To date, the most difficult undertