Winamp Developer Wiki - User contributions [en]

Plug-in Developer

2009-02-14T19:09:49Z

Mpdeimos: /* Submitting Your Plug-in */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Online Service Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Plugins-logo.png]]

==Plug-in Overview==

===Writing A Plug-in===
Winamp plug-ins are files that extend Winamp's functionality. There are currently seven different plug-in types, each of which extends Winamp in a particular way. Winamp plug-ins are implemented as 32-bit Windows DLLs. Here are the plug-in categories:

#Input plug-ins: Input plug-ins give Winamp the ability to play additional file types that aren't supported by Nullsoft directly.
#Output plug-ins: Output plug-ins allow Winamp to manifest audio data in different ways.
#General purpose plug-ins: Anything that needs to run continuously in the background or doesn't require audio processing qualifies as a General purpose plug-in.
#DSP/effect plug-ins: DSP Plug-ins manipulate audio data before actually being sent to the speakers (or whatever the Output plug-in decides to do with it).
#Visualization plug-ins: "Vis" plug-ins display some sort of visual effect based on audio that's being decoded by Winamp.
#Language packs: Language packs are used to internationalize Winamp to the language of your choice.
#Media Library plug-ins: Media Library plug-ins extend the media library for instance, for portable devices such as iPods, accessing Media Library databases, etc.

Most of the plug-in types (with the exception of Language packs) export one function, which is used to query the plug-in of its interface. The way each plug-in is queried varies, and will be covered on a type-by-type basis.

All of the plug-ins are designed to be written in C or C++, using Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 or later. Other people have reported success with writing some forms of plug-ins using Delphi, LCC, and Visual Basic. We don't use these alternate development platforms, so we can't really support development on them (writing this page alone took way too much time, wink). The [http://forums.winamp.com/ Winamp forums] are a good place to start.

===Submitting Your Plug-in===

Once your plug-in is bug-free, the ultimate step is to share your masterpiece with the world. This is where Winamp.com steps in. Submitting your plug-in will allow people all over the world to enjoy the fruits of your labor. To do this, just follow these steps:

#Go to http://www.winamp.com/user/submit
#Click the "Submit a plug-in" button.
#Fill in the blanks:
##Name: The name of your plug-in.
##Comment: The short blurb that comes up when people browse the plug-ins page.
##Description: The longer blurb that is displayed when people view the plug-in details page.
##Categories: Choose Primary and/or Secondary (optional) categories to properly sort your plug-in.
##Thumbnail: Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 178px by 75px.
##Screenshot: (Full-sized screenshot of your plug-in.) Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 275px by 600px.
##Plug-in File: Click on the "Browse" button to find your installer .exe file on your computer.
#Click the "Submit" Button, and...
#Voila! Your plug-in is on its way to being displayed before the world.

====Submission Checklist====
Please ensure that your Plugin meets the following terms before submitting it to www.winamp.com:
*Your Plugin is tested and won't blow away other's computers due to silly bugs. For getting your plugin tested, please post it in this [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 forum] first.
*You have packed the Plugin with an installer that auto-detects the Winamp installation directory (or where the plugin should go to in order to work). We recommend using [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/ NSIS]. It is free and you can find an example installer script [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts here].
*You havn't submitted the plugin already. If so, please use the 'edit' function for your plugin shown in your [http://www.winamp.com/user/main User Account Central].

====Plug-in Category Descriptions====
Please choose the categories thoughtfully. It will make finding your plug-in much easier if it is in the right categories.

AVS Presets: Any presets or APEs for Nullsoft's AVS plug-in.
DSP/Effect: Manipulates audio data.
Encoding: Plug-ins that encode media.
Games: Any plug-in that takes input and rewards "good" behavior.
General: Does not depend on audio data to run.
Input: Reads new audio file type.
Language Packs: Translates Winamp to a new language.
Output: Converts to new type of audio file or sends audio through alternate path.
Plug-in Skins: Plug-ins that change the look and feel of Winamp.
Portable Devices: Plug-ins that interact with removable media.
Visualizations: Visualization ... plug-ins.

==Tools==
* Visual Studio 6.0 or higher (Visual Studio 2003 is highly recommended.You can download a free copy of [http://www.microsoft.com/Express Visual Studio Express] from Microsoft. Unfortunately it is a newer version and not full-featured and we cannot guarantee that the SDK examples will work properly with this edition.
* [http://nsis.sourceforge.net Nullsoft Scriptable Install System] or other installer software for packaging your completed plug-in. Check this [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts example] for creating a NSIS Installer for your plugin.
* [http://www.7-zip.org 7-Zip] or other archiver for packaging your WSZ or WAL skin files.

==SDK Documentation==
The SDK includes everything you'll need to develop a Winamp plug-in. It also includes a basketful of example plug-ins to get you going. It is recommended that you create your plug-in as a subdirectory of the install path ("C:\Program Files\Winamp SDK" by default) as the #include paths of the examples assume this.

*[[SDK Contents]]
*'''[http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/plugin-dev/WA5.55_SDK.exe Download SDK]'''

==Resources==
* [[Articles#Plug-in_Articles|Plug-in Articles]]
* [[Developers_FAQ#Plug-in_Developer_FAQ|Plug-in FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 Winamp Developer Forum]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-plugin Submit Your Plug-in]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/plugins Download Plug-ins]

Plug-in Developer

2009-02-14T15:07:28Z

Mpdeimos: /* Submitting Your Plug-in */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Online Service Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Plugins-logo.png]]

==Plug-in Overview==

===Writing A Plug-in===
Winamp plug-ins are files that extend Winamp's functionality. There are currently seven different plug-in types, each of which extends Winamp in a particular way. Winamp plug-ins are implemented as 32-bit Windows DLLs. Here are the plug-in categories:

#Input plug-ins: Input plug-ins give Winamp the ability to play additional file types that aren't supported by Nullsoft directly.
#Output plug-ins: Output plug-ins allow Winamp to manifest audio data in different ways.
#General purpose plug-ins: Anything that needs to run continuously in the background or doesn't require audio processing qualifies as a General purpose plug-in.
#DSP/effect plug-ins: DSP Plug-ins manipulate audio data before actually being sent to the speakers (or whatever the Output plug-in decides to do with it).
#Visualization plug-ins: "Vis" plug-ins display some sort of visual effect based on audio that's being decoded by Winamp.
#Language packs: Language packs are used to internationalize Winamp to the language of your choice.
#Media Library plug-ins: Media Library plug-ins extend the media library for instance, for portable devices such as iPods, accessing Media Library databases, etc.

Most of the plug-in types (with the exception of Language packs) export one function, which is used to query the plug-in of its interface. The way each plug-in is queried varies, and will be covered on a type-by-type basis.

All of the plug-ins are designed to be written in C or C++, using Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 or later. Other people have reported success with writing some forms of plug-ins using Delphi, LCC, and Visual Basic. We don't use these alternate development platforms, so we can't really support development on them (writing this page alone took way too much time, wink). The [http://forums.winamp.com/ Winamp forums] are a good place to start.

===Submitting Your Plug-in===

Once your plug-in is bug-free, the ultimate step is to share your masterpiece with the world. This is where Winamp.com steps in. Submitting your plug-in will allow people all over the world to enjoy the fruits of your labor. To do this, just follow these steps:

#Go to http://www.winamp.com/user/submit
#Click the "Submit a plug-in" button.
#Fill in the blanks:
##Name: The name of your plug-in.
##Comment: The short blurb that comes up when people browse the plug-ins page.
##Description: The longer blurb that is displayed when people view the plug-in details page.
##Categories: Choose Primary and/or Secondary (optional) categories to properly sort your plug-in.
##Thumbnail: Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 178px by 75px.
##Screenshot: (Full-sized screenshot of your plug-in.) Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 275px by 600px.
##Plug-in File: Click on the "Browse" button to find your PiMP-ed .EXE file on your computer.
#Click the "Submit" Button, and...
#Voila! Your plug-in is on its way to being displayed before the world.

====Submission Checklist====
Please ensure that your Plugin meets the following terms before submitting it to www.winamp.com:
*Your Plugin is tested and won't blow away other's computers due to silly bugs. For getting your plugin tested, please post it in this [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 forum] first.
*You have packed the Plugin with an installer that auto-detects the Winamp installation directory (or where the plugin should go to in order to work). We recommend using [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/ NSIS]. It is free and you can find an example installer script [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts here].
*You havn't submitted the plugin already. If so, please use the 'edit' function for your plugin shown in your [http://www.winamp.com/user/main User Account Central].

====Plug-in Category Descriptions====
Please choose the categories thoughtfully. It will make finding your plug-in much easier if it is in the right categories.

AVS Presets: Any presets or APEs for Nullsoft's AVS plug-in.
DSP/Effect: Manipulates audio data.
Encoding: Plug-ins that encode media.
Games: Any plug-in that takes input and rewards "good" behavior.
General: Does not depend on audio data to run.
Input: Reads new audio file type.
Language Packs: Translates Winamp to a new language.
Output: Converts to new type of audio file or sends audio through alternate path.
Plug-in Skins: Plug-ins that change the look and feel of Winamp.
Portable Devices: Plug-ins that interact with removable media.
Visualizations: Visualization ... plug-ins.

==Tools==
* Visual Studio 6.0 or higher (Visual Studio 2003 is highly recommended.You can download a free copy of [http://www.microsoft.com/Express Visual Studio Express] from Microsoft. Unfortunately it is a newer version and not full-featured and we cannot guarantee that the SDK examples will work properly with this edition.
* [http://nsis.sourceforge.net Nullsoft Scriptable Install System] or other installer software for packaging your completed plug-in. Check this [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts example] for creating a NSIS Installer for your plugin.
* [http://www.7-zip.org 7-Zip] or other archiver for packaging your WSZ or WAL skin files.

==SDK Documentation==
The SDK includes everything you'll need to develop a Winamp plug-in. It also includes a basketful of example plug-ins to get you going. It is recommended that you create your plug-in as a subdirectory of the install path ("C:\Program Files\Winamp SDK" by default) as the #include paths of the examples assume this.

*[[SDK Contents]]
*'''[http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/plugin-dev/WA5.55_SDK.exe Download SDK]'''

==Resources==
* [[Articles#Plug-in_Articles|Plug-in Articles]]
* [[Developers_FAQ#Plug-in_Developer_FAQ|Plug-in FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 Winamp Developer Forum]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-plugin Submit Your Plug-in]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/plugins Download Plug-ins]

Plug-in Developer

2009-02-14T15:06:39Z

Mpdeimos: /* Submitting Your Plug-in */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Online Service Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Plugins-logo.png]]

==Plug-in Overview==

===Writing A Plug-in===
Winamp plug-ins are files that extend Winamp's functionality. There are currently seven different plug-in types, each of which extends Winamp in a particular way. Winamp plug-ins are implemented as 32-bit Windows DLLs. Here are the plug-in categories:

#Input plug-ins: Input plug-ins give Winamp the ability to play additional file types that aren't supported by Nullsoft directly.
#Output plug-ins: Output plug-ins allow Winamp to manifest audio data in different ways.
#General purpose plug-ins: Anything that needs to run continuously in the background or doesn't require audio processing qualifies as a General purpose plug-in.
#DSP/effect plug-ins: DSP Plug-ins manipulate audio data before actually being sent to the speakers (or whatever the Output plug-in decides to do with it).
#Visualization plug-ins: "Vis" plug-ins display some sort of visual effect based on audio that's being decoded by Winamp.
#Language packs: Language packs are used to internationalize Winamp to the language of your choice.
#Media Library plug-ins: Media Library plug-ins extend the media library for instance, for portable devices such as iPods, accessing Media Library databases, etc.

Most of the plug-in types (with the exception of Language packs) export one function, which is used to query the plug-in of its interface. The way each plug-in is queried varies, and will be covered on a type-by-type basis.

All of the plug-ins are designed to be written in C or C++, using Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 or later. Other people have reported success with writing some forms of plug-ins using Delphi, LCC, and Visual Basic. We don't use these alternate development platforms, so we can't really support development on them (writing this page alone took way too much time, wink). The [http://forums.winamp.com/ Winamp forums] are a good place to start.

===Submitting Your Plug-in===

Once your plug-in is bug-free, the ultimate step is to share your masterpiece with the world. This is where Winamp.com steps in. Submitting your plug-in will allow people all over the world to enjoy the fruits of your labor. To do this, just follow these steps:

#Go to http://www.winamp.com/user/submit
#Click the "Submit a plug-in" button.
#Fill in the blanks:
##Name: The name of your plug-in.
##Comment: The short blurb that comes up when people browse the plug-ins page.
##Description: The longer blurb that is displayed when people view the plug-in details page.
##Categories: Choose Primary and/or Secondary (optional) categories to properly sort your plug-in.
##Thumbnail: Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 178px by 75px.
##Screenshot: (Full-sized screenshot of your plug-in.) Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 275px by 600px.
##Plug-in File: Click on the "Browse" button to find your PiMP-ed .EXE file on your computer.
#Click the "Submit" Button, and...
#Voila! Your plug-in is on its way to being displayed before the world.

====Submission Checklist====
'''Please ensure that your Plugin meets the following terms before submitting it to www.winamp.com:'''
*Your Plugin is tested and won't blow away other's computers due to silly bugs. For getting your plugin tested, please post it in this [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 forum] first.
*You have packed the Plugin with an installer that auto-detects the Winamp installation directory (or where the plugin should go to in order to work). We recommend using [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/ NSIS]. It is free and you can find an example installer script [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts here].
*You havn't submitted the plugin already. If so, please use the 'edit' function for your plugin shown in your [http://www.winamp.com/user/main User Account Central].

====Plug-in Category Descriptions====
Please choose the categories thoughtfully. It will make finding your plug-in much easier if it is in the right categories.

AVS Presets: Any presets or APEs for Nullsoft's AVS plug-in.
DSP/Effect: Manipulates audio data.
Encoding: Plug-ins that encode media.
Games: Any plug-in that takes input and rewards "good" behavior.
General: Does not depend on audio data to run.
Input: Reads new audio file type.
Language Packs: Translates Winamp to a new language.
Output: Converts to new type of audio file or sends audio through alternate path.
Plug-in Skins: Plug-ins that change the look and feel of Winamp.
Portable Devices: Plug-ins that interact with removable media.
Visualizations: Visualization ... plug-ins.

==Tools==
* Visual Studio 6.0 or higher (Visual Studio 2003 is highly recommended.You can download a free copy of [http://www.microsoft.com/Express Visual Studio Express] from Microsoft. Unfortunately it is a newer version and not full-featured and we cannot guarantee that the SDK examples will work properly with this edition.
* [http://nsis.sourceforge.net Nullsoft Scriptable Install System] or other installer software for packaging your completed plug-in. Check this [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts example] for creating a NSIS Installer for your plugin.
* [http://www.7-zip.org 7-Zip] or other archiver for packaging your WSZ or WAL skin files.

==SDK Documentation==
The SDK includes everything you'll need to develop a Winamp plug-in. It also includes a basketful of example plug-ins to get you going. It is recommended that you create your plug-in as a subdirectory of the install path ("C:\Program Files\Winamp SDK" by default) as the #include paths of the examples assume this.

*[[SDK Contents]]
*'''[http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/plugin-dev/WA5.55_SDK.exe Download SDK]'''

==Resources==
* [[Articles#Plug-in_Articles|Plug-in Articles]]
* [[Developers_FAQ#Plug-in_Developer_FAQ|Plug-in FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 Winamp Developer Forum]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-plugin Submit Your Plug-in]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/plugins Download Plug-ins]

Plug-in Developer

2009-02-14T14:50:08Z

Mpdeimos: /* Submitting Your Plug-in */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Online Service Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Plugins-logo.png]]

==Plug-in Overview==

===Writing A Plug-in===
Winamp plug-ins are files that extend Winamp's functionality. There are currently seven different plug-in types, each of which extends Winamp in a particular way. Winamp plug-ins are implemented as 32-bit Windows DLLs. Here are the plug-in categories:

#Input plug-ins: Input plug-ins give Winamp the ability to play additional file types that aren't supported by Nullsoft directly.
#Output plug-ins: Output plug-ins allow Winamp to manifest audio data in different ways.
#General purpose plug-ins: Anything that needs to run continuously in the background or doesn't require audio processing qualifies as a General purpose plug-in.
#DSP/effect plug-ins: DSP Plug-ins manipulate audio data before actually being sent to the speakers (or whatever the Output plug-in decides to do with it).
#Visualization plug-ins: "Vis" plug-ins display some sort of visual effect based on audio that's being decoded by Winamp.
#Language packs: Language packs are used to internationalize Winamp to the language of your choice.
#Media Library plug-ins: Media Library plug-ins extend the media library for instance, for portable devices such as iPods, accessing Media Library databases, etc.

