ANNOUNCEMENT: Find and Run Robot (FARR) 2 - Plugin Programming Contest!

[mouser]

ANNOUNCING
Find and Run Robot (FARR) 2
Plugin Programming Contest

To celebrate the imminent release of FARR Version 2 and it's support of plugins, we are holding a FARR Plugin Writing Contest.
Winners will be chosen by FARR users here in the forum, but it's likely that every plugin writer will win at least a custom DonationCoder collector's item Mug starring our mascot Cody (the mugs are really beautiful).  Top plugins will also win some programming tools.

How are plugins coded and what development tools can I use?

• Plugins are standard windows DLLs, and can be written in any language that supports creating DLLs.  If you've never written a DLL before, it's not that hard but it will require a little bit of learning (This contest is not appropriate for people who have never coded before, sorry).
• However, helper code is included in the sdk for creating plugins using C++ (any compiler), and it will surely be easier to use C++ to write plugins.
• If you are willing to make equivalent wrappers for other languages (delphi, vb, c#) to help others code new plugins in those languages, we would love that and would love to give you a mug as thanks for doing that.
• Sample plugins are included to help you get started -- if you use Borland C++ Builder, Dev C++, or MS Visual Studio, you will find complete projects included.  The big plugins included (FarrFox and FCalc) are written in C++ Builder.
• Warning: Please expect some frustration when writing your first plugin -- the SDK has almost no documentation at this point, besides the sample plugins provided.  You are going to have to experiment. If you have a question about how to do something, don't suffer in silence, post a question on the forum or email me.  Please help each other as well.
• Invitation: As the first plugin writers for FARR you will get the utmost attention from me in adding features to the SDK that you need.  If you think of some aspect of FARR that you would like to control, or information you need, just ask and I will try to add it to the plugin interface.  In other words -- it's likely you are going to find things you want to do from the plugin system but can't yet.  In such cases, email me immediately ([email protected]) and i will try to add it to the plugin system so you can do it.

Prizes:

• Lots of Custom FARR Plugin Writer Mugs
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Standard
• Borland Turbo C++ Pro
• The appreciation of all FARR users, as well as some of their donations

Deadlines:

• The top winners will be chosen in one month (July 14th).
• All working non-trivial plugins submitted before the deadline of July 14th will receive a custom mug.

Download:

• Plugin SDK here: https://www.donation...ds/FarrPluginSDK.zip (comes with source code for FarrFox and FCalc plugins
• FARR v2 Early release: email [email protected] for download url.

[mouser]

ps. I would personally really love to see some nice plugins written for FARR, it would mean a lot to me.

[nitrix-ud]

  this is exciting !! 
can't wait for next month !!

too bad i don't have time to learn how to code some c++
(maybe i'll wait for the sdk doc)

Good luck to the coders

[mouser]

Let's not forget this thread where non-coders can make suggestions about good plugin ideas:
https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=8071.0

[Lashiec]

 

Exams! Finish already! I have to code for the mug!

EDIT: I'm wondering... do you keep a list of the people that entered the contest? I'm asking that because it could happen that two persons would end coding a plugin for the same task.

[mouser]

I've just ordered the mugs that will be given out as the other prizes 

[mouser]

Update: I have received 9 beautiful mugs with the logo as seen above, which will be given out to the first 9 (non-trivial) plugin makers.

[tinjaw]

No problem. All I need to do is teach myself Visual Studio and C++ and I will snap up one of those mugs. (Don't think I'm kidding!)

[mouser]

I'd like for all plugins (at least for the contest) to be released as open source, which will also help future plugin writers.  This would also guarantee security of them.  If you strongly object to your contest plugin being released as open source please talk to me about it.

[Josh]

I would like to see a plugin, if someone is willing, or perhaps a separate app which integrates farr into the windows taskbar similar to google deskbar and allows it to always be displayed and have results popup from the taskbar. This would be awesome and make farr that much nicer to access. You can even assign a custom hotkey to focus the taskbar portion of farr and type your search there. Any takers?

[Deozaan]

Well for some reason the quick-reply quote button isn't working, but mouser said:

Update: I have received 9 beautiful mugs with the logo as seen above, which will be given out to the first 9 (non-trivial) plugin makers.

I don't see a logo!

[mouser]

i meant the picture at the top of the page

[mouser]

Winners have been chosen for this contest, see here: https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=9215.0