Codelab

[Rainshadow]

How do we run codelab? I've seen a bunch of people give them for plugins, but I'm not sure how to run it, and I can't use those plugins.

[Bob]

What Codelab use is source code files, which are like text.

You can learn what Codelab is and look at cool screenshots here:

http://paintdotnet.12.forumer.com/viewt ... =4547#4547

You can download a up-to-date version and know what was updated here:

http://boltbait.googlepages.com/codelab

[Rainshadow]

No, I mean how to use it.

[Crazy Man Dan]

How to use it as in how to write the C# to do stuff, or how to use the prewritten blocks people have already posted?

If you just want to take the things people have posted and use them:

Firstly, run CodeLab by clicking it in the Effects menu. A window with some buttons and a text box with code-like text in it will pop up. Place your cursor in the text box and hit [Ctrl]+[A] to select all the text and press Delete to remove it. CodeLab plugin authors take all the text from the box and post it on the forums, so you won't need any of it.

Copy the text from the forum post and paste it in the text box in CodeLab. The effect will run immediately after the paste has completed. If you'd like to compile a DLL of the effect so you can run it solo later, change the name in the text field in the upper-left to the name you want for the DLL and click the Make DLL button. This will bring up the Build dialog where you can choose the subfolder of the Effects menu and the type of dialog box for the effect, if applicable.

Usually, if the plugin uses one of the UI choices, they set it all up in the code for you. For example, from the Color Balance plugin by BoltBait:

int CyanRed = 0;         // Slider, Range -100 to 100, default 0
int MagentaGreen = 0;    // Slider, Range -100 to 100, default 0
int YellowBlue = 0;      // Slider, Range -100 to 100, default 0 

The comments (the text after the //) and the number of declarations tells the Build UI what to put as the UI type, range, and default value. The comments also at times contain default names for the fields. This can be changed as you please from their default values by changing the names or values in the text fields, but I wouldn't recommend changing the values of the upper and lower bounds, as the plugin creators most likely set it up properly (most likely, but sometimes you can't tell with those programmers :wink:). If you have an appropriate 16px by 16px PNG image to use as the Icon, you can select that too by clicking Select Icon.

Then just click Build and off you go! You'll have to restart PDN before it'll show up, but once you do, you can use the effect straight away without all the fuss.

As for coding the C# yourself, you'll have to ask someone smarter than I... :wink: