-based tutorial myself... In the meantime,
> thanks for any help.
>

That's would be cool. Let's make a deal. I will send you my #ICQ and I will answer to you all questions you have for making plugins and you will make detailed tutorial for beginners .


> Tangent: By the way, I wonder if it might be
> possible to simplify the process of plugin
> creation. I have no experience with it yet, so
> I'm sure many others would know better. But, to
> me, it seems that the basic process is just to
> create three regular expressions.

Almost, it depends on the website. Some of plugins are trivial with 3 regular expressions, some of the are pretty difficult and you can spend half a day (or more) on it.

Like I say,
> there are probably complex problems possible which
> I'm overlooking. But if the basic process is
> really as simple as making three regular
> expressions, there not even a reason to involve
> code in the plugin-creation process at all. I can
> deal with code myself, but I think simplifying the
> process to eliminate coding in favor of straight
> regexes would attract a lot more people to
> participate, as with reg-ex based proxies, web
> browser ad-removers, etc.

The current pluginAPI is targeted to eliminate using regexps as much as possible.

Why I make video tutorials?
- it's fast and easy for me
- I can explain many things at once
- I can be sure that experienced developers will join
- my English is not perfect, but I am perfectionist (like Steve Jobs is) - textual tutorial wouldn't be perfect

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Hey Vity,

Thanks for your quick and detailed reply, and I apologize for not replying back more speedily myself! I've been really busy with a number of projects, and I'm also planning an international move/sojourn soon: I'll be going to Kraków in Poland next month to do the CELTA English language teaching certification course. Since I'm excited about teaching and want to practice, I'll correct your errors in the parts I quote. [-;

I'm just too busy to work on any plugins or the tutorial right now, but I like that idea and I've put it on my to-do list in Remember the Milk so I won't forget! If no one beats me to it, I feel sure I'll have time for this task just after I finish the CELTA course... in November or December.

Quote
Vity
All source, include plugins source code, is in the Subversion repository - see download section.

Thanks! I think that once I'm able to examine the source, the rest will be easy...

Quote
Vity
Let's make a deal. I will send you my #ICQ and I will answer to you all questions you have for making plugins and you will make [a] detailed tutorial for beginners
* this kind of syntax is just for making deals colloquially: "I loan you my bicycle, you share your strawberries." (not in the future tense)

Excellent. Before I ask you any questions however, I'd like to have a look at some existing source and see whether I'm able to figure it all out. And if I come to the Czech Republic this winter maybe I can ask you any questions I have over beers.

Quote
Vity
At the beginning of the video tutorial I write [listed] minimal knowledge [prerequisites] to understand what I am doing. If you would know [knew] (subjunctive) Java, you would probably know what Apache Ant is.

I haven't used Java very much but I have a lot of experience programming in a variety of languages, so I don't think I'll need help with it -- and even if I do, I have several friends who are experts with Java.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2009 07:30AM by Doctor Colossus.