Beginner programmer writing first plugin - how to proceed?

[XploEristotle]

I'm trying to write a simple filter plugin for Photoshop CS3 using Xcode 2.5, and I'm having trouble getting a handle on what I need to do to make a working plugin. My background is scripting, not application development, and I'm confident that I can write the algorithmic part of the filter, but the rest is a fog to me. Xcode's documentation has little to say on the subject of Photoshop plugins, other than to say that application plugins are usually bundles, and the Photoshop SDK seems to have little to say on the subject of using Xcode to develop them (and what's there looks like it might be outdated: use Codewarrior? Seriously?) None of the example code I've been able to find, either in the SDK or out on the web, opens as a normal Xcode project, and I don't know how to import it into an existing project that will allow it to successfully compile. I'm not even sure if I can use Cocoa for everything or if I should be using Carbon. Can I use Interface Builder to create my plugin dialogs, or do I still need to mess with .r files? Et cetera.

Any advice or reading recommendations would be appreciated.

[Chris Cox]

That sounds like you have a very obsolete version of the plugin SDK.

All the recent SDK versions are written for XCode (at least on Macintosh).

[XploEristotle]

I have the CS3 SDK. The examples may be current, but the text seems way out of date (refs to Codewarrior, MPW, 68k builds, "Xcode not supported", etc).

Are the examples intended for Xcode 3? I figured out how to get Xcode 2.5 to open them (had to rename the .xcodeproj folder to .xcode) but Xcode 2.5 reports several errors when opening or building the project so I gather they're not backward compatible. I have a feeling I won't be able to use these without getting a copy of 10.5 to run Xcode 3 on (and I've been avoiding 10.5 as long as possible).

[Chris Cox]

Some of the text may be a bit out of date, but the examples should be fine.

CS3 SDK was probably for XCode 2.4.1.  The CS4 SDK would be for XCode 3.  It should say somewhere in the documentation, or the xcode settings for each project (giving the version of the project data).

And yes, backward compatibility is not a phrase you hear used to describe XCode.

There are many other phrases I would use to describe XCode, but this is a family forum.

[qu1j0t3]

There are Xcode projects on my site, http://www.telegraphics.com.au/sw/ (GPL source via Subversion links).

Contact me privately if you need more assistance, support@telegraphics.com.au