Winamp Info Tool (v6.3.1 available, released on 19-12-2022)

[Koopa]

I tried a lot of variants.

The indicator is only meant for people, who give tech support and are not 100% sure, if a file is an official plugin/component or a 3rd party component.
Though that list is based on a white list and simply could be wrong, if a 3rd party plugin shares the same file name with a Nullsoft plugin.

Most important is the file name. I see your point, it would be more comfortable, if you'd only see the indicator at first, but then people could become lazy, see the star at first and don't read the file name etc.

I also don't like how it looks when it starts with the stars. So I agree with BP here.

But this all doesn't matter, once I've finished my work on the zip functionality.

Btw, dsp_sc.dll will be marked as official Plugin too, but in general you are right, anything shipped with the current Winamp releases will be marked as official.

The upcomming 4.2 release will add one empty space after the file name and the (*).

in_nsv.dll (*)
Version: 1.73 | Size: 74 KB



-Chris

[MrSinatra]

that's interesting, regarding the sc dsp. yes, it is an official plugin, but it can be the source of problems. I wonder if safe mode disables it?

I am torn if the info tool should report it as official? maybe it should have a unique symbol?

[Koopa]

No idea about safe mode, DrO can give you an answer.

But the plugin is hosted by Nullsoft and gets full tech support in the SHOUTcast forums. So I'd call it 'official'.

[MrSinatra]

I agree, its just that its the only official one I know of that isn't in the installer. and it can be the cause of problems as well, moreso than other official plugins imo. and IF it is deactivated by safe mode, unlike other official plugins, then I could see a case for giving it a unique ** or something like that, just to call attn to it. but np, i'm just thinking out loud.

[Batter Pudding]

again, I disagree (BP).

We can't all be the same. Disagreements lead to discussions lead to perfection.

first of all, i'd put a space between the symbol and the plugin name. secondly, you could indent the unofficial ones with just spaces, (so they would align plugin names either way) and they'd really pop out then. a text file gives the same space for any character, so you could get really nice alignments.

Text files are raw text. It is up to the software used to view it as to how it is formatted. Use something like Notepad, which is default on the average home PC, and that font can be changed. When sitting on PCs of home users I see that font changes to some very weird choices which certainly don't stay with the fixed-pitch fonts. I have even seen some weird people change the defaults to Impact - or even worse the evil Comic Sans! Try reading the report in those fonts. LoL!!

Similar when posting to this forum - the font choices are available to change what is posted.

Trying to pad with spaces like you are suggesting will lead to some very weird looking reports on some people's computers.

I didn't suggest this out of the blue. in another thread, I had to scan several times to find the ONE unofficial plugin the guy had. it would have taken only one, quicker scan if it were in front.

It's okay. I didn't assume you were just suggesting this to be awkward. But we all scan read documents in different ways. Maybe you need to tweak the fonts you are using at your end? Personally I now use Notepad++ as default for my text documents. The stars stood out really well for me in there the first time I speed read a report. And just as clear when pasted here in the forum.

again, i'll live either way, its just a suggestion. perhaps preference worthy?

The more preferences you add to a program, the more likely you will be introducing bugs as it just leads to more paths to test on every release. IMHO we want to keep the reports as identical to each other as possible to make it easier to compare systems side by side. If everyone is creating custom reports it kills one of the main uses.

Also remember, 99% of users will only ever create one report for us to check on the forum. They are not really going to be any people out there creating daily reports of their copies of Winamp. This Tool is for when things go wrong. If each report posted here had stars jumping backwards and forwards front to back it will loose its quick skim readability.

and yes, you said you had no idea what was or wasn't an official plugin, so I gave my definition.

I think you mis-read what I was meaning. The point of the original request was because I didn't know the filenames of the plugins by heart. I obviously know what a plugin is and the difference between Official, Semi-Official and Third-Party. As can be seen if you read the conversations above

[Batter Pudding]

that's interesting, regarding the sc dsp. yes, it is an official plugin, but it can be the source of problems. I wonder if safe mode disables it?

I am torn if the info tool should report it as official? maybe it should have a unique symbol?

Errr... silly question as I don't use Shoutcast. But surely if this one plugin is sometimes a problem then by it being one plugin it is already "unique" and doesn't really need another symbol to it.

Like the response to my suggestion above about "grey lists" for the Enhancement Pack - this needs to stay simple. Too many different symbols and the clarity gets lost again.

If the sc dsp is installed by the official installer then therefore by definition it is official. Seems logical to me.

[DrO]

offical is anything provided either as part of the main installer or from Nullsoft.

the Source DSP can be counted as official under that definition and will be receiving an update so it is loadable in safe mode (which is only intended for running _official_ plug-ins - hence jtfe not being loaded under safe mode).

[Batter Pudding]

I tried a lot of variants.

I can imagine how many weird and funky variations you tried out. I notice the solution you picked is also cleverly using symbols instead of words that needed translating.

But this all doesn't matter, once I've finished my work on the zip functionality.

How many pages back do I need to scroll to find out this "zip functionality?" I am just curious because I don't trust noobie posters. If a zip file of html is being posted then I'm not going to be downloading them.

Out of curiosity, what does one of your HTML style reports look like when copy and pasted into HTML tags in one of these posts?

If things went too far towards HTML then the noobie luser who barely knows how to copy and paste is certainly not going to know how to open an html file in notepad to be able to copy and paste it. (Many home users I meet don't even know what copy and paste IS).

[Koopa]

DrO: I hope you add the version resource to it.

gen_jumpex is marked as official in info Tool as well, because it's part of the Nullsoft installer. :P

I can imagine how many weird and funky variations you tried out. I notice the solution you picked is also cleverly using symbols instead of words that needed translating.

