Zen and the Art of What Plugins Do...

version 1.0

by

thewayofzen* ***



A very wonderful feature of the bb4win experience (whether bblean, bb4win or xoblite) is the blackbox plugin. Plugins can be used to add, modify, or create a number of different functions and abilities that are not hard coded into the core shell itself.
The only thing that can make choosing a plugin hard is knowing what the actual plugin does. Any time you download a plugin it normally comes with documents that will inform you of its abilities and how to configure it, but there has not really been any list made with the intent of helping the novice user choose those plugins that might be right for his/her use.. UNTIL NOW! The following is a list of plugins as they appear on http://www.xoblite.net and what they do.


1. bbFoomp by freeb0rn

-bbFoomp frontend for Foobar2000. It features the ability to display the song title with or without scrolling.


2. bbOSD by Alex3D

-bbOSD displays the same text that appears in your blackbox toolbar label. (the space between each of the pairs of arrow buttons)


3. bbIconBox by grischka

-bbIconBox displays icons in a box to display either:
a. the contents of a folder
b. the currently running tasks
c. the systemtray


4. bbAltTray by kana

-bbAltTray provides a way to access your systemtray with bro@ms.


5. bbTaskSwitch by kana

-bbTaskSwitch replaces the regular Windows Alt-Tab task-switcher with a new version mimicking the current *box style.


6. bbBalloon by kana

- bbBalloon is a blackbox plugin that enables balloon tooltips for you bb4win shell replacement that match the current *box style.


7. bbInterface by psyci/grischka

-perhaps the MOST VERSATILE of all plugins, when loaded bbInterface uses its own scripting language to create controls, icons, switches, buttons, sliders and control panels of elaborate proportion.


8. bbWorkspaceWheel by grischka

-bbWorkSpaceWheel enables the user to change workspaces simply by rolling the mousewheel.


9. bbColorEx by kana

-bbColorEx reads the information either from the current style or a 3dcc file and applies them to the windows display elements to match the defined scheme.


10. bbHotSpots by kana [requires BBCmd]**

-loading bbHotSpots allows the user to assign commands and to a rectangle or "HOTSPOT" allowing the user to execute that command simply by touching the hotspot with the mouse cursor.


11. bbDigitalEx by Theo

-bbDigitalEX provides the user with an easily configurable onscreen digital clock.


12. bbTrayIcon by kana [requires BBCmd]**

-could not load the plugin to test.


13. bbPlayer by kana

-bbPlayer is a plugin designed to display the current track played in your music player and provides a handful of bro@ms for its control.


14. WorkspaceStyle by Anonymints

-WorkspaceStyle is a plugin that uses specific settings in your blackbox.rc allowing the user to apply different style to each virtual desktop.


15. bbLifeGame by kana

-bbLifeGame is a plugin that plays the game of life. (if you do not know what the game of life is you can find it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s ... escription )


16. bbVHM by kana

-a plugin that, when loaded, provides the user with two bro@ms that maximizes a window vertically or horizontally.

17. bbPlugManager by Kaloth

-a plugin that when loaded provides the user with the ability to load plugins through menu and folder navigation rather than the traditional method of manually editting a plugins.rc file.


18. bbMuse by Kaloth

-bbMuse is a plugin which creates a display that shows the current title and track number of the current song playing in Winamp. When not using winamp it also serves the second function of being a clock.


19. bbRSS by Theo

-a simple little plugin that creates a display capable of showing RSS feeds on the users desktop.


20. bbLoSlitta by kana

-loading bbLoSlitta allows a user to place any plugin in the slit whether it includes the ability to do so or not.


21. bbBloglines by kana [requires BBCmd]**

-a plugin that allows a user to check the number of unread items on their subscriptions from Bloglines. ( http://www.bloglines.com )


22. bbMouseGesture by kana [requires BBCmd]**

-bbMouseGesture allows the user to associate mouse gestures with various commands.


23. bbShelf by Fatman

-bbShelf is a plugin for blackbox that works as a drawer to contain various shortcut buttons. The drawer/shelf can be opened or closed at the click of a button.


24. bbCalendar by Theo

-loading bbCalendar in blackbox will provide the user with a configurable calendar capable of more then just showing the date. It can also function as an alarm reminding the user of birthdays, anniversaries or appointments.


25. bbWeather by Fatman

-bbWeather provides the user with a desktop display indicating the weather as it appears to be in whatever geographic area/city it is intended to watch.


26. bbColor3dc by grischka

-a plugin that changes the display properties of the windows on your desktop by referencing 3dcc files that are located in a folder on the system or embedded directly in the current style file itself.


27. bbMagnify by Theo

-a plugin that provides the user with a display showing a magnification of what the mouse curser is pointing at in realtime, as well as the current x and y coordinates and hex color value of that spot.


28. bbSysmeter by Theo

-a plugin which monitors system information for cpu swap ram and hard disk space. It allows a number of different display options for how the information is displayed.


29. bbBin by qwilk

-provides the user with an efficient way of accessing and emptying the recycle bin


30. bbAltMenu by ana

- a plugin that loads other menu.rc's so you can config mouse presses to open menu alternatives to the regular menu.rc


31. bbTodo by Ender

-loading bbTodo will provide the user with a display which allows the adding, removing, and crossing out of things they need to do. Its a handy way of not forgetting those things that otherwise might slip a persons mind.


32. bbWintrans by Kaloth

- bbWintrans offers the user a way to make almost any window on a windows system transparent. This plugin only works in windows2000/XP.


33. bbGesture by Kaloth

-bbGesture is a gesture recognition plugin. pressing a combination of keys provides the user with an interface that can be used to record these gestures.


34. bbMail by qwilk

-bbMail is a plugin which enables a link to your pop3 or IMAP account allowing you to know when email arrives and how many are waiting to be read. It also works as an icon to launch your email program as well as the ability to assign frequently used email address to allow quick mail composition.


35. bbOscilliscope by Kaloth

-bbOscilliscope provides the user with an oscilliscope much like the one in winamp that will move in tune to the music


36. bbSpectrum by Kaloth

-bbSpectrum is a plugin very much like BBoscilliscope. It is an audio spectrum analyser much like the one found in winamp.


37. bbAnalogEx by Theo

-bbAnalagEx loads in blackbox to provide an attractive analog clock displaying the time as it would be on the users computer.


38. bb8Ball by Theo

-bb8Ball is an eyecandy plugin for blackbox which installs a MAGIC 8 BALL game on the users desktop offering random answers to important questions at the press of a button.


39. bbPower by qwilk

-bbPower is a plugin for blackbox which monitors the battery life of a users laptop.


40. bbEdgeHook by bladestaylor

-bbEdgeHook is a plugin that provides a few new functions to your blackbox experience such as the abillity to obtain a menu on any screen edge with a simple right click. Right click on a windows titlebars will display menus in *BOX-styled menus. Middle click on titlebars to close windows. Gesturing on a windows title bar will move it to the next workspace while scrolling on the screens edge will change your workspace.


41. BroamTimer by bladestaylor

-a plugin which reads a list of bro@ms from a file and then executes them on a timer. While it is intended mostly for bbInterface it can also be used with plugins such as bbMail or bbMemshrink.


42. bbWinAmpList by Procic Konstantin

-a plugin for blackbox that displays a users winamp playlist in a *box menu.


43. bbEdgeMenu by bladestaylor

-allows the user to obtain a desktop menu by right clicking on any screen-edge whether the desktop is showing or not.


44. bbEdgeFlip by bladestaylor

-bbEdgeFlip is a plugin to make switching workspaces easier. When you move your mouse cursor to the left or right edge of the screen the plugin switches to the previous or next workspace. It can also be used to move application windows to another workspace by dragging it to the edge of the screen.


45. bbXEyes by Procic Konstantin

-provides a set of eyes on your desktop that follows the mouse cursor


46. Liam by Anonymints

-a plugin much like bbMail which will allow the user to have an interface capable of checking an email account for potential waiting email.


47. bbMemShrink by bladestaylor

-bbMemShrink is a plugin designed to shrink the amount of memory that is allocated to the blackbox.exe executable.


48. bbDropFTP by qwilk

-a plugin lets you upload files to an unlimitted number of FTP targets that are defined by the user. This is done by dragging and dropping a file to the drop ftp display.


49. bbkeyhook by Kaloth

-a low level keyhook that can map any VK (Virtual Key) code to a command line action or to the default mixer 'mute', 'volume up' and 'volume down' actions.


50. BroamRelay by bladestaylor

-a plugin that reads bro@ms from a file and sends them to the core.


51. bbLeanskin by grischka

-a plugin that skins your windows to mimick the look of *nix blackbox adding an attractive look while also providing the additional function of shading etc.


52. bbPager by NC-17

-bbPager creates a visual display of all the workspaces on your system. It shows a small graphical representation of what is open on each workspace. you can then move applications from one workspace to the other with a simple drag and drop or you can switch from one workspace to another workspace with a simple click of the mouse.


53. bbTray by TheDevTeam

-bbTray provides an alternative to the traditional systemtray on the blackbox systembar. It can be positioned anywhere on the users desktop.