Most of the plug-in types (with the exception of Language packs) export one function, which is used to query the plug-in of its interface. The way each plug-in is queried varies, and will be covered on a type-by-type basis.

All of the plug-ins are designed to be written in C or C++, using Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 or later. Other people have reported success with writing some forms of plug-ins using Delphi, LCC, and Visual Basic. We don't use these alternate development platforms, so we can't really support development on them (writing this page alone took way too much time, wink). The [http://forums.winamp.com/ Winamp forums] are a good place to start.

===Submitting Your Plug-in===

Once your plug-in is bug-free, the ultimate step is to share your masterpiece with the world. This is where Winamp.com steps in. Submitting your plug-in will allow people all over the world to enjoy the fruits of your labor. To do this, just follow these steps:

#Go to http://www.winamp.com/user/submit
#Click the "Submit a plug-in" button.
#Fill in the blanks:
##Name: The name of your plug-in.
##Comment: The short blurb that comes up when people browse the plug-ins page.
##Description: The longer blurb that is displayed when people view the plug-in details page.
##Categories: Choose Primary and/or Secondary (optional) categories to properly sort your plug-in.
##Thumbnail: Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 178px by 75px.
##Screenshot: (Full-sized screenshot of your plug-in.) Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 275px by 600px.
##Plug-in File: Click on the "Browse" button to find your PiMP-ed .EXE file on your computer.
#Click the "Submit" Button, and...
#Voila! Your plug-in is on its way to being displayed before the world.

'''Please ensure that your Plugin meets the following terms before submitting it to www.winamp.com:'''
*Your Plugin is tested and won't blow away other's computers due to silly bugs. For getting your plugin tested, please post it in this [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 forum] first.
*You have packed the Plugin with an installer that auto-detects the Winamp installation directory (or where the plugin should go to in order to work). We recommend using [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/ NSIS]. It is free and you can find an example installer script [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts here].
*You havn't submitted the plugin already. If so, please use the 'edit' function for your plugin shown in your [http://www.winamp.com/user/main User Account Central].

====Plug-in Category Descriptions====
Please choose the categories thoughtfully. It will make finding your plug-in much easier if it is in the right categories.

AVS Presets: Any presets or APEs for Nullsoft's AVS plug-in.
DSP/Effect: Manipulates audio data.
Encoding: Plug-ins that encode media.
Games: Any plug-in that takes input and rewards "good" behavior.
General: Does not depend on audio data to run.
Input: Reads new audio file type.
Language Packs: Translates Winamp to a new language.
Output: Converts to new type of audio file or sends audio through alternate path.
Plug-in Skins: Plug-ins that change the look and feel of Winamp.
Portable Devices: Plug-ins that interact with removable media.
Visualizations: Visualization ... plug-ins.

==Tools==
* Visual Studio 6.0 or higher (Visual Studio 2003 is highly recommended.You can download a free copy of [http://www.microsoft.com/Express Visual Studio Express] from Microsoft. Unfortunately it is a newer version and not full-featured and we cannot guarantee that the SDK examples will work properly with this edition.
* [http://nsis.sourceforge.net Nullsoft Scriptable Install System] or other installer software for packaging your completed plug-in. Check this [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts example] for creating a NSIS Installer for your plugin.
* [http://www.7-zip.org 7-Zip] or other archiver for packaging your WSZ or WAL skin files.

==SDK Documentation==
The SDK includes everything you'll need to develop a Winamp plug-in. It also includes a basketful of example plug-ins to get you going. It is recommended that you create your plug-in as a subdirectory of the install path ("C:\Program Files\Winamp SDK" by default) as the #include paths of the examples assume this.

*[[SDK Contents]]
*'''[http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/plugin-dev/WA5.55_SDK.exe Download SDK]'''

==Resources==
* [[Articles#Plug-in_Articles|Plug-in Articles]]
* [[Developers_FAQ#Plug-in_Developer_FAQ|Plug-in FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 Winamp Developer Forum]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-plugin Submit Your Plug-in]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/plugins Download Plug-ins]

Plug-in Developer

2009-02-14T14:38:22Z

Mpdeimos: /* Submitting Your Plug-in */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Online Service Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Plugins-logo.png]]

==Plug-in Overview==

===Writing A Plug-in===
Winamp plug-ins are files that extend Winamp's functionality. There are currently seven different plug-in types, each of which extends Winamp in a particular way. Winamp plug-ins are implemented as 32-bit Windows DLLs. Here are the plug-in categories:

#Input plug-ins: Input plug-ins give Winamp the ability to play additional file types that aren't supported by Nullsoft directly.
#Output plug-ins: Output plug-ins allow Winamp to manifest audio data in different ways.
#General purpose plug-ins: Anything that needs to run continuously in the background or doesn't require audio processing qualifies as a General purpose plug-in.
#DSP/effect plug-ins: DSP Plug-ins manipulate audio data before actually being sent to the speakers (or whatever the Output plug-in decides to do with it).
#Visualization plug-ins: "Vis" plug-ins display some sort of visual effect based on audio that's being decoded by Winamp.
#Language packs: Language packs are used to internationalize Winamp to the language of your choice.
#Media Library plug-ins: Media Library plug-ins extend the media library for instance, for portable devices such as iPods, accessing Media Library databases, etc.

Most of the plug-in types (with the exception of Language packs) export one function, which is used to query the plug-in of its interface. The way each plug-in is queried varies, and will be covered on a type-by-type basis.

All of the plug-ins are designed to be written in C or C++, using Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 or later. Other people have reported success with writing some forms of plug-ins using Delphi, LCC, and Visual Basic. We don't use these alternate development platforms, so we can't really support development on them (writing this page alone took way too much time, wink). The [http://forums.winamp.com/ Winamp forums] are a good place to start.

===Submitting Your Plug-in===

Once your plug-in is bug-free, the ultimate step is to share your masterpiece with the world. This is where Winamp.com steps in. Submitting your plug-in will allow people all over the world to enjoy the fruits of your labor. To do this, just follow these steps:

#Go to http://www.winamp.com/user/submit
#Click the "Submit a plug-in" button.
#Fill in the blanks:
##Name: The name of your plug-in.
##Comment: The short blurb that comes up when people browse the plug-ins page.
##Description: The longer blurb that is displayed when people view the plug-in details page.
##Categories: Choose Primary and/or Secondary (optional) categories to properly sort your plug-in.
##Thumbnail: Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 178px by 75px.
##Screenshot: (Full-sized screenshot of your plug-in.) Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 275px by 600px.
##Plug-in File: Click on the "Browse" button to find your PiMP-ed .EXE file on your computer.
#Click the "Submit" Button, and...
#Voila! Your plug-in is on its way to being displayed before the world.

'''Please ensure that your Plugin meets the following terms before submitting it to www.winamp.com:'''
#Your Plugin is tested and won't blow away other's computers due to silly bugs. For getting your plugin tested, please post it in this [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 forum] first.
#You have packed the Plugin in an installer that auto-detects the Winamp installation directory (or where the plugin should go to in order to work). We recommend using [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/ NSIS]. It is free and you can find an example installer script [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts here].

====Plug-in Category Descriptions====
Please choose the categories thoughtfully. It will make finding your plug-in much easier if it is in the right categories.

