Hi

Here is my first offering to the plus! community. Its a custom sound plugin called the Audiator plugin (dont blame me for the name - it was lyndons idea ). It plays custom sounds in the form of mp3s to all members of the conversation who have the plugin.

The syntax of the plugin is
/x<number> <msg>
Where <number> is a number between 1 and 999. This means that you can have 999 different sound files in your libraries. Should you not have the sound file a message will be sent informing you.

Unfortunately, i cant upload it to the plus! forums because its too big at 2mb (theres approx. 1.5mb of sample sound files included in the installer to get you started), but i have uploaded it to my site, and it can be downloaded: here.

Hope you like it

please let us know if it works, as our tests just seem to indicate that the installer is installing an old version of the .dll (a dll that doesn't work, incidentally). We are still looking in to it so we should have it sorted soon

i dont get how you ake this work??? if the other person has a different sound as No. 12 for example... then both persons are hearing a different sound????

ok - i am recompiling the setup, cos i was a bit of an idiot and compiled an old version of the dll (one with an old api).

unfortunately yes - you would hear different sounds if you had different sound files - but there is no faesible way around this other that downloading the sound files from a central repository on each play -  which at this time is not possible, since not everyone has fast enough connections. It is fine as long as people are sensible about naming their files.

and DJMystic - i shall add your credits to the new install - its for the same reason that the dll is not upto date - i was not fully understanding how the installer got its files. I was under the assumption they were updated on ech install but they weren't they were cached - this will be fixed within the next 10minutes

optimism_

quote:

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Originally posted by optimism_
Should you not have the sound file a message will be sent informing you.

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supposing someone types /x100, if all contacts in the conversation have sound file #100 it will play. If anyone doesnt have it, they will see a message telling them that they dont have the particular sound file. in this case it would be the file 100.mp3.

ok, then the error means that you dont have a sound with the filename requested. Believe me, it's a lot nicer than what used to happen if you didn't have it (two message boxes which popped up and annoyed me )

When there becomes a way to send messages only to yourself, so if you dont have the sound file only you will see the error message, because at the moment it is broadcast like a normal message, and all contacts will see it. However i have not yet found a way around this from within a plugin and fear it is a feature that must be implimented from within plus! itself - but thats for a later version

right, well i have made the new installer, however it refuses to upload in one piece to my server Ill try again in a minute but if it fails ill find another host.

Ok, its up on the new server, with a new installer, with the latest versions of the files - so go download it people

wow - pretty neat mate. Well done!

shame it don't work though.....

how so?

i go to install and it says something like 'error reading setup initialization file'. Perhaps something went wrong in the download?

* s7a5 waits....

erm..... ^^ that post was a bit random. Like a dancing monkey in a bowler hat and bow tie dancing to the sounds of Linkin Park......

ah, i had that problem when i first downloaded it. check the size and make sure it's 2,003,820 bytes (1.91MB).... i would hash it if i could be bothered

[EDIT] Oh dear, we appear to have a problem.. I just attempted to download and it's only giving me 512KB of the file... Will look into it and get back to you...[/EDIT]

[EDIT 2]Ok, re-uploaded the setup file and then downloaded it to test and it worked fine. Not sure what happened with it before as I tested the file after I uploaded it the first time... :/[/EDIT 2]

Ah hah..... thanks man. Jeez it's gonna be nice to finally have a plugin that let's me play files

In case anyone is interested the md5 hash of the file is

code:

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4d0e55f51fac480958be947f206d4e4b

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Just to make it clear, cos this thread could be a tad confusing:
Moria is my fellow coding friend. He is also hosting the download for me as its too large to put on the plus! forums. He helped me fix all the bugs and the like, so to u moria

I'm assuming that we use the old download link on the first message yeah?

yeah, that link should always point to the latest version of the plugin installer

hey hey it works! Great work mate

yay - problem sorted

I have now updated the installer having got my hands on a full copy of InstallShield as opposed to a trial version. There is no more EVALUATION VERSION message box in the new installer. I have also added logic to prevent installation on a system without MsgPlus2, as the installer gets the default install location from the registry key defined by Plus! 2.

If you have already downloaded the plugin, there is no need to redownload it, as the plugin itself has not changed yet (i see no need to). If you do feel like installing the new version, please uninstall the old one first, as i am not sure how the installer will react, and you may end up with multiple entries in the add/remove programs list.

Excellent work mate

that was quick

Ok, I have discovered a problem when this plugin is used at the same time as Wacko's Simpsons plugin (and possibly the South Park one too). I have fixed this bug, and have uploaded the newest plugin to the server. Please download the latest version as it will fix a conflict between plugins.

This latest version is 1.01
To download it, please use the link in the first thread as usual.

Having noticed a lot of the bad vibes surrounding your plugin, maybe it would be possible for you to name the mp3s with a 5-letter code or something (i'm not sure of the technicalities, may have to be 3 letters or so). that way it would be much easier to make sure your contact is hearing the correct sound?
c'mon, optimism_, I know u can do it

Well how about this then:

/xAU(xxx)
where (xxx) = a word such as welcome => /xAUwelcome

and also a text-file database of default messages to send if not supplied, and a dialog based way of managing the database?

Ill start work on it, but beware, this could take some time to code, and im not free 2moz

quote:

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Originally posted by optimism_
im not free 2moz

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ive never built one before - it could take me all week
and i wont be able to compile until ive installed all the drivers to make the thing wortk efficiently, then i otta install msvc, then copy over files from network. gods its gonna take me forever =/

ahem... i built mine in about 2 hours. i had never built one before. granted, you've got all ur fans etc etc but i had a killer heatsink with a clip so tough it could only be bent with various pieces of hydraulic equipment... (well not quite but u get the idea)

hello,
when i downloaded this plug-in (Sunday afternoon), it messed up my computer (Win XP SP1). After i used System Restore, i found out that the plug-in files were still there. They should be gone as the restore point i clicked on was created before the plug-in was installed.

Regards,
theguy

System restore does not make a copy of your entire hard drive, only your windows settings, therefore using system restore will only take your settings back to the date you created the restore point. I don't know too much about sys restore because I don't use it personally (disabled on both computers).
I can tell you that we've had 140 downloads, 114 of them before the error was discovered yesterday so it seems to work on most people's computers without problems.

In what way did it mess your computer up? What happened (or didn't happen as the case may be)?

well, my windows media player doesn't work at all on my user account. That's all of the problems to report.

sounds like your computer is a little fudged up. perhaps you should do something more drastic and do a system reset. You might find the plugin will work then.

I tried a system restart and that did absolutly nothing.

have you tried reinstalling media player? i dont know about other versions but WMP9 is still pretty buggy..

i haven't tried reinstalling wmp 9. i think it might work.

Just thought i'd  keep you up-to-date with the latest info.
The text based commands part is going well. You can now use text commands such as /xAUyes (case insensitive of course ) to play the sounds. It does this by way of linking the commands to the filenames (and now with a default message too ) in a database. I have also got an about box working. Oh yeah, and the database method means you can also play wavs too

Whats left to do: well, i need to impliment the dialog based way of adding/removing sounds. ill continue to work on that and will release it when ive completed it

gooooo Optimism_!!!!

Ok, the bulk of the work is done. there is now a method for soundpack developers to easily install new sound files to the database, and a disable/enable button on the config dialog.
Whats left to code: a dialog based way to install soundpacks, add individual sounds, delete sounds, edit sounds and a help file. sop expect an initial release mid week or sooner

so the download is still at http://www.mcgos.co.uk/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=5 ??
Good work, when ur finished u might have made it easier for me to add my own sounds without knowing squat about making plugins

yup - thats the intention

The link in the first post will always point to the most recent release, however i am still coding version 2 and it has not been released yet - so the link still only points to version 1. Ill let you know as soon as i release it - but expect the release in the next few days

Thanx alot plz do that

NICE PLUGIN, NICE JOB MAN

optimism_,
summary
i want to set up the sounds on both my comps so if my sister or cousin is on their account i can play a file i set up

EDIT:
Moria updated me on the info i need. This is no longer much of a concern but maybe i'll have to ask optimism_ if its still possible in v2 without knowing the other 2 account passwords or hacking. questions for another day

Ok, i'll do my best to reply (optimism_'s too tired or something ).
The sounds are the same for any account that logs on, unless the Audiator directory changes between logons (which it wont unless you change it yourself).

The next version of Audiator (currently 2 weeks behind schedule) will have a user-dependant database of sounds, so i hear, which may affect it.
No doubt a bit of registry modification could get round it tho

So basically, yes, if you added /x99 on your account it would also appear on his account, at least until AudiatorV2 is released.

Hey Hey Hey - 1 WEEK!!
was due last Wednesday.
and yeah ive only been up 5mins im far to tired to untangle that scenario

but v2 is on its way, so maybe this wednesday with tons of new features

optimism_

*cough* yes, this wednesday so that's 2 weeks behind schedule all i did was estimate a finish date...

oh shush
there aint *that* much left to do - it might be here weds (beta release) i hope

hi again ppl

Ive been without access to my source code for a few days now as my desktop computer has been a bit corrupted recently - lets just say ive installed different versions of windows no less than 20 times in 3 days
anyways, im slowly getting it back together, drivers and software and what not. The great news is that despite managing to formatting my media drive, my data drive is still ok touch wood, so the source is ok ... i just wont be able to listen to my music while coding any more

anyways the point - im gonna be behind schedule yet again with the plugin, so was wondering whether you lot would like a pre-release. by this i mean a release with some of the features that arent completed yet disabled and only thos that are working available. At the moment, the things that do work are the playing of sounds, and the adding of sounds to the database via either individually or thru soundpacks (more on them later). Obviously it would be very much a beta release as i havent even finished it yet, let alone release it for testing, so i cannot guarantee stability, but suffice to say its working for me (again, touch wood lol).

I shall start compiling a release version and it should be packaged and ready for download in the next couple of days - again i cant specify an exact date cos im actually moving house on firday, so the ocmputers are going into boxes 2moro afternoon and i have packing to do, but i shall find some time to get this online. Hopefully the full beta release wont be far down the road.

Anyways ... to get some sleep!
optimism_

I would like to see a pre-release, but don't ask us optimism_, it's your decision. If you'd prefer to surprise us then do so! One thing is that i was wondering would there be a way to make it so the other person doesn't have to have the sound? It's just i get my mp3's with Kazaa ( i know tut tut ) and it's hard for everyone to have the exact same file without sending it to them....

I don't know how much extra work it would give you optimism_, but could you please make your plug-in so that you type /xa### (where ### is the number) instead of /x### so that some other plug-ins which don't work due to audiator will also work? It would be appreciated a lot...

ok - since i a/c "Clear Fields"ed this post rite before i sent it itll be quick.
1 - i didnt release it cos i forgot to copy latest code from desktop to laptop b4 i packed it away to move house.
2 - this house has no phone sockets where i am. might not be about for a week or two
3 - ill think about the /xa<number> - i could do it reasonably easy thru registry setting, dunno about a config dlg to go with it. bear in mind v2 [out soon! lol] has /xAU<tag> as well as /x<int> syntaxes and various dlgs to help u find/use sounds.
4 - pre-release maybe this week, ill see about it. Add/Install soundpack options working, sending works, delete/uninstall dont yet - cant guarantee stability if i do release it - bug reports welcome.

thats it for now - so im back off to sleep

optimism_

I installed it and my friend has also done that I don't hear sounds.. He hears all sounds, but I don't.. What can be the problem?

I suggest you make sure that nothing else is using the sound card. I know that XP manages it so two progs can use it at once but there is a limit.
I seem to remember having problems like that when I first installed it but closing Media Player solved the problem

hmm - never knew of that. other than that, make sure fmod.dll is in your windows system dir (system on 9x, system32 on xp). ensure the plugin is actually running, if not try reloading the plugin by either exiting msn or running one of the various reloading tools. if it still fails, try uninstalling and reinstalling the plugin. try upgrading plus to .053+ (thats the version plugin was designed for) as i cant remember when the plugin format chnaged.
still fail, post again

optimsm_,
okay, first of all, does ur plugin have a readme? if it does that would be good. Also, will ur plugin be compatible with MSN 6.1 or the new Plus!2? about my previous suggestion, dont worry about changing v2 about my problem, i can probably find my way around it. to include in the readme might be: the type of audio files that can be played. one question, is there a limit to the file that can be played? lets say u have a 20MB mp3 thats 15 minutes long and its on both comps and its setup to be /x## and so when you do that will it play all 15 minutes for both ppl? one concern is that i have xp and i got media player 9 and thats a little unpredictable so i'm wondering if ur program is compatible with it? i just wanna voice these concerns b4 u release v2.
btw, i haven't tried v1 yet. i've been waiting for v2 but im wondering if ur plugin is compatible 100% with all sound packs. probably all these questions have already been fixed but i want to make u aware of these to make it the best!
Good Job

rox
EDDIT: speling erors
^
l
did that on purpose

OK I will try to answer these before I have to leave for school.

The plugin does have a readme, but I don't think it's too comprehensive [yet].. (this is about V1, even I have seen little of V2)

I think the plugin should be fine for version 6.1 and the version of Plus! as it works through Plus! (so changes to MSN make no difference to the code required for plugins).
In fact I can guarentee it works: I have just tried it

As far as I know there is no limit to the size that can be played. I know one person who set a 3 min song to a number. That was annoying. If you have a long sound going and you want it to stop you can just play a short one (i suggest /x1). That short one will play, stopping the previous sound.

I have what i believe to be the latest version of Media Player (9.00.00.3008) and sounds play perfectly while that is playing another MP3, WMA, or WMV (the only 3 media files i have laying around my laptop..).

Audiator (V1 at least) can only play MP3 files as far as I know (yup, just tested it with a wma and it said I don't have the file requested - presumably 200.mp3).

I'm not yet sure how the soundpacks will work but I think that as long as the creator has made them properly you can have no problems with them.

I'm now gonna go and get ready for school

Finally! It works for me

hi again
just posting to say i am still kinda working on it, but im so swamped with a levels at the moment i barely have enough time to finish homework ("self supported study") let alone have free time to work on fun things like aux plugin. i also just got my hands on a copy of Visual Studio.Net 2003 too, so ill be moving fource to .net format at some point - dunno if thats of any consequence, just thought id tell you lol.

so in short i will try to get on with it a bit more, but no way am i setting any more release dates yet - itll just be released when its done. And sorry for the uber long delay!

* optimism_ is happy
* optimism_ is very happy

for the first time, i feel like its really on the way
today i put the finishing touches to the Add Sounds and Install/Uninstall SoundPacks options, and they run great with no bugs found as yet I have also changed my mehtod of storing the database which has made it a lot faster/easier for me to develop it. It should also mean the plugin loads up faster too. Ive added some new dialogs and changed some old ones around.

So what have i got left before its at a releasable stage then? Well i have to add the routine to remove individual sounds. I have to impliment the help dialogs, and code the Edit sounds routine. All in all i really do think i can have a beta release by the middle of next week

i cant wait

Wooo hoo, go for it man. I have unlimited web-space, so if you want help with storing it just ask.

Thanks
act that could me quite useful because if i make an online repository for soundpacks the filesizes are gonna get quite huge!

Well, not a problem. Let me know how to set up a download link on my page as well if you want, 'cuz i got unmetered bandwidth too!

Well the primary download site (my website) has 250MB/day bandwidth (7.5GB/month) - not bad considering it's a free ISP site - should be fine for the actual plugin downloads.
If the plugin is, say, 2MB (I don't actually know the exact size) that's over 100 downloads/day which will be suitable provided the plugin doesn't get popular beyond sanity.