54. SystemBarEx by bladestaylor

-SystembarEx is an extremely powerful alternative to the traditional *box Toolbar or bbLeanBar. It is very versatile and offers a myriad of configuration options. It cannot be used with xoblite.


55. bbZCmdEx by Procic Konstantin

-loading bbZCmdEx adds a command entry box interface similar to the Run command on the windows start menu.


56. bbWinSkin + engines by TheDevTeam

-a plugin for blackbox that provides the user with a way to skin your windows so that they match the style and look of *nix blackbox. It support two different skinning engines. This plugin was originally intended for bb4win and xoblite, but can also be used as an alternative to replace bbLeans native bbLeanSkin plugin.


57. bbStatus by Stocker

-bbStatus provides a simple status bar that mirrors the toolbar label and displays the current active window title or any messages that might ordinarily be displayed there.


58. bbAnalog by Mortar

-bbAnalog displays an analog clock for Blackbox for Windows. It has less features then bbAnalogEx.


59. bbSysmon by Mortar

-a text based system monitor plugin for blackbox that provides the user with a configurable display that can monitor any and all of the following:
a. cpu
b. ram
c. swap
d. drivespace
e. uptime
f. IP address
g. Workstation name
h. current user


60. bbStyle by NC-17

-bbStyle can assign a random style to the desktop on a set timer, every startup or at the press of a putton. It also provides support for a different wallpaper for each workspace.


61. Broambox by Tres`ni

-Broambox is a simple plugin which provides a way for the user to enter commands, be they bro@ms or regular executable programs.


62. bbSlit by Tres`ni

-bbSlit is a plugin that functions as a container for other plugins. The user cannot see BBSlit until a plugin has been placed inside it. This plugin is not needed for xoblite because the slit has been coded into the core of the shell itself.


63. bbSlider by psyci

-a plugin for blackbox that creates a sliding control that is capable of controlling the volume of the sound devices installed on your system.


64. bbHook by TheDevTeam

-bbHook is a blackbox/xoblite plugin that adds new functionality to the shell by providing the user with the ability to shade windows or maximize horizontally/vertically with a few simple mouse clicks on the window titlebar. (bbLean offers these functions already therefore eliminating the need for this plugin with that branch)


65. GradTest by qwilk

-Gradtest provides the user with a graphical representation of both the focussed and unfocussed window shades in full *box style. This can be used by style creators to provide a visual representation of the progress they are making on an in progress style.


66. bbTrans by TheDevTeam

-bbTrans is a plugin for blackbox that adds transparency support to the toolbar and menus as well as any window they can place their mouse over.


67. bbDDE by Tres`ni

-bbDDE loads Explorer's DDE service for all intents and purposes so that applications that rely on DDE to talk to each other can be run without the explorer shell. Often used by program installers. only needed for bb4win. bbLean and xoblite don't need this since DDE functionality is built in.


68. bbAmpTitle by pulse

-bbAmpTitle is a plugin that displays the title of the song currently playing in winamp.


69. bbnetState by pulse

-bbnetState is a plugin that provides a simple graphical display of exactly how much information is going in and out of the users computer via an internet connection.


70. bbsysState by pulse

-a plugin that provides the user with some useful system statistics like ram and cpu usage.


71. bbSystemBar by TheDevTeam

-a plugin for blackbox that gives the user a useful systemtray and list of active tasks.


72. bbIcons by Tres`ni

-bbIcons is a plugin that, when loaded, creates desktop icons or shortcuts to programs that a user might want to access quicker then through traditional blackbox menus.


73. bbKeys by TheDevTeam

- bbKeys provides the user with a way to configure keyboard shortcuts to allow the user quick and easy access to favorite applications.



74. multiamp by qwilk

-multiamp is a blackbox plugin that provides a clean *box style frontend to some of the most common meda players. It enables the user to control winamp, foobar2000, QCD, K-Jofol or CoolPlayer.


75. bbSoundFX by qwilk

-bbSoundFX is a plugin for blackbox that associates sound effects to common blackbox events such as menu actions or reconfiguration. It is also able to remind the user audibly with hourly or half hourly sound.


76. bbColor by NC-17,qwilk

-bbColor is a plugin that automatically uses the titlebar settings from the current style to set matching colors in the display properties/appearances tab. It will do this every time the style is changed.



77. nWeather by Nexistenz

-a plugin for blackbox that provides the user with a customizable text based display for the weather. It adopts its appearance based on the *box style in use.


78. boxonoid by qwilk

-a fun little game for your desktop that you play by moving the paddle at the bottom in an effort to hit the "ball" and break the blocks at the top of the screen.





