I am well over my head here but what the hell - my idea is to develop something similar to the now lost and dead foo_ui_panels component.

Unfortunately I've no experience in creating components for programs.

My first question is how hard is this project going to be?
Bear in mind that its not going to have all the features of panels ui - its more likely to be a "track display" component with titleformatting and a "single column playlist" feature very similar to panels ui but intended to be an addition to the columns ui component rather than its own separate component.

My second question is what else do I need to know before I start?
I have the foobar2000 SDK and the columns ui SDK (which I understand I need). I will be basically learning C++ as i go along (i gather this is what components are written with) as I've never properly used it before. I can also bring in the help of some mates who know some C++ and many other languages. I've never been a fan of programming - I'm much more hardware based but I have motivation to do this. I've also downloaded the "developers tutorial" but have no idea where to start.

Also - does anyone know if there is any other SDK etc details for the original single column playlist or panels ui or an equivalent track display component floating around? It would be much easier if I have something to start with!

Also anything I should know about creating titleformatting would be appreciated.

Cheers for all replies and apologies if this is a stupid idea but i need something to replace panels ui.

Regards,
Jason

Step 1: Get the tutorial compiling.
Step 2: Begin playing with the Win32 API. Windows Template Library, the WTL, seems to be recommended.
Step 3: Learn the foobar2000 API. It's reasonably well-documented, but it is also a challenge because it uses advanced features like templates and is focused on being powerful, not simple.

That's a really simple overview. I'm not the guy to talk to, because I've repeatedly failed at making anything useful using the foobar2000 API.

Though some very advanced and scientific calculations, I expect you to be capable of developing a Columns UI extension in as little as a few years, considering you have to learn proper C++, GDI and get a solid understanding of the foobar2000 and Columns SDKs.

Good luck.

Add a few more years to do it properly without being an ugly hack

Wow - only a few years (or maybe 10) - better than i expected.

Does it change matters if there is 3-4 university students working on it? I have the least knowledge out of us all but the others are ICT students of various disciplines and all know some C++. We (in theory) have lots of spare time :-P but are also very lazy.....

Funny enough i'm not doing anything even remotely related to ICT at uni but I know a bit.

Any chance we'll have it up and running (at least in beta stage) by 2009? Or are we seriously talking 2-3 years minimum?

I've no intention of producing an ugly hack. When I do something I do it properly!

It is not possible to produce quality software with zero experience. So even if your intentions are good, you can't break a law of programming

And also C++ is a tough language...

Other have already mentioned the fields in which you will need to gain experience, so I am not going to repeat that.

As far as I understand, you do not want to create a full-fledged UI module. I consider that a fortunate decision. A full UI module is probably the most complex kind of component you can create for foobar2000, even if you do not add a single user-modifiable setting.

My advice is to start small and gain experience first. Compile the tutorial. Understand it. Modify it. Toy with it. When you feel comfortable with that, create a Columns UI panel version of it with per-instance configuration. And after that? Well, fell free to post when you have reached that point and still want advice.

I was in a similar situation (limited knowledge of C++ and of the SDK) when I started to create my QuickSearch component for columns UI. Having a look at the changelog here will give you an indication of the timeline for developing this component, given that is has eaten all my spare time and even more than that.

From my personal experience :

• Reusing some code that is already available will save you a lot of time. If you browse the forums you may find some code already managing a custom track display panel, although it's probably not ported to the latest SDK. (You may have a look here although the links are broken and the versions are probably outdated).
• Grab a good C++ tutorial and reference manual, preferably a printed copy.
• Be prepared to browse the net a lot, including this location.
• Make sure you have enough spare time as development is time consuming.
• You'll get pretty good support from the foobar development sub-forum if you post your question smartly.

Good luck !