AVS Presets: Any presets or APEs for Nullsoft's AVS plug-in.
DSP/Effect: Manipulates audio data.
Encoding: Plug-ins that encode media.
Games: Any plug-in that takes input and rewards "good" behavior.
General: Does not depend on audio data to run.
Input: Reads new audio file type.
Language Packs: Translates Winamp to a new language.
Output: Converts to new type of audio file or sends audio through alternate path.
Plug-in Skins: Plug-ins that change the look and feel of Winamp.
Portable Devices: Plug-ins that interact with removable media.
Visualizations: Visualization ... plug-ins.

==Tools==
* Visual Studio 6.0 or higher (Visual Studio 2003 is highly recommended.You can download a free copy of [http://www.microsoft.com/Express Visual Studio Express] from Microsoft. Unfortunately it is a newer version and not full-featured and we cannot guarantee that the SDK examples will work properly with this edition.
* [http://nsis.sourceforge.net Nullsoft Scriptable Install System] or other installer software for packaging your completed plug-in. Check this [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts example] for creating a NSIS Installer for your plugin.
* [http://www.7-zip.org 7-Zip] or other archiver for packaging your WSZ or WAL skin files.

==SDK Documentation==
The SDK includes everything you'll need to develop a Winamp plug-in. It also includes a basketful of example plug-ins to get you going. It is recommended that you create your plug-in as a subdirectory of the install path ("C:\Program Files\Winamp SDK" by default) as the #include paths of the examples assume this.

*[[SDK Contents]]
*'''[http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/plugin-dev/WA5.55_SDK.exe Download SDK]'''

==Resources==
* [[Articles#Plug-in_Articles|Plug-in Articles]]
* [[Developers_FAQ#Plug-in_Developer_FAQ|Plug-in FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 Winamp Developer Forum]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-plugin Submit Your Plug-in]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/plugins Download Plug-ins]

Plug-in Developer

2009-02-14T14:37:02Z

Mpdeimos: /* Submitting Your Plug-in */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Online Service Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Plugins-logo.png]]

==Plug-in Overview==

===Writing A Plug-in===
Winamp plug-ins are files that extend Winamp's functionality. There are currently seven different plug-in types, each of which extends Winamp in a particular way. Winamp plug-ins are implemented as 32-bit Windows DLLs. Here are the plug-in categories:

#Input plug-ins: Input plug-ins give Winamp the ability to play additional file types that aren't supported by Nullsoft directly.
#Output plug-ins: Output plug-ins allow Winamp to manifest audio data in different ways.
#General purpose plug-ins: Anything that needs to run continuously in the background or doesn't require audio processing qualifies as a General purpose plug-in.
#DSP/effect plug-ins: DSP Plug-ins manipulate audio data before actually being sent to the speakers (or whatever the Output plug-in decides to do with it).
#Visualization plug-ins: "Vis" plug-ins display some sort of visual effect based on audio that's being decoded by Winamp.
#Language packs: Language packs are used to internationalize Winamp to the language of your choice.
#Media Library plug-ins: Media Library plug-ins extend the media library for instance, for portable devices such as iPods, accessing Media Library databases, etc.

Most of the plug-in types (with the exception of Language packs) export one function, which is used to query the plug-in of its interface. The way each plug-in is queried varies, and will be covered on a type-by-type basis.

All of the plug-ins are designed to be written in C or C++, using Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 or later. Other people have reported success with writing some forms of plug-ins using Delphi, LCC, and Visual Basic. We don't use these alternate development platforms, so we can't really support development on them (writing this page alone took way too much time, wink). The [http://forums.winamp.com/ Winamp forums] are a good place to start.

===Submitting Your Plug-in===

Once your plug-in is bug-free, the ultimate step is to share your masterpiece with the world. This is where Winamp.com steps in. Submitting your plug-in will allow people all over the world to enjoy the fruits of your labor. To do this, just follow these steps:

#Go to http://www.winamp.com/user/submit
#Click the "Submit a plug-in" button.
#Fill in the blanks:
##Name: The name of your plug-in.
##Comment: The short blurb that comes up when people browse the plug-ins page.
##Description: The longer blurb that is displayed when people view the plug-in details page.
##Categories: Choose Primary and/or Secondary (optional) categories to properly sort your plug-in.
##Thumbnail: Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 178px by 75px.
##Screenshot: (Full-sized screenshot of your plug-in.) Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 275px by 600px.
##Plug-in File: Click on the "Browse" button to find your PiMP-ed .EXE file on your computer.
#Click the "Submit" Button, and...
#Voila! Your plug-in is on its way to being displayed before the world.

Please ensure that your Plugin meets the following terms before submitting it to www.winamp.com:
#Your Plugin is tested and won't blow away other's computers due to silly bugs. For getting your plugin tested, please post it in this [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 forum] first.
#You have packed the Plugin in an installer that auto-detects the Winamp installation directory (or where the plugin should go to in order to work). We recommend using NSIS. It is free and you can find an example installer script here.

====Plug-in Category Descriptions====
Please choose the categories thoughtfully. It will make finding your plug-in much easier if it is in the right categories.

AVS Presets: Any presets or APEs for Nullsoft's AVS plug-in.
DSP/Effect: Manipulates audio data.
Encoding: Plug-ins that encode media.
Games: Any plug-in that takes input and rewards "good" behavior.
General: Does not depend on audio data to run.
Input: Reads new audio file type.
Language Packs: Translates Winamp to a new language.
Output: Converts to new type of audio file or sends audio through alternate path.
Plug-in Skins: Plug-ins that change the look and feel of Winamp.
Portable Devices: Plug-ins that interact with removable media.
Visualizations: Visualization ... plug-ins.

==Tools==
* Visual Studio 6.0 or higher (Visual Studio 2003 is highly recommended.You can download a free copy of [http://www.microsoft.com/Express Visual Studio Express] from Microsoft. Unfortunately it is a newer version and not full-featured and we cannot guarantee that the SDK examples will work properly with this edition.
* [http://nsis.sourceforge.net Nullsoft Scriptable Install System] or other installer software for packaging your completed plug-in. Check this [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts example] for creating a NSIS Installer for your plugin.
* [http://www.7-zip.org 7-Zip] or other archiver for packaging your WSZ or WAL skin files.

==SDK Documentation==
The SDK includes everything you'll need to develop a Winamp plug-in. It also includes a basketful of example plug-ins to get you going. It is recommended that you create your plug-in as a subdirectory of the install path ("C:\Program Files\Winamp SDK" by default) as the #include paths of the examples assume this.

*[[SDK Contents]]
*'''[http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/plugin-dev/WA5.55_SDK.exe Download SDK]'''

==Resources==
* [[Articles#Plug-in_Articles|Plug-in Articles]]
* [[Developers_FAQ#Plug-in_Developer_FAQ|Plug-in FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 Winamp Developer Forum]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-plugin Submit Your Plug-in]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/plugins Download Plug-ins]

Plug-in Developer

2009-02-14T14:30:31Z

Mpdeimos: /* Tools */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Online Service Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Plugins-logo.png]]

==Plug-in Overview==

===Writing A Plug-in===
Winamp plug-ins are files that extend Winamp's functionality. There are currently seven different plug-in types, each of which extends Winamp in a particular way. Winamp plug-ins are implemented as 32-bit Windows DLLs. Here are the plug-in categories:

#Input plug-ins: Input plug-ins give Winamp the ability to play additional file types that aren't supported by Nullsoft directly.
#Output plug-ins: Output plug-ins allow Winamp to manifest audio data in different ways.
#General purpose plug-ins: Anything that needs to run continuously in the background or doesn't require audio processing qualifies as a General purpose plug-in.
#DSP/effect plug-ins: DSP Plug-ins manipulate audio data before actually being sent to the speakers (or whatever the Output plug-in decides to do with it).
#Visualization plug-ins: "Vis" plug-ins display some sort of visual effect based on audio that's being decoded by Winamp.
#Language packs: Language packs are used to internationalize Winamp to the language of your choice.
#Media Library plug-ins: Media Library plug-ins extend the media library for instance, for portable devices such as iPods, accessing Media Library databases, etc.

Most of the plug-in types (with the exception of Language packs) export one function, which is used to query the plug-in of its interface. The way each plug-in is queried varies, and will be covered on a type-by-type basis.

All of the plug-ins are designed to be written in C or C++, using Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 or later. Other people have reported success with writing some forms of plug-ins using Delphi, LCC, and Visual Basic. We don't use these alternate development platforms, so we can't really support development on them (writing this page alone took way too much time, wink). The [http://forums.winamp.com/ Winamp forums] are a good place to start.

===Submitting Your Plug-in===

Once your plug-in is bug-free, the ultimate step is to share your masterpiece with the world. This is where Winamp.com steps in. Submitting your plug-in will allow people all over the world to enjoy the fruits of your labor. To do this, just follow these steps:

#Go to http://www.winamp.com/user/submit
#Click the "Submit a plug-in" button.
#Fill in the blanks:
##Name: The name of your plug-in.
##Comment: The short blurb that comes up when people browse the plug-ins page.
##Description: The longer blurb that is displayed when people view the plug-in details page.
##Categories: Choose Primary and/or Secondary (optional) categories to properly sort your plug-in.
##Thumbnail: Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 178px by 75px.
##Screenshot: (Full-sized screenshot of your plug-in.) Click on the "Browse" button to find the .gif, .jpg, or .png file on your computer. Note: the image file dimensions should be no larger than 275px by 600px.
##Plug-in File: Click on the "Browse" button to find your PiMP-ed .EXE file on your computer.
#Click the "Submit" Button, and...
#Voila! Your plug-in is on its way to being displayed before the world.

====Plug-in Category Descriptions====
Please choose the categories thoughtfully. It will make finding your plug-in much easier if it is in the right categories.

AVS Presets: Any presets or APEs for Nullsoft's AVS plug-in.
DSP/Effect: Manipulates audio data.
Encoding: Plug-ins that encode media.
Games: Any plug-in that takes input and rewards "good" behavior.
General: Does not depend on audio data to run.
Input: Reads new audio file type.
Language Packs: Translates Winamp to a new language.
Output: Converts to new type of audio file or sends audio through alternate path.
Plug-in Skins: Plug-ins that change the look and feel of Winamp.
Portable Devices: Plug-ins that interact with removable media.
Visualizations: Visualization ... plug-ins.

==Tools==
* Visual Studio 6.0 or higher (Visual Studio 2003 is highly recommended.You can download a free copy of [http://www.microsoft.com/Express Visual Studio Express] from Microsoft. Unfortunately it is a newer version and not full-featured and we cannot guarantee that the SDK examples will work properly with this edition.
* [http://nsis.sourceforge.net Nullsoft Scriptable Install System] or other installer software for packaging your completed plug-in. Check this [http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Winamp_Plugin_Installer_Scripts example] for creating a NSIS Installer for your plugin.
* [http://www.7-zip.org 7-Zip] or other archiver for packaging your WSZ or WAL skin files.

==SDK Documentation==
The SDK includes everything you'll need to develop a Winamp plug-in. It also includes a basketful of example plug-ins to get you going. It is recommended that you create your plug-in as a subdirectory of the install path ("C:\Program Files\Winamp SDK" by default) as the #include paths of the examples assume this.

*[[SDK Contents]]
*'''[http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/plugin-dev/WA5.55_SDK.exe Download SDK]'''

==Resources==
* [[Articles#Plug-in_Articles|Plug-in Articles]]
* [[Developers_FAQ#Plug-in_Developer_FAQ|Plug-in FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14 Winamp Developer Forum]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-plugin Submit Your Plug-in]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/plugins Download Plug-ins]

Color Editor

2008-10-25T08:16:56Z

Mpdeimos: /* Theme Maps for popular Skins */

== Where are the themes saved? ==
When you save your themes it will save in one of the following places, depending on what type of installation of Winamp you have:
* Multi-User Settings Install (default)
** '''%appdata%/winamp/Plugins/Freeform/wacs/coloreditor/data'''
* Winamp folder Settings
** '''x:/.../winamp/Plugins/Freeform/wacs/coloreditor/data'''

== Hiden features ==
=== Multi Slider move ===
When you move one of the sliders you can press Ctrl or Shift to move the other 2 sliders too.
This is sometimes usefull of you just want to finetune a certain color.
* '''Ctrl'''+Slide
** All sliders have the same value.
* '''Shift'''+Slide
** The other 2 sliders will now move relative to the one your moving.

== Winamp 5 Color Editor F.A.Q. ==

'''1. Why can't I edit my skin's color themes ? Why is there a “locked” icon in front of them ?
'''
A skin may be zipped, and so the color editor cannot 1) unzip your skin, 2) change the themes definitions, and 3) rezip the skin. Even if it could, or if the skin was unzipped in the first place, the color editor would have to find the file that defines the color themes, and this may be any xml file in the skin.

The color editor's philosophy is therefore not to touch the skins directly : the only editable color themes are those you create. To edit a color theme, you should clone it first !

'''2. How can I send my colorthemes to someone without making him edit his skin ?'''

You should first export your colorthemes using the export button on the color editor, and then install the exported file into the Winamp5 colorthemes directory located at :

path_to_winamp\plugins\ColorThemes\name_of_the_skin\

The file you install should have the xml extention and a somewhat unique name so that it does not conflicts with other custom themes packs (ie: not “themes.xml”).

Upon reloading Winamp5, the themes should now appear in the colorthemes selection box. Note that they will not be editable (see faq 1 above).

'''3. Why does going from RGB to HSL sometimes slightly changes my color group setting ?'''

Although all RGB colors have an HSL equivalent and vice-versa, these are not one-to-one equivalents (two RGB colors may have the same HSL equivalent). This is a consequence of the RGB/HSL conversion algorithms.

'''4. How do I create a new color group ?'''

Color groups are an integral part of the skin, they change for each skin, and they are defined by the skinner. The color editor's purpose is to let you assign new color values for these color groups, not to let you create more groups in the skin you are using or for the skin you are making.

'''5. How do I find what color group is used by a given widget ?'''

The only way to do this for now is to try each color group. A later version may let you flash a specific color group in the skin, but this will be very cpu-intensive (changing a color group reloads all the skins images), but since a given widget may implicitly use more than one colortheme, we would need to have the skinner list these colorthemes explicitly for each widget to be able to let you find this out more easily. This would be a daunting task for the skinner, and so this is not a viable option.

'''6. Why are there widgets for which there is no color group ?'''

Either the skinner forgot to define a color group for the graphical elements used by the widget, or you have missed it.

'''7. What is the difference between “Max Grayscale” and “Avg Grayscale” ?'''

Max grayscale is computed by getting the maximum value of each red, green and blue color channels, and assigning this value to each three (each pixel is done independently).
Avg (average) grayscale is computed by getting the average value of the red, green and blue color channels, and assigning this value to each three (each pixel is done independently).

'''8. What is “Saturate channels” ?'''

“Saturate channels” adds 127 to each pixels's color channel.

'''9. Why is the resulting color for the graphical element not the color that I see above each slider ?'''

The color you see above each slider is the color you get for a pixel that has the “Preview source color” values for its color channels. To get an accurate result, you should select a previous source color that is approximately the average color of the graphical element you are tweaking. For instance, if you are changing a graphical element that has only red (ie: it has 0 in its green and blue channels), no matter the poxition of the green and blue sliders, it will not change anything in the element. If that happens, you can use one of the two grayscale checkboxes, so that the element will be grayscaled before the color tweak is applied, or you can use the saturate channels checkbox to boost its color channels so that all three sliders will have an effect.

'''10. Why does the red (or green or blue) slider has no effect on some widget ?'''

See faq 9.

Why does the red green and blue values for each color group goes from -4096 to +4096 rather than from 0 to 255 ?

The red green and blue values in the xml for a color theme are not a direct representation of the color you get (otherwise, it would make all pixels this value!), they are (arbitrarilly ranged) values that are used to multiply (or divide) each pixels's channel.

'''11. Why does the hue slider cycles twice over the hue circle ?'''

The hue slider works just as the RGB sliders do, it changes each pixel color starting from its original channel values. The hue value you select makes the pixel's hue be shifted left or right over the hue circle just as the red (or green or blue) sliders shifts the red (or green or blue) value left or right in the original pixel, and so you can go one complete circle in one direction, or one complete circle in the other. In effect, where photoshop lets you go from 0° to 360° on the hue circle, the color editor lets you go from -360° to +360°

'''12. Why do the saturation and luminance sliders show a gradient between 2 colors rather than the standard color-to-white and color-to-black gradients ?'''

Here too, the sliders let you change the original pixels one direction or another, so the saturation slider lets you desaturate a pixel beyond the zero limit (and the luminance slider lets you subtract luminosity bellow the zero limit) of a standard HSL algorithm. In effect, where photoshop lets you go from 0 to 100% for these two components, the color editor lets you go from -100% to +100%.

== Gammaset Maps for popular Skins ==
Here are some maps that show what Gammaset belongs to which region in the skin.
* Winamp Modern: http://stashbox.org/272333/winmap3.png

Color Editor

2008-10-25T08:16:36Z

Mpdeimos:

== Where are the themes saved? ==
When you save your themes it will save in one of the following places, depending on what type of installation of Winamp you have:
* Multi-User Settings Install (default)
** '''%appdata%/winamp/Plugins/Freeform/wacs/coloreditor/data'''
* Winamp folder Settings
** '''x:/.../winamp/Plugins/Freeform/wacs/coloreditor/data'''

== Hiden features ==
=== Multi Slider move ===
When you move one of the sliders you can press Ctrl or Shift to move the other 2 sliders too.
This is sometimes usefull of you just want to finetune a certain color.
* '''Ctrl'''+Slide
** All sliders have the same value.
* '''Shift'''+Slide
** The other 2 sliders will now move relative to the one your moving.

== Winamp 5 Color Editor F.A.Q. ==

'''1. Why can't I edit my skin's color themes ? Why is there a “locked” icon in front of them ?
'''
A skin may be zipped, and so the color editor cannot 1) unzip your skin, 2) change the themes definitions, and 3) rezip the skin. Even if it could, or if the skin was unzipped in the first place, the color editor would have to find the file that defines the color themes, and this may be any xml file in the skin.

The color editor's philosophy is therefore not to touch the skins directly : the only editable color themes are those you create. To edit a color theme, you should clone it first !

'''2. How can I send my colorthemes to someone without making him edit his skin ?'''

You should first export your colorthemes using the export button on the color editor, and then install the exported file into the Winamp5 colorthemes directory located at :

path_to_winamp\plugins\ColorThemes\name_of_the_skin\

The file you install should have the xml extention and a somewhat unique name so that it does not conflicts with other custom themes packs (ie: not “themes.xml”).

Upon reloading Winamp5, the themes should now appear in the colorthemes selection box. Note that they will not be editable (see faq 1 above).

'''3. Why does going from RGB to HSL sometimes slightly changes my color group setting ?'''

Although all RGB colors have an HSL equivalent and vice-versa, these are not one-to-one equivalents (two RGB colors may have the same HSL equivalent). This is a consequence of the RGB/HSL conversion algorithms.

'''4. How do I create a new color group ?'''

Color groups are an integral part of the skin, they change for each skin, and they are defined by the skinner. The color editor's purpose is to let you assign new color values for these color groups, not to let you create more groups in the skin you are using or for the skin you are making.

'''5. How do I find what color group is used by a given widget ?'''

The only way to do this for now is to try each color group. A later version may let you flash a specific color group in the skin, but this will be very cpu-intensive (changing a color group reloads all the skins images), but since a given widget may implicitly use more than one colortheme, we would need to have the skinner list these colorthemes explicitly for each widget to be able to let you find this out more easily. This would be a daunting task for the skinner, and so this is not a viable option.

'''6. Why are there widgets for which there is no color group ?'''

Either the skinner forgot to define a color group for the graphical elements used by the widget, or you have missed it.

'''7. What is the difference between “Max Grayscale” and “Avg Grayscale” ?'''

Max grayscale is computed by getting the maximum value of each red, green and blue color channels, and assigning this value to each three (each pixel is done independently).
Avg (average) grayscale is computed by getting the average value of the red, green and blue color channels, and assigning this value to each three (each pixel is done independently).

'''8. What is “Saturate channels” ?'''

“Saturate channels” adds 127 to each pixels's color channel.

'''9. Why is the resulting color for the graphical element not the color that I see above each slider ?'''

The color you see above each slider is the color you get for a pixel that has the “Preview source color” values for its color channels. To get an accurate result, you should select a previous source color that is approximately the average color of the graphical element you are tweaking. For instance, if you are changing a graphical element that has only red (ie: it has 0 in its green and blue channels), no matter the poxition of the green and blue sliders, it will not change anything in the element. If that happens, you can use one of the two grayscale checkboxes, so that the element will be grayscaled before the color tweak is applied, or you can use the saturate channels checkbox to boost its color channels so that all three sliders will have an effect.

'''10. Why does the red (or green or blue) slider has no effect on some widget ?'''

See faq 9.

Why does the red green and blue values for each color group goes from -4096 to +4096 rather than from 0 to 255 ?

The red green and blue values in the xml for a color theme are not a direct representation of the color you get (otherwise, it would make all pixels this value!), they are (arbitrarilly ranged) values that are used to multiply (or divide) each pixels's channel.

'''11. Why does the hue slider cycles twice over the hue circle ?'''

The hue slider works just as the RGB sliders do, it changes each pixel color starting from its original channel values. The hue value you select makes the pixel's hue be shifted left or right over the hue circle just as the red (or green or blue) sliders shifts the red (or green or blue) value left or right in the original pixel, and so you can go one complete circle in one direction, or one complete circle in the other. In effect, where photoshop lets you go from 0° to 360° on the hue circle, the color editor lets you go from -360° to +360°

'''12. Why do the saturation and luminance sliders show a gradient between 2 colors rather than the standard color-to-white and color-to-black gradients ?'''

Here too, the sliders let you change the original pixels one direction or another, so the saturation slider lets you desaturate a pixel beyond the zero limit (and the luminance slider lets you subtract luminosity bellow the zero limit) of a standard HSL algorithm. In effect, where photoshop lets you go from 0 to 100% for these two components, the color editor lets you go from -100% to +100%.

== Theme Maps for popular Skins ==
Here are some maps that show what Gammaset belongs to which region in the skin.
* Winamp Modern: http://stashbox.org/272333/winmap3.png

Color Editor

2008-10-25T08:12:20Z

Mpdeimos: /* Where is the themes saved? */

Skin Developer

2008-10-03T19:12:44Z

Mpdeimos: /* Zip Compression Tool: */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Skins-logo.png]]

==Skins Overview==

To put it as simply as possible, skins change the way your Winamp player looks. If you want to get fancy and say that it changes the "User Interface" then you can, but really all you need to know to get you started is if you download a new skin, Winamp will put on a little mask and pretend to look different.

==Tools==
Before creating a complete skin, you will need the following tools. There are some suggestions below, but we don't necessarily endorse or require you to use any of them. We leave you to choose one that you're most comfortable with.

====Bitmap Editor====
How else will you "paint" your skins? Must be able to recognize the .BMP and .PNG format.

''eg. MS Paint, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Paint.NET, GIMP''

====Text Editor====
For use in configuring the fonts and colors of the Mini-browser and Playlist editor. Also used if you do any transparency.

''eg. MS Notepad, TextPad''

====Icon Editor====
You will need an Icon editor if you are hardcore and want to edit the cursors and pointers associated with your skin.

''eg. NeoSoft Icon Editor, Icon Edit Pro, Impact Microangelo''

====Zip Compression Tool====
Absolutely necessary to publish your skin. Winamp.com will not accept an unzipped skin.

''eg. 7-Zip''

== Classic Skins ==
Classic skins are skins that adhere to the Winamp 2 style model. Classic skins are easier to create than Modern skins but do not allow the author to change the form or function of the player. Classic authors may only replace a standard set of images that alter the player's visual appearance.

* '''[[Creating Classic Skins]]'''

== Modern Skins ==
Modern or Freeform skins were originally designed to work with Winamp3. What separates them from the average skin is the fact that they are not confined to the classic rectangular shape. In fact they can be any shape you want them to be and you can put the Winamp control buttons anywhere you want. Some skinners have even added extra buttons that extend the functionality of Winamp right there on the skin. Sounds too good to be true huh? Well these skins require a bit more coding to make and some of the graphics that go into them are quite large. Consequently, Freeform skins may take a bit longer to download from our site and they may take a few extra seconds to load when you switch from one skin to another. But trust me when I say that Freeform skins are worth the extra time and effort. Skin developers have done some incredible things with these skins. You have to check them out.

