Shoutbox

Hello!
I'm just curious, how MP!L works, does it hack messenger or uses it's API (aka extensions in Firefox)?

Maybe the question is not appropriate and not correctly formed, but the reason I asked is out of curiosity would it be possible (theoretically) create something similar for other messengers, i.e. Skype?
Since name "Messenger Plus! Live" doesn't necessarily suggests its only for MS messengers, maybe it could be "ported" to other messengers as well?


Thanks.

Messenger Plus! uses dll hijacking. That does sound bad but let me explain. There is a dll that is placed in the Windows Live Messenger folder called msimg32.dll. The way the system calls native functions is it looks in the current directory first to see if a dll can be used for a specific function. Once the function is called Messenger Plus! injects code into Windows Live Messenger to expose the internal API. Once this is done Messenger Plus! forwards the call onto the appropriate DLL for the call to actually succeed.

Therefore it isn't hacking Messenger Plus! simply injects code and runs in the internal process space of Windows Live Messenger to expose the API.

Thanks for the reply.

But this also means that the messenger must support such injection?

No program "supports" it, it is just possible because of the way Windows is made.

oh I see.
But once it's "injected" does it use messenger's API only or does it do some other tricks to change and manipulate messenger's functionality?

What I'm getting to, is if a messenger (skype) doesn't provide a functionality via it's API, can that functionally be added using MP!'s method or that would be a hacking?

Whether it's possible for skype or not, I don't know. However, I can pretty much guarantee that it won't get "ported" to skype, because there's only one developer. It's hard enough for Patchou to take care of Plus! for WLM, I don't think he has time to do it for every other program (because if he does it for skype, people will want it for AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and etc.). Thus, no, you probably won't get it for skype.

quote:

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Originally posted by V@no
But once it's "injected" does it use messenger's API only or does it do some other tricks to change and manipulate messenger's functionality?

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to use a program's api, you don't need to do any of this injection stuff. msgplus hooks or "injects" itself into messenger so it can trap when things happen and make messenger do something other than what it would normally do. this can be done to any program in any modern OS.