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[Matt]

Tonight's build of Media Center 18 removes the remaining vestiges of MFC (Microsoft Foundation Classes) from the main program.

MFC is the C++ toolset provided by Microsoft to make building applications easier.  It helps with things like building user interface, handling drag-n-drop, catching events, and using system controls like edits and buttons.  It also includes the basic data types that make up a program like strings, maps, arrays, rectangles, and dates.  You can see a picture of the full MFC object tree here.

We've been moving away from MFC for several years (more here).  Tonight's build removes it completely.

To do this, we've had to remove a few features that still used MFC.  These include:

• Mini skinning ('Slim' remains)
• Line-in recording
• Menalto and HTML gallery upload (Pix01, Facebook, and Flickr remain)
• FTP upload
• Repeated crash startup dialog
  
• A couple less used burning dialogs (waiting for a disk prompt, renaming files that are too long)
  
• Audible DRM activation
  
• Favorites manager (View > Navigation menu / Navigation toolbar button)
  
• Skin effects color selection
  
  [The list above was eEdited by JimH on December 3, 2012.]
  
  There are a couple things that could use some extra testing:
  
• Drag-n-drop (both inside the program and in and out of the program)
• COM automation SDK

We're going to work through these missing features and any problems caused by the switch in the coming couple weeks.

I expect this to be the last major internal code change for v18.  There will be some additional internal changes to accommodate porting, but they'll be more focused by comparison.

[Matt]

The main benefit of this switch is for cleanliness and cross-platform.

But there are a couple things a user might care about:

• Program is about 5% smaller
• There's one less layer of message loop pretranslation (a Windows program is basically a big list of messages getting processed in a loop)
• More consistent look and operation to dialogs

[SamuriHL]

What happens when MC18 crashes now that the crash dialog is removed?  I got into a crash loop last weekend and found that dialog to be partially useful. Does that functionality go away?

[glynor]

• COM automation SDK

You would go and mess with this when I'm a day or two away from releasing the first public version of my new AutoQueue application.  Sigh... Well, I guess better now than then.  ;) ;D

PS.  I stopped updating the other thread because no one seemed interested, but it is almost done.  I basically just need to add command line functionality (allowing it to run fully automated) and then I'll release a beta.

Internally, there's still a bunch more to clean up.  It has only VERY rudimentary error checking and validation right now, for example.  But the framework I built should be able to handle that without too much trouble.  I'm going to target that after I get a beta out there...

[JimH]

... I stopped updating the other thread because no one seemed interested ....

Never let that stop you from doing something you believe in.

[glynor]

Never let that stop you from doing something you believe in.

Oh, I didn't stop.  I've been working on it.

[InflatableMouse]

What happens when MC18 crashes now that the crash dialog is removed?  I got into a crash loop last weekend and found that dialog to be partially useful. Does that functionality go away?

I'd like to know as well.

[JimH]

Most of the features that are missing will appear again soon.

[Matt]

I believe with tonight's build (18.0.82), the only missing pieces are:

• Mini skinning ('Slim' remains)
• Line-in recording
• Menalto and HTML gallery upload (Pix01, Facebook, and Flickr remain)

We plan to upgrade line-in recording, and make it use the new Live plugins (so it'll support ASIO, loopback, etc.).  It may be a while before it reemerges.

For galleries, we're going to wait and see.  I think we have the three most important working.

Mini skinning is the trickiest one.  We'd like to find a way to maintain support, but the COM and Javascript underpinnings make it a bear.

[SamuriHL]

Awesome. 

[ThoBar]

Will this impact on your ability to interpret gestures such as drags and swipes?

I am not sure it's high on your priority list, but better touch usage would be nice - even in Standard view (e.g. dragging a tree or list with a finger).

{edit} Not expecting you to keep MFC obviously - just asking the question...

[Matt]

MFC is unrelated to gestures.

For example, Theater View already supports Windows flick gestures (WM_TABLET_FLICK).

I agree touch will become increasingly important.

[Castius]

It can't be said enough. Your communication with your users is incredible.
Keep up the good work.