Re: Filing of User Presets - files vs. builtin
Re: Filing of User Presets - files vs. builtin
- Subject: Re: Filing of User Presets - files vs. builtin
- From: Marc Poirier <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 15:27:31 +0200 (CEST)
I've got nothing to add to that very nice summary. And for what it's
worth, my vote is with 2, though I wouldn't start a riot if folks decided
on 3... :)
Marc
On Thu, 24 Oct 2002, Robert Grant wrote:
>
On Thursday, October 24, 2002, at 02:15 PM, Bill Stewart wrote:
>
>
>
>
> I'm still digesting the rest of the comments and trying to understand
>
> if
>
> there has been any consensus reached on this matter - if anyone feels
>
> like
>
> writing a summary of the ideas presented that would help an overworked
>
> designer here understand:)
>
>
>
> Bill
>
>
>
I'll try to take this on as I raised the issue in the first place.
>
>
First a description of the background to the problem.
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>
AUs can ship with a small number of conveniently embedded factory
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presets. User
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can extend this set of presets by saving custom configurations as a
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user preset
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and setting the AU to use the preset by passing in the data and setting
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the preset
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number to -1.
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>
In order to persist these user presets host applications are expected
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to store them
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somewhere on the user's computer.
>
>
The Problem:
>
>
With AUs being a system standard it is highly likely that they will be
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supported in a
>
number of different audio applications. Given this fact it is also
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highly likely that users
>
will want to access all their custom presets conveniently no matter
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which host they might
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currently be using. Additionally users typically share their presets
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with other users which
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means they need to be in a convenient and standard format for easy
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exchange.
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>
Possible solutions:
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>
File Format: Everyone agrees that storing the preset in a .plist is
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ideal.
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>
The debate is really about where to put the user presets:
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>
Option 0. Save the preset in any old place (where we are right now! :-)
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Pros: Simple to implement and easy to share.
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>
Cons: Users have to figure out an organization scheme and there's no way
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for a host to build a complete list of the users presets for a
>
particular AU.
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>
Option 1. Save the preset in a standard AU preset folder under
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Library/Audio/Plugins
>
>
Pros: Simple to implement. The class info is already a CFDictionary so
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reading and
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writing the file is already coded. Easy to share.
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>
Cons: Preset folder would soon fill up with a hodge-podge of presets.
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Users would have
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to come up with a sensible organization scheme. Hard to come up with a
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list of
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user presets for a particular AU.
>
>
Option 2. Save the preset in a standard subfolder based on the
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manufacturer/plugin name or similar scheme that keeps the presets for a
>
particular AU together.
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>
Pros: Same as above + user doesn't have to worry about organization
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scheme and
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easy to build a list of user presets. Very scalable.
>
>
Cons: Host writers have to worry about creating the directory
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hierarchies correctly,
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possibly mitigated by some common code? Seems a little untidy?
>
>
Option 3. Save the preset in a preferences dictionary in
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Library/Preferences, using the
>
bundle id as the filename. Presets for an individual AU would all be
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stored in the
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same preferences file.
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>
Pros: Same as 2 but without the con of having to do the directory
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hierarchies and
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it seems to fit nicely with OS X's way of doing things. Nice and tidy.
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>
Cons: Getting at individual presets is more difficult thus making
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sharing presets
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less straight-forward. Would mean implementing an import/export scheme
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for
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individual presets. Concerns about scalability.
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>
>
I think that covers it. A few a voting for 2 and a few are voting for 3
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(including myself).
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There is also the question of handling banks of presets but they're
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really just
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refinements of either 2 or 3 and not separate solutions.
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>
Any other options?
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>
Thanks,
>
>
Robert.
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