*credit should be given to the plugin authors (especially those kind enough to include docs with their releases)
**plugins that require BBCmd were not tested, loaded or otherwise even figured out. I have no idea if these even work.
***special thanks to Astxist and (especially)MQ from bb4win for proofreading.[/b]

Global Announce pinned to make sure people see this Awesome job twoz

Yes, this needed to be done for a while now and it's good to see it at last .

I think I'm going to make an html version of this.

Nice job!!!

this should help ppl out when they start "tweaking" their shell.

[nagmode]

BBIconbox does more: it can also display the content of the "WinDoze" Desktop which is a very nice and IMHO handy feature.

[/nagmode]

*shrug* I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the "displays content of a folder" part covers that *shrug*

@ tresni,

I agree but aren't you way ahead of the general user???? (lol)

I was trying to refer to the fact that it's an option built in to the bbiconbox user interface.... you would be surprised how many ppl can't find the desktop folder...

(Most/ A Lot of ppl use the default "open" instead of "explore" mode in explorer.exe which explains quite a lot in this context.. I am always very surprised that they can find their own stuff (back) )

Excellent work, thewayofzen.

This is a very usefull topic. Every bb newbie should refer to this. I myself would always refer to this topic whenever I need a refresher info on some plugins. Hey, it's not easy to remember what each of the 78 plugins listed does. I used to refer to pitkon's plugins tutorial in his deviantart journal, but it's somewhat outdated now. (But, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of his blackbox bible. )

I hope it's not too much to ask, but I would like to see some additional information on it, though, which IMHO would be of benefit to most 'bbzens' (:D).. like:

1) plugins dependency: I'm not sure if 'dependency' is the exact term to use but some plugins just work better alongside other plugins, IMO. You mentioned some 'dependency' in bbMemShrink and BroamTimer. Are there other plugins like this? e.g. In bbLean, would bbColor (or bbColorEx and bbColor3dc for that matter) work better if you're using bbLeanSkin? What's the limitation of those 'bbColorXXX' plugins with bbLeanSkin turned off? Additional information on 'dependencies' like these would help..

(I appreciate the fact that you mentioned plugins that are not needed on specific bb branches. Very helpfull!)

2) plugins redundancy: Again, is 'redundancy' the correct word for this? If you have 'this' plugin installed, you don't need 'that' plugin because it does the same. e.g. I'm still confused of the differences between bbColor, bbColorEx and bbColor3dc. If I'm using the 'bbColorXXX' is using 'bbColorXXX' just a waste of memory?

So far, bb is wonderful experience for me. Yes, indeed, bb is the best thing that ever happened to Windows.

Zen, thank you SO MUCH for doing this. It is insane that some semi-disconnected plugin page exists out there, but it has no descriptive text for the individual plugins.

Thank you everyone. Im glad i could help a bit.

Now.. to sound like a jerk..

If anyone wishes to use this faq i give permission for them to do so
as long as they give credit to anyone who contributed in any form.
At this point that includes the plugin authors, myself, mq and astxist.
Its always great to contribute to the community and im all for it.
But the hard work of everyone involved should be recognised.. im sure if you
spent a chunk of your time putting something like a faq or a plugin together you would like to know your work is appreciated. Its just common sense.

I agree with Delaney.

I've seen the download section of uZable and instantly noticed that the descriptions are very familiar. It's Zen's!!! Hey guys, Zen and company worked hard for that faq..

Free software, open source or any alternative to commercial software (whatever you call it) have been getting a lot of following and prospering because of the cooperation and coordination of its respective community. Everyone gives credit to to where it is due. It doesn't cost a penny. Hey, you can say anything you want with Microsoft because you paid for their work after all. But it doesn't work that way in this community. And everyone who works hard, yes, even those working with commercial softwares, deserve our appreciation. It's a basic human need.
If this community is to prosper, we must have respect for each other. It's giving back to the community what it deserves.

Nice new avatar, zen! Speaking of plugins, now I finished my assignments I can work on my plugins again. *woohoo*

WOOT!

bbweather maybe? =D

Kinda. If you recall, I was going to split BBWeather into BBInfo and BBMetar since the whole SVC thing is clearly way too complicated. BBMetar will get METAR reports, which gives the same kind of functionality. It'll look identical to BBWeather, but should actually work this time. I'm going to get a decent implementation of BBShelf going as well.

The plugins are being written in MinGW, which is a problem since I just realised MinGW can't link against Blackbox.lib, so I have to figure out some magical method of making gcc and Blackbox.lib see eye to eye.

Excellent guide.


Thanks, this was very useful for me.

Yeah, Nice work Zen.