Yeah, simple and no need for any language string that was the plan.
Scary that you figured that out, really lol

Out of curiosity, what does one of your HTML style reports look like when copy and pasted into HTML tags in one of these posts?

The sticky thread explains how to create and upload a report. And honestly people always should upload it as an attachment instead of copying the stuff directly in a posting, which results in endless scrolling.

HTML is much more easy to read and I have a lot more possibilities to present stuff than in a raw txt file.

[Batter Pudding]

offical is anything provided either as part of the main installer or from Nullsoft.

the Source DSP can be counted as official under that definition and will be receiving an update so it is loadable in safe mode (which is only intended for running _official_ plug-ins - hence jtfe not being loaded under safe mode).

That makes sense to me. So I guess that Koopa has sent his Whitelist to you for checking over.


Koopa - does this mean you have more than one Whitelist? A whitelist per Winamp version? In the last few releases of Winamp some of the plugins have been killed off. Example being Orgler. Technically this is now not an official plugin for v5.64 and v5.7. Yet it was correctly official for v5.63. And then there is the "special case" of the Crasher plugin which ships with the betas.

MrS - can you see how much of a minefield even something simple like this is? Keeping a Whitelist per Winamp version is tricky. Yet having to then have "specials" for those lists will become a minefield as anything "special" will need testing way back into previous versions. Even "simple" additions can quickly get out of hand.

[Koopa]

I guess that Koopa has sent his Whitelist to you for checking over.

Not really, I know all official plugins/system components. When I see the file name I can tell you if it's offical or not.
Only for the upcomming 4.2 release I asked DrO/Egg which dll files in Winamp's root dir are part of the installer.

Koopa - does this mean you have more than one Whitelist? A whitelist per Winamp version? In the last few releases of Winamp some of the plugins have been killed off. Example being Orgler. Technically this is now not an official plugin for v5.64 and v5.7. Yet it was correctly official for v5.63.

Currently not, Plugins which were killed from Nullsoft are no longer supported and so not offical anymore. hey it's very easy for us, because the only supported Winamp version is...hmmm...latest!

But it would be simply possible to create whitelists based on different Winamp versions. if it's needed someday, I will add such stuff.

And then there is the "special case" of the Crasher plugin which ships with the betas.

Nothing special, marked as offical.

MrSinatra:

I can add an ini file option for you if you want, so you can have the stars at first. But the default setting will be like it is now.

[DrO]

DrO: I hope you add the version resource to it.

yes.

gen_jumpex is marked as official in info Tool as well, because it's part of the Nullsoft installer. :P

which is fine as it falls under the options i mentioned. it's only safe mode (which is specifically Nullsoft plug-ins where i see a distinction).

[Batter Pudding]

Not really, I know all official plugins, when I see the file name.

The man with the photographic memory. As you write plugins I can see why you are more used to the names. I am too busy using Winamp to dig into the grotty bits too often. Can't resist having a look now and then though.

Currently not, Plugins which were killed from Nullsoft are no longer supported and so not offical anymore. hey it's very easy for us, because the only supported Winamp version is...hmmm...latest!

Ahh... so I expect the next improvement will be to add flashing lights and sirens to the report when it is noticed that the user is not running the latest version... Yeah - I'm joking

But it would be simple possible to create whitelists based on different Winamp versions. if it's needed someday, I will add such stuff.

It was more of a thought that fell off the back of my head. Apologies for being too much of a stubborn tester \ ex-dev as my mind tends to jump around looking for all possible loop-holes. And knowing what Noobies are like for using old versions and not actually reading the support suggestions I could see things like Orgler being marked as non-official now when previously it was official.

I agree with you though - the tool needs to prioritise the latest version as that is what users should be installing.

[Koopa]

Ahh... so I expect the next improvement will be to add flashing lights and sirens to the report when it is noticed that the user is not running the latest version... Yeah - I'm joking

hehe, not really, it's just that tables, the ability to center things, add links etc is more easy to read.

And compare the stars from TXT and HTML.

.......The man with the photographic memory.

And if you translate the player, or are beta tester for many years, you will learn it.

[Batter Pudding]

Scary that you figured that out, really lol

When I was a dev I was handling about a dozen languages. Including the fun of Japanese. Trying to get Dialog Boxes to fit English, German and Japanese was often "fun". Such different lengths of text!! A nice neat little (*) is the same size in every language.

The sticky thread explains how to create and upload a report. And honestly people always should upload it as an attachment instead of copying the stuff directly in a posting, which results in endless scrolling.

I can see the logic, but have you seen what kids of today are like for reading and following instructions? The sticky thread is quite long and I can see why people just half read and get confused with the technical stuff it it, then post the text into a thread. I really should introduce you to some of the ID-10T users I have on my books and you'd be amazed at the lack of knowledge they have - and yet they manage to use a PC. Quite amazing some people really.

HTML is much more easy to read and I have a lot more possibilities to present stuff than in a raw txt file.

I totally understand the clarity and readability side of HTML. Trouble is I'm just weird as to how I handle security. Even HTML emails I only use with people I know. Most of my email accounts are set to display text only email.

I can understand why you'd do these as HTML, especially for your own use. Trouble is it just means I won't be downloading them to check over if I don't know the user on the forum. I'll leave that to someone else. I'd only want to load up the raw text into notepad++. I don't have the time to check over an HTML file to make sure there are no links or scripts sneaked into it before I view it.

Yeah - this is just me being weird. But that is how I handle my security.

To be honest, most of my support on here aims at the computer and not the plugins. So I'll leave the plugin checking to other people in future.