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		     KSNiloc's VB SDK FAQ

		     For those of use who
		      like things simple









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		      ---Introduction---

Up until recently, Plugins had to be written in C++ or
Delphi. The reason is quite simple: The RPGToolkit has no
support for the only type of DLL Visual Basic could compile-
ActiveX DLLs. Also, Visual Basic only had "Class Modules"
not a full-blown object-oriented system. But thanks to
Truiken, we can now write plugins in VB.

	         ---Understanding the System---

The system works by using one plugin (similar to multiplug)
to call other plugins. However, unlike Multiplug it requires
a config file, namely "plugins.ini". In case you are not
familiar with .ini files, here's the lowdown:

There are always section titles, written like this:

[Section]

This tells the program reading the file where specific
settings are stiored. There are "keys" or sorts, or settings.
They are added below the sections like so:

Setting=Value

The left of the equals sign the what the value on the right
is being put into.

You can "comment" out a line with a ";". This is similar to
RPGCode's *, except, I believe, it can only be placed at the
beginning of a line.

[Test]
testval=testset
;oldval=oldset

	   ---Sections and Keys of Plugins.ini---

At the top of plugins.ini, you're always going to have a
[Config] section. In that section we'll define which folders
we're going to put the different types of plugins in. Here
are this section's keys...

TKPlugDir= Folder where regular TK Plugins go
StdDllDir= Folder where "Standard DLLs" go
ActiveXDllDir=Folder where ActiveX DLLs go

Also in the section are several misc. options:

ShowStartupScreen=1 or 0 - Whether or not to show a screen
		 	   allowing you to choose which
			   plugins to launch.

LogErrors=1 or 0	 - If set to 1 a log file will be
			   kept in the "Plugin" folder.

From there on, you'll declare you plugins as sections (i.e.
[MyPlugin.dll]. There are a few keys you'll need for each of
these sections too...

Name=The name of the plugin

Type=The type of plugin ("TKPlugin", "Standard Dll", or
     "ActiveX Dll")

CLSID=The kicker for VB Plugins. The class ID... this would
      be something like "ProjectName.ClassName".

EnabledByDefault=1 or 0 - Set to 1 if you want to use the
			  plugin without the menu.

Author=		-These two are things you can set to display
AuthorEmail=	 stuff on the startup screen.

		    ---Closing Words---

Now that I've written this, I won't be including explicit
instructions on how to setup my VB Plugins anymore. But
you'll know how...

--KSNiloc
cjf@mail15.com