Can I use Windows MFC to develop user interface for Adobe photoshop plug-in?

[vaidyanet]

Hi I need to have some of the controls like image list ( displaying thumbnail preview) and tree controls. I think it is difficult achieve the same using the ADM controls. I was wondering whether I am able to add winodws MFC class and launch the window from the PlaugInMain() function using DoModal().

I tried doing it by adding the MFC class into the SDK samples provided with the Photoshop SDK. I got error like "object does not support this property".

Thanks in advance.

[Chris Cox]

ADM is obsolete anyway. Yes, other people have written plugins using MFC.

[_Benjamin_Davison_]

Hi Chris, what should we use then? I have not gone over all the documentation yet what is the best way to create GUI elements for photoshop, is there any resources floating around in the documentation or on the web?

[Chris Cox]

Right now, we don't have a cross platform answer.

Most people are writing to the platform native APIs, or using some UI toolkit that works with the platform of choice. Larger plugin developers have their own UI code toolkits.

ADM was always more problem than solution, and became too big a problem to maintain (you'll notice that our plugins that use ADM went away or became scripts).

We're working on better solutions now.

[ilvar]

We have a lot of success using QT from Trolltech (now owned by Nokia): its modern, cross-platform, well-structured and easy-to-learn. While it may require some effort to get it perfectly integrated into Adobe framework (nothing is ever easy), the results are very rewarding.

[_ExxEnos_]

Ilya, can you post here some sample? How to create and show QDialog propertly in Mac OS X?

[_Curvemeister_]

Yes, it can be done. Here are a couple of nudges toward the right
direction.

Pluginmain should call AFX_MANAGE_STATE.

For doc/view you'll need to call ProcessShellCommand() to create the
document view objects, and message pump to get the ball rolling.

For a dialog app, call the dialog's DoModal().

[vaidyanet]

Any one have sample plug-in using the MFC for GUI. Just one test dialog may be.

Thanks
Sandeep

[Tom Ruark]

There is an example in the SDK using MFC. Does it not work for you?

[vaidyanet]

Please can you tell me which sample code is using the MFC?

Some how I did not find one.

[vaidyanet]

Thanks. I found it.

[Garvan_Keeley]

To add to Ilya's comment above, on the mac, you need to start QApplication, show your QDialog, and after the dialog completes, delete the QApplication instance.
I am sure there are more details I am forgetting, but that should get you started.

[_Andreas_Hase_]

Hello there,

I am pretty much trying to the same thing as you and am starting from scratch with little C++ programming knowledge. I have found the MFCplugin in the Photoshop CS4 SDK but a good tutorial would be nice. Do you have any tips for me? What are you using?

Thank you,
Andreas