Building HPM Plugin for MSVC

Guide

This is a guide on how to prepare your MSVC environment for a new HPM plugin.

Installation

Step 1

Go to src/plugins/ folder, create a new .c file, e.g. dance.c (this name will be used throughout this guide)

Step 2

Open dance.c and paste this code

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include "../common/HPMi.h"
#include "../map/script.h"
#include "../map/pc.h"

#include "../common/HPMDataCheck.h"    //Should always be the last include file.

HPExport struct hplugin_info pinfo =
{
    "@dance",		// Plugin name
    SERVER_TYPE_MAP,// Which server types this plugin works with?
    "0.1a",			// Plugin version
    HPM_VERSION,	// HPM Version (don't change, macro is automatically updated)
};

ACMD(dance)
{


      if (!message || !*message) {
		  clif->message(fd, "usage: @dance 1-9");
return -1;
   }
   if ( atoi(message) == 1 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 413, ALL_CLIENT);
   } else if ( atoi(message) == 2 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 414, ALL_CLIENT);
   } else if ( atoi(message) == 3 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 415, ALL_CLIENT);
   } else if ( atoi(message) == 4 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 426, ALL_CLIENT);
   } else if ( atoi(message) == 5 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 458, ALL_CLIENT);
   } else if ( atoi(message) == 6 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 466, ALL_CLIENT);
   } else if ( atoi(message) == 7 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 501, ALL_CLIENT);
   } else if ( atoi(message) == 8 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 540, ALL_CLIENT);
   } else if ( atoi(message) == 9 ) {
clif->specialeffect(&sd->bl, 550, ALL_CLIENT);
   }
	else
	{
	clif->message(fd, "usage: @dance 1-9"); 
	}
   return true;
}

/* Server Startup */
HPExport void plugin_init (void)
{
    clif = GET_SYMBOL("clif");
    script = GET_SYMBOL("script");
    skill = GET_SYMBOL("skill");

    addAtcommand("dance",dance);
}

Step 3

Open your MSVC project (e.g. 'Hercules-10.sln)

Step 4

Go to the Solution Explorer

Step 5

Right click the Hercules project (first item in Solution Explorer), and click Add->New Project

Step 6

Select General, and pick Empty Project.

Step 7

Enter the name of your plugin in the Name field, and click OK.

Step 8

In the solution explorer it'll display the new project.

Step 9

Right click the new project, and open Add->Existing Item

Step 10

Browse to src/plugins/ and select the dance.c file, and hit OK.

Step 11

It will place the dance.c file under the Source Files folder, drag it to the project you created and drop it (in a manner it be placed out of the source files folder.)

(It should look like the image below)

Step 12

With the dance.c out of the folders, delete the 3 of them (select the 3, hit delete, hit ok)

(It should look like the image below)

Step 13

Right click the project you created, open Properties

Step 14

Under Configuration Properties click General, change Output Directory to ..\plugins\, Intermediate Directory to $(ProjectName)\$(ConfigurationName)\ and Configuration Type to Dynamic Library (.dll)

Step 15

Under Configuration Properties click C/C++ and open General, change Additional Include Directories to ..\src;..\3rdparty;..\3rdparty\msinttypes\include;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)

Step 16

Under Configuration Properties click Linker and open General, change Output File to $(OutDir)\$(ProjectName).dll

Step 17

Under Configuration Properties click C/C++ and open Preprocessor, change Preprocessor Definitions to _WINDLL;PCRE_SUPPORT;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)

Step 18

Add your code to the dance.c file, and then right-click the project you created, and select Build

Step 19

Add it to /conf/plugins.conf

plugins_list: [
	/* Enable HPMHooking when plugins in use rely on Hooking */
	//"HPMHooking",
	//"db2sql",
	//"sample",
	//"other",
	"dance", // loads dance plugin
]

PCRE_SUPPORT

Although previously on step-17 has included PCRE_SUPPORT, but it was just to prevent the error message on map-server if the plugin has included npc.h. To properly make use of the PCRE interface, there are 2 additional steps.

Step 1

Under Configuration Properties click Linker and open Input, On Additional Dependencies, Add pcre.lib; at the beginning.

Step 2

Under Configuration Properties click Linker and open General, On Additional Library Directory, Add ..\3rdparty\pcre\lib;

Step 3

And don't forget to include pcre.h in your plugin

#include "../3rdparty/pcre/include/pcre.h"

Notes

• This guide is probably the worst I've ever written, if you can do better please hit the 'Edit' button, will be most welcome. - Ind
• I used MSVC 2008 when testing this guide.

New Note

• Sorry for editing this page, I added step by step images for other people to follow so they can easily follow one of the best feature Hercules have, the HPM. - Thanna
• The tutorial is tested on MSVC 2010.
• Add additional steps for PCRE_SUPPORT, credit to hemagx for the info, which he claimed that came from Haru