MaLa Stub  MaLa Plugin Testing Application

This app simulates MaLa plugin events. It does not require any MaLa files  Plugin development and testing can be done on a pc separate from the MaLa/mame system.


Installation
------------
MaLaStub.exe uses the same folder structure as MaLa.exe. All plugins (*.mplugin) should reside in a sub-folder called 'Plugins'. It will also detect any DLL (*.dll) in the 'Plugins' folder.

\<DevFolder>
MaLaStub.exe
SampleEventData.ini
  \<DevFolder>\Plugins
  <your plugin>.dll
  <other mala plugin>.mplugin
  MaLaEventLogger.mplugin 


Usage
-----
Run MaLaStub.exe - All detected plugins will be listed. Select a plugin and the event buttons used by that plugin will be enabled. Click a button to simulate the MaLa event. Be aware  plugins may expect MaLa events to occur in a set order  MaLa Start, Emulator Selected, Game Selected, etc. If you do not fire the events in the expected order, errors or crashes could occur.

Some events pass data to the plugin  Emulator Selected, List Selected, Game Selected, etc. The three tabbed pages allow you to specify this data. Not all fields may be used by every plugin. For example, the Mature Alarm plugin only looks for a Genre ending with *Mature*. You may save and reload any sample data.

To use MaLaStub for testing a plugin from the Delphi BDE, follow these steps: 
- Make sure your .DLL and other Delphi project related files reside in the 'Plugins' folder below MaLaStub.exe. In other words, you need to do your development in the Plugins folder. 
- In the project options, point the Debugger Host Application to MaLaStub.exe.
- Clicking Run from the BDE should then start MaLaStub. Select your plugin (<plugin>.dll) and fire the events.
- To stop debugging, do not close MaLaStub from the app interface  this may cause the BDE to crash. From the BDE click the Stop Debugging button.


Version History
---------------
Version 1.0.2	10/19/2010
Added feature to launch MAME on GameStart event.
Added the following new events per the MaLa 1.4 Release:
MaLaConfigureStart
MaLaConfigureStop

Version 1.0.1	3/26/2007
Added the following new events per the MaLa RC9 Release:
MaLaOrientationSwitch
MaLaScreensaverSwitch
MaLaTreeUp
MaLaTreeDown

Version 1.0.0	2/5/2007
Initial Release
