Made the config directory available to plugins

CONTRIBUTORS

@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ Stefan Huelswitt <huels@iname.com>
  for suggesting to add 'insert' capabilities to cList
  for suggesting to make 'package' target in the plugin's Makefile produce a package that
  expands to a directory with just the plugin name and version number
+ for suggesting to make the config directory available to plugins
 
 Ulrich Röder <roeder@efr-net.de>
  for pointing out that there are channels that have a symbol rate higher than

HISTORY

@@ -1270,7 +1270,7 @@ Video Disk Recorder Revision History
 - Rearranged cleanup sequence at the end of the main program.
 - Adapted PLUGINS.html to use the actual code examples from the 'hello' plugin.
 
-2002-05-12: Version 1.1.2
+2002-05-13: Version 1.1.2
 
 - Changed the cPlugin::Start() function to return a boolean value that indicates
   if the plugin will not be able to perform its task (suggested by Stefan Huelswitt).
@@ -1280,3 +1280,5 @@ Video Disk Recorder Revision History
 - Changed the 'package' target in the plugin's Makefile to produce a package that
   expands to a directory with just the plugin name and version number (suggested
   by Stefan Huelswitt).
+- Made the config directory available to plugins (suggested by Stefan Huelswitt).
+  See PLUGINS.html, section "Configuration files" for details.

PLUGINS.html

@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ the plugin should launch a separate thread to do this.
 </b>
 <!--X1.1.2--></td></tr></table>
 
-<hr><h2>Setup parameters</h2>
+<a name="Setup parameters"><hr><h2>Setup parameters</h2>
 
 <center><i><b>Remember me...</b></i></center><p>
 
@@ -648,6 +648,63 @@ your setup parameters and use that one to copy all parameters with one single st
 (like VDR does with its cSetup class).
 <!--X1.1.1--></td></tr></table>
 
+<!--X1.1.2--><table width=100%><tr><td bgcolor=red>&nbsp;</td><td width=100%>
+<hr><h2>Configuration files</h2>
+
+<center><i><b>I want my own stuff!</b></i></center><p>
+
+There may be situations where a plugin requires configuration files of its own, maybe
+for data that can't be stored in the simple <a href="#Setup parameters">setup parameters</a>
+of VDR, or maybe because it needs to launch other programs that simply need a separate
+configuration file. While the plugin is free to store such files anywhere it
+sees fit, it might be a good idea to put them in a common place, preferably
+where other configuration data already exists. VDR provides the function
+
+<p><table><tr><td bgcolor=#F0F0F0><pre><br>
+const char *ConfigDirectory(const char *PluginName = NULL);
+</pre></td></tr></table><p>
+
+which returns a string containing the directory that VDR uses for its own configuration
+files (defined through the <tt><b>-c</b></tt> option in the call to VDR), extended by
+<tt>"/plugins"</tt>. So assuming the VDR configuration directory is <tt>/video</tt>
+(the default if no <tt><b>-c</b></tt> or <tt><b>-v</b></tt> option is given),
+a call to <tt>ConfigDirectory()</tt> will return <tt>/video/plugins</tt>. The first
+call to <tt>ConfigDirectory()</tt> will automatically make sure that the <tt>plugins</tt>
+subdirectory will exist. If, for some reason, this cannot be achieved, <tt>NULL</tt>
+will be returned.
+<p>
+The additional <tt>plugins</tt> directory is used to keep files from plugins apart
+from those of VDR itself, making sure there will be no name clashes. If a plugin
+needs only one extra configuration file, it is suggested that this file be named
+<tt>name.conf</tt>, where <i>name</i> shall be the name of the plugin.
+<p>
+If a plugin needs more than one such file, it is suggested that the plugin stores
+these in a subdirectory of its own, named after the plugin. To easily get such a name
+the <tt>ConfigDirectory()</tt> function can be given an additional string that will
+be appended to the returned directory name, as in
+
+<p><table><tr><td bgcolor=#F0F0F0><pre><br>
+const char *MyConfigDir = ConfigDirectory(Name());
+</pre></td></tr></table><p>
+
+where <tt>Name()</tt> is the member function of the plugin class that returns the
+plugin's name. Again, VDR will make sure that the requested directory will exist
+(or return <tt>NULL</tt> in case of an error).
+<p>
+<b>
+The returned string is statically allocated and will be overwritten by subsequent
+calls to ConfigDirectory()!
+</b>
+<p>
+The <tt>ConfigDirectory()</tt> function is a static member function of the <tt>cPlugin</tt>
+class. This allows it to be called even from outside any member function of the derived
+plugin class, by writing
+
+<p><table><tr><td bgcolor=#F0F0F0><pre><br>
+const char *MyConfigDir = cPlugin::ConfigDirectory();
+</pre></td></tr></table><p>
+<!--X1.1.2--></td></tr></table>
+
 <a name="Internationalization"><hr><h2>Internationalization</h2>
 
