[FEATURE] Add a json preference to the app version of the plugin

I'm a bit frustrated when I run the app version and my last amp/ir/[last folders used in browsers] are gone: Suggesting to add a json config file that automatically gets read / written at app launch/exit to address this and also add more context restore capabilities in future.

As a workaround in the meantime, you might use either a DAW or a VST host to save configurations that you want to keep.

As a bigger-picture comment since it relates to this issue: Honestly, I'm considering dropping support for the standalone since it generates quite a bit of the volume of issues that I see. I'm somewhat keen on offering less if it generates fewer issues for me to track.

I understand, but for developers it is an amazing way to debug and optimize the plugin fast (e.g. that how i fixed a bug recently in the core part very quickly). I think I can volunteer on making this (and sometimes the plugin part) better. If no one works on it, I may create forks with integrated reverb / delay plugin(s). I'd like to learn so much more about DSP programming and the neural part of the capture, is there some documentation about this Steve ?

If no one is working already, on that I'll create a feature branch this WE and start working on it...

@fab672000 thanks for your patience w/ me getting back to you on this.

If no one is working already, on that I'll create a feature branch this WE and start working on it...

Sure, you're welcome to take it up 🙂 I'll assign it to you.

To be clear, you're proposing something for the standalone? Because I think that'd be wise--I don't expect more than one instance of the standalone to be running on someone's computer, and it'd be quite a bit more nontrivial for plugin instances to battle over ownership of that file.

Think you can do something that works for both mac and Windows?

And the idea is that when the standalone opens up again, the model & IR slots start with where they were last time you used the app?

and also add more context restore capabilities in future.

Appreciate the forward thinking. Go ahead and propose a schema for the JSON, or at least feel free to share some thoughts about what other things you're leaving space for? Happy to hear it sounds like you're thinking a step ahead.

NP, I'm quite busy during the week too.

Yes that would be for the stand-alone version and I would develop it in Windows first hoping to use as much portable code as possible. I don't have a mac anymore, so I'm not sure about that platform implementation yet. In all cases ; first implementations will make sure it won't pertubate the other platforms builds at minimum.

The initial idea would be to restore the model and ir slots, but it could be expanded later. Now, I'm not sure if, even in future ; it would be worth to spend time on the other settings as the way I see it is is: we may have later VST3 (and maybe app) presets, which could be an elegant/better way to approach midi programs changes automation too. My vision is to keep minimum the app code and first augment the common plugin functionality. I also started looking at presets in iPlug2 but because I'm learning a lot there ; I'm not sure how to make it work yet (have drafted some code but it does not work yet Oli if you read tthis, I'd appreciate some guidance on the GUI side of presets).

Now, if I (or anyone else contributing currently) could implement the preset mechanism soon enough too, then for this task it may be trivial to just save / restore a temporary presets, is my current thinking.

Not sure about that last design idea, and I'm still learning a lot about the source code too ; so I truly appreciate guidance/suggestions. But the more I'm thinking of it, the more I think the presets should come before app preferences and would be more welcomed by users first.

The app improvements would also be welcome essentially by developers but there are other ways to accelerate testing and debugging (e.g. we could read app arguments on launch and automatically loading amps and ir's files too from the command line arguments)