* '''[[Creating Modern Skins]]'''

== ClassicPro Skins ==
ClassicPro skins is a blend of a Classic Winamp skin and a Modern Winamp skin. You don’t need to do any coding to create your skin because all the coding will be done by the ClassicPro plugin. The layout is similar to the Classic Winamp layout but also resizable using a Single-User-Interface ([[SUI]]) to display components.

[http://cpro.skinconsortium.com/ ClassicPro Official Website]

* '''[[Creating a ClassicPro Skin]]'''

==Developer Resources==
*[[Articles#Classic_Skins|Classic Skin Articles]]
*[[Articles#Modern_Skins|Modern Skin Articles]]
*[[Developers_FAQ#Skin_Developer_FAQ|Skin FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=5 Classic Skins]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=123 Modern Skins]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=18 Skinning Tips and Tricks]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=12 Arts and Design]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=119 Skin Removal Reporting]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit Submit Your Skin]
**[http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-skin-classic Submit Classic Skin]
**[http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-skin-modern Submit Modern Skin]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/skins Download Skins]

Skin Developer

2008-10-03T19:12:33Z

Mpdeimos: /* Icon Editor: */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Skins-logo.png]]

==Skins Overview==

To put it as simply as possible, skins change the way your Winamp player looks. If you want to get fancy and say that it changes the "User Interface" then you can, but really all you need to know to get you started is if you download a new skin, Winamp will put on a little mask and pretend to look different.

==Tools==
Before creating a complete skin, you will need the following tools. There are some suggestions below, but we don't necessarily endorse or require you to use any of them. We leave you to choose one that you're most comfortable with.

====Bitmap Editor====
How else will you "paint" your skins? Must be able to recognize the .BMP and .PNG format.

''eg. MS Paint, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Paint.NET, GIMP''

====Text Editor====
For use in configuring the fonts and colors of the Mini-browser and Playlist editor. Also used if you do any transparency.

''eg. MS Notepad, TextPad''

====Icon Editor====
You will need an Icon editor if you are hardcore and want to edit the cursors and pointers associated with your skin.

''eg. NeoSoft Icon Editor, Icon Edit Pro, Impact Microangelo''

====Zip Compression Tool:====
Absolutely necessary to publish your skin. Winamp.com will not accept an unzipped skin.

''eg. 7-Zip''

== Classic Skins ==
Classic skins are skins that adhere to the Winamp 2 style model. Classic skins are easier to create than Modern skins but do not allow the author to change the form or function of the player. Classic authors may only replace a standard set of images that alter the player's visual appearance.

* '''[[Creating Classic Skins]]'''

== Modern Skins ==
Modern or Freeform skins were originally designed to work with Winamp3. What separates them from the average skin is the fact that they are not confined to the classic rectangular shape. In fact they can be any shape you want them to be and you can put the Winamp control buttons anywhere you want. Some skinners have even added extra buttons that extend the functionality of Winamp right there on the skin. Sounds too good to be true huh? Well these skins require a bit more coding to make and some of the graphics that go into them are quite large. Consequently, Freeform skins may take a bit longer to download from our site and they may take a few extra seconds to load when you switch from one skin to another. But trust me when I say that Freeform skins are worth the extra time and effort. Skin developers have done some incredible things with these skins. You have to check them out.

* '''[[Creating Modern Skins]]'''

== ClassicPro Skins ==
ClassicPro skins is a blend of a Classic Winamp skin and a Modern Winamp skin. You don’t need to do any coding to create your skin because all the coding will be done by the ClassicPro plugin. The layout is similar to the Classic Winamp layout but also resizable using a Single-User-Interface ([[SUI]]) to display components.

[http://cpro.skinconsortium.com/ ClassicPro Official Website]

* '''[[Creating a ClassicPro Skin]]'''

==Developer Resources==
*[[Articles#Classic_Skins|Classic Skin Articles]]
*[[Articles#Modern_Skins|Modern Skin Articles]]
*[[Developers_FAQ#Skin_Developer_FAQ|Skin FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=5 Classic Skins]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=123 Modern Skins]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=18 Skinning Tips and Tricks]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=12 Arts and Design]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=119 Skin Removal Reporting]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit Submit Your Skin]
**[http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-skin-classic Submit Classic Skin]
**[http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-skin-modern Submit Modern Skin]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/skins Download Skins]

Skin Developer

2008-10-03T19:12:14Z

Mpdeimos: /* Text Editor: */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Skins-logo.png]]

==Skins Overview==

To put it as simply as possible, skins change the way your Winamp player looks. If you want to get fancy and say that it changes the "User Interface" then you can, but really all you need to know to get you started is if you download a new skin, Winamp will put on a little mask and pretend to look different.

==Tools==
Before creating a complete skin, you will need the following tools. There are some suggestions below, but we don't necessarily endorse or require you to use any of them. We leave you to choose one that you're most comfortable with.

====Bitmap Editor====
How else will you "paint" your skins? Must be able to recognize the .BMP and .PNG format.

''eg. MS Paint, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Paint.NET, GIMP''

====Text Editor====
For use in configuring the fonts and colors of the Mini-browser and Playlist editor. Also used if you do any transparency.

''eg. MS Notepad, TextPad''

====Icon Editor:====
You will need an Icon editor if you are hardcore and want to edit the cursors and pointers associated with your skin.

''eg. NeoSoft Icon Editor, Icon Edit Pro, Impact Microangelo''

====Zip Compression Tool:====
Absolutely necessary to publish your skin. Winamp.com will not accept an unzipped skin.

''eg. 7-Zip''

== Classic Skins ==
Classic skins are skins that adhere to the Winamp 2 style model. Classic skins are easier to create than Modern skins but do not allow the author to change the form or function of the player. Classic authors may only replace a standard set of images that alter the player's visual appearance.

* '''[[Creating Classic Skins]]'''

== Modern Skins ==
Modern or Freeform skins were originally designed to work with Winamp3. What separates them from the average skin is the fact that they are not confined to the classic rectangular shape. In fact they can be any shape you want them to be and you can put the Winamp control buttons anywhere you want. Some skinners have even added extra buttons that extend the functionality of Winamp right there on the skin. Sounds too good to be true huh? Well these skins require a bit more coding to make and some of the graphics that go into them are quite large. Consequently, Freeform skins may take a bit longer to download from our site and they may take a few extra seconds to load when you switch from one skin to another. But trust me when I say that Freeform skins are worth the extra time and effort. Skin developers have done some incredible things with these skins. You have to check them out.

* '''[[Creating Modern Skins]]'''

== ClassicPro Skins ==
ClassicPro skins is a blend of a Classic Winamp skin and a Modern Winamp skin. You don’t need to do any coding to create your skin because all the coding will be done by the ClassicPro plugin. The layout is similar to the Classic Winamp layout but also resizable using a Single-User-Interface ([[SUI]]) to display components.

[http://cpro.skinconsortium.com/ ClassicPro Official Website]

* '''[[Creating a ClassicPro Skin]]'''

==Developer Resources==
*[[Articles#Classic_Skins|Classic Skin Articles]]
*[[Articles#Modern_Skins|Modern Skin Articles]]
*[[Developers_FAQ#Skin_Developer_FAQ|Skin FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=5 Classic Skins]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=123 Modern Skins]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=18 Skinning Tips and Tricks]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=12 Arts and Design]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=119 Skin Removal Reporting]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit Submit Your Skin]
**[http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-skin-classic Submit Classic Skin]
**[http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-skin-modern Submit Modern Skin]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/skins Download Skins]

Skin Developer

2008-10-03T19:11:56Z

Mpdeimos: /* Bitmap Editor: */

'''Breadcrumb''' -- [[Main_Page|Wiki Main]] : [[Skin Developer]] : [[Visual Developer]] : [[Plug-in Developer]] : [[Articles|Articles Page]] : [[Developers FAQ|FAQ]] : [[Main_Page#Glossary_of_Terms|Glossary]]

[[Image:Skins-logo.png]]

==Skins Overview==

To put it as simply as possible, skins change the way your Winamp player looks. If you want to get fancy and say that it changes the "User Interface" then you can, but really all you need to know to get you started is if you download a new skin, Winamp will put on a little mask and pretend to look different.

==Tools==
Before creating a complete skin, you will need the following tools. There are some suggestions below, but we don't necessarily endorse or require you to use any of them. We leave you to choose one that you're most comfortable with.

====Bitmap Editor====
How else will you "paint" your skins? Must be able to recognize the .BMP and .PNG format.

''eg. MS Paint, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Paint.NET, GIMP''

====Text Editor:====
For use in configuring the fonts and colors of the Mini-browser and Playlist editor. Also used if you do any transparency.

''eg. MS Notepad, TextPad''

====Icon Editor:====
You will need an Icon editor if you are hardcore and want to edit the cursors and pointers associated with your skin.

''eg. NeoSoft Icon Editor, Icon Edit Pro, Impact Microangelo''

====Zip Compression Tool:====
Absolutely necessary to publish your skin. Winamp.com will not accept an unzipped skin.

''eg. 7-Zip''

== Classic Skins ==
Classic skins are skins that adhere to the Winamp 2 style model. Classic skins are easier to create than Modern skins but do not allow the author to change the form or function of the player. Classic authors may only replace a standard set of images that alter the player's visual appearance.

* '''[[Creating Classic Skins]]'''

== Modern Skins ==
Modern or Freeform skins were originally designed to work with Winamp3. What separates them from the average skin is the fact that they are not confined to the classic rectangular shape. In fact they can be any shape you want them to be and you can put the Winamp control buttons anywhere you want. Some skinners have even added extra buttons that extend the functionality of Winamp right there on the skin. Sounds too good to be true huh? Well these skins require a bit more coding to make and some of the graphics that go into them are quite large. Consequently, Freeform skins may take a bit longer to download from our site and they may take a few extra seconds to load when you switch from one skin to another. But trust me when I say that Freeform skins are worth the extra time and effort. Skin developers have done some incredible things with these skins. You have to check them out.

* '''[[Creating Modern Skins]]'''

== ClassicPro Skins ==
ClassicPro skins is a blend of a Classic Winamp skin and a Modern Winamp skin. You don’t need to do any coding to create your skin because all the coding will be done by the ClassicPro plugin. The layout is similar to the Classic Winamp layout but also resizable using a Single-User-Interface ([[SUI]]) to display components.

[http://cpro.skinconsortium.com/ ClassicPro Official Website]

* '''[[Creating a ClassicPro Skin]]'''

==Developer Resources==
*[[Articles#Classic_Skins|Classic Skin Articles]]
*[[Articles#Modern_Skins|Modern Skin Articles]]
*[[Developers_FAQ#Skin_Developer_FAQ|Skin FAQ]]

==Community Links==
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=5 Classic Skins]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=123 Modern Skins]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=18 Skinning Tips and Tricks]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=12 Arts and Design]
*Forums: [http://forums.winamp.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=119 Skin Removal Reporting]
*Upload: [http://www.winamp.com/user/submit Submit Your Skin]
**[http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-skin-classic Submit Classic Skin]
**[http://www.winamp.com/user/submit-skin-modern Submit Modern Skin]
*Browse: [http://www.winamp.com/skins Download Skins]

Color Editor

2008-09-24T21:20:44Z

Mpdeimos: New page: == Winamp 5 Color Editor F.A.Q. == '''1. Why can't I edit my skin's color themes ? Why is there a “locked” icon in front of them ? ''' A skin may be zipped, and so the color editor c...

== Winamp 5 Color Editor F.A.Q. ==

'''1. Why can't I edit my skin's color themes ? Why is there a “locked” icon in front of them ?
'''
A skin may be zipped, and so the color editor cannot 1) unzip your skin, 2) change the themes definitions, and 3) rezip the skin. Even if it could, or if the skin was unzipped in the first place, the color editor would have to find the file that defines the color themes, and this may be any xml file in the skin.

The color editor's philosophy is therefore not to touch the skins directly : the only editable color themes are those you create. To edit a color theme, you should clone it first !

'''2. How can I send my colorthemes to someone without making him edit his skin ?'''

You should first export your colorthemes using the export button on the color editor, and then install the exported file into the Winamp5 colorthemes directory located at :

path_to_winamp\plugins\ColorThemes\name_of_the_skin\

The file you install should have the xml extention and a somewhat unique name so that it does not conflicts with other custom themes packs (ie: not “themes.xml”).

Upon reloading Winamp5, the themes should now appear in the colorthemes selection box. Note that they will not be editable (see faq 1 above).

'''3. Why does going from RGB to HSL sometimes slightly changes my color group setting ?'''

Although all RGB colors have an HSL equivalent and vice-versa, these are not one-to-one equivalents (two RGB colors may have the same HSL equivalent). This is a consequence of the RGB/HSL conversion algorithms.

'''4. How do I create a new color group ?'''

Color groups are an integral part of the skin, they change for each skin, and they are defined by the skinner. The color editor's purpose is to let you assign new color values for these color groups, not to let you create more groups in the skin you are using or for the skin you are making.

'''5. How do I find what color group is used by a given widget ?'''

The only way to do this for now is to try each color group. A later version may let you flash a specific color group in the skin, but this will be very cpu-intensive (changing a color group reloads all the skins images), but since a given widget may implicitly use more than one colortheme, we would need to have the skinner list these colorthemes explicitly for each widget to be able to let you find this out more easily. This would be a daunting task for the skinner, and so this is not a viable option.

'''6. Why are there widgets for which there is no color group ?'''

Either the skinner forgot to define a color group for the graphical elements used by the widget, or you have missed it.

'''7. What is the difference between “Max Grayscale” and “Avg Grayscale” ?'''

Max grayscale is computed by getting the maximum value of each red, green and blue color channels, and assigning this value to each three (each pixel is done independently).
Avg (average) grayscale is computed by getting the average value of the red, green and blue color channels, and assigning this value to each three (each pixel is done independently).

'''8. What is “Saturate channels” ?'''

“Saturate channels” adds 127 to each pixels's color channel.

'''9. Why is the resulting color for the graphical element not the color that I see above each slider ?'''

The color you see above each slider is the color you get for a pixel that has the “Preview source color” values for its color channels. To get an accurate result, you should select a previous source color that is approximately the average color of the graphical element you are tweaking. For instance, if you are changing a graphical element that has only red (ie: it has 0 in its green and blue channels), no matter the poxition of the green and blue sliders, it will not change anything in the element. If that happens, you can use one of the two grayscale checkboxes, so that the element will be grayscaled before the color tweak is applied, or you can use the saturate channels checkbox to boost its color channels so that all three sliders will have an effect.

'''10. Why does the red (or green or blue) slider has no effect on some widget ?'''

See faq 9.

Why does the red green and blue values for each color group goes from -4096 to +4096 rather than from 0 to 255 ?

The red green and blue values in the xml for a color theme are not a direct representation of the color you get (otherwise, it would make all pixels this value!), they are (arbitrarilly ranged) values that are used to multiply (or divide) each pixels's channel.

'''11. Why does the hue slider cycles twice over the hue circle ?'''

The hue slider works just as the RGB sliders do, it changes each pixel color starting from its original channel values. The hue value you select makes the pixel's hue be shifted left or right over the hue circle just as the red (or green or blue) sliders shifts the red (or green or blue) value left or right in the original pixel, and so you can go one complete circle in one direction, or one complete circle in the other. In effect, where photoshop lets you go from 0° to 360° on the hue circle, the color editor lets you go from -360° to +360°

'''12. Why do the saturation and luminance sliders show a gradient between 2 colors rather than the standard color-to-white and color-to-black gradients ?'''

Here too, the sliders let you change the original pixels one direction or another, so the saturation slider lets you desaturate a pixel beyond the zero limit (and the luminance slider lets you subtract luminosity bellow the zero limit) of a standard HSL algorithm. In effect, where photoshop lets you go from 0 to 100% for these two components, the color editor lets you go from -100% to +100%.