 <center><i><b>Welcome to Babylon!</b></i></center><p>

plugin.c

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * See the main source file 'vdr.c' for copyright information and
  * how to reach the author.
  *
- * $Id: plugin.c 1.3 2002/05/12 10:10:38 kls Exp $
+ * $Id: plugin.c 1.4 2002/05/13 16:08:22 kls Exp $
  */
 
 #include "plugin.h"
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
 
 // --- cPlugin ---------------------------------------------------------------
 
+char *cPlugin::configDirectory = NULL;
+
 cPlugin::cPlugin(void) 
 {
   name = NULL;
@@ -91,6 +93,19 @@ void cPlugin::RegisterI18n(const tI18nPhrase * const Phrases)
   I18nRegister(Phrases, Name());
 }
 
+void cPlugin::SetConfigDirectory(const char *Dir)
+{
+  configDirectory = strdup(Dir);
+}
+
+const char *cPlugin::ConfigDirectory(const char *PluginName)
+{
+  static char *buffer = NULL;
+  delete buffer;
+  asprintf(&buffer, "%s/plugins%s%s", configDirectory, PluginName ? "/" : "", PluginName ? PluginName : "");
+  return MakeDirs(buffer, true) ? buffer : NULL;
+}
+
 // --- cDll ------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 cDll::cDll(const char *FileName, const char *Args)

plugin.h

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * See the main source file 'vdr.c' for copyright information and
  * how to reach the author.
  *
- * $Id: plugin.h 1.3 2002/05/12 09:58:54 kls Exp $
+ * $Id: plugin.h 1.4 2002/05/13 15:32:14 kls Exp $
  */
 
 #ifndef __PLUGIN_H
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 class cPlugin {
   friend class cDll;
 private:
+  static char *configDirectory;
   const char *name;
   void SetName(const char *s);
 public:
@@ -44,6 +45,9 @@ public:
   void SetupStore(const char *Name, int Value);
 
   void RegisterI18n(const tI18nPhrase * const Phrases);
+
+  static void SetConfigDirectory(const char *Dir);
+  static const char *ConfigDirectory(const char *PluginName = NULL);
   };
 
 class cDll : public cListObject {

vdr.c

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
  *
  * The project's page is at http://www.cadsoft.de/people/kls/vdr
  *
- * $Id: vdr.c 1.107 2002/05/12 10:11:08 kls Exp $
+ * $Id: vdr.c 1.108 2002/05/13 16:09:06 kls Exp $
  */
 
 #include <getopt.h>
@@ -301,6 +301,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
   if (!ConfigDirectory)
      ConfigDirectory = VideoDirectory;
 
+  cPlugin::SetConfigDirectory(ConfigDirectory);
+
   Setup.Load(AddDirectory(ConfigDirectory, "setup.conf"));
   Channels.Load(AddDirectory(ConfigDirectory, "channels.conf"));
   Timers.Load(AddDirectory(ConfigDirectory, "timers.conf"));