Hosting & Bandwidth for the sounds etc would be useful I should think tho (I dont know who'd get emails from my ISP about going over my bandwidth limit but if it's mum I doubt she'd like it lol)

Well, perhaps we could sort it out between us. If, of course, the creator (forgive me your name simply slipped from my head) would like that.

rofl, my name is 3 posts above yours

I downloaded and installed audiator plugin.Everything seems ok but when I type /x123 for example I get the message but NOT the sound.Please help

i suggest you make sure you have no other audio programs loaded (i.e Windows Media Player). while Windows XP can manage more than one sound playing at once it's sometimes not as effective as it could, perhaps, be.

do you get any error message at all? it may also be a good idea to check that the sound file is named correctly (123.mp3 in your example). I am unsure as to whether or not Audiator supports .wav or .wma (probably not .wma) files.

Hope this helps, if not just reply to this post and we'll see if we can sort out your problem

v1 supports mp3 only, cos the way it worked meant the extension had to be hard coded into the dll. v2 will support all streaming formats, such as mp3, wav, wma, ogg, asf etc. also make sure the sound u try to play exists. although /x123 is my example, there is no 123 sound in default installation

mebby the example should be changed in the docs for V2 then

Thanks for your support moria.I don't get any error message.I am using Windows Messenger 4.7.2009 and when I type /x123 for example I get the message Incoming Audiator Sound but NO sound is being heard.

Oops, sorry for the delay
To be honest with you I don't think we tested it with Windows Messenger. I don't see how that should affect it though as it uses an external .dll etc. optimism_ will know more about it than me, seeing as he coded it and all

What version of Windows are you running?

Let's hope that V2 is slightly less buggy, shall we?

[edit]Do any of the default sounds work? /x13 for example. What about the /sevillaugh etc Plus! sounds?[/edit]

Hi moria

It's ok for the delay.I am using Windows XP.My default sounds like /sevillaugh is working but NOT the /x123 one.What should I do now?

Are you planning to add more sound plugins in the near future?

1) is fmod.dll in your c:\windows\system32, or c:\winnt\system32 folder - whichever one you have.
2) are the sounds in the \messenger plus! 2\plugins\Audiator directory?

NOTE that 123 is not included with a default install of the plugin so try /x1 or /x100 instead.

If it still fails, try uninstalling and reinstalling the plugin

I tried everything as you mentioned but I am still having the same problem.Please help?

i am really not sure then =/
i would suggest this, uninstall it, and hold out for version 2 which i will, yes people you heard me, will be releasing before the end of tuesday!!!!!

As you may or may not know, its half term this week, and in the last 30minutes, i crushed the last remaining bug that was preventing me from releasing a beta of v2. This means that after the weekend (i work weekends) i will have 2 full days to make an installer and a small website from which to release the plugin. (Because the plugin has grown so much, i feel a text-readme wil be inadequate). I shall therefore be working tirelessly to get this to you, especially since its like 2 months overdue .

Hurrah for debugging

It would be great if someone will mirror audiator cause it seems down all the time and it is requested much...

i do believe optimism_ had a list of mirrors that the download link chose from randomly, i'm not sure as to the current arrangement, however.

When i find myself some free time i will code a new & improved mirror script that will check whether mirrors are online before directing people to them. that's not happening currently.

The bandwidth of my site is very limited compared to what Audiator needs (i have 250MB/day which is enough to supply about 100 downloads - nowhere near enough). Optimism_'ll see this later though and no doubt can clarify a few things, such as why he insists on using Win2000 instead of XP on his server

EDIT:
OK i see what you mean now, The dowload link provided in the first post links to a page in an old version of my website and http://audiator.osnetwork.sytes.net is also down. Serves him right for using Win2k

Temporary address (hosted on my local server - 512/256ADSL - you will get awful speeds but it's better than nothing:
http://onegig.kicks-ass.net/audiator/Audiator250.exe

two words for u: Power Cuts

somebody blew up the iron.... no idea why servers didnt start when comp rebooted

and MoRiA - u know DAMN WELL why im using win2kpro workstation and not winXPpro on my server, so stfu.

shud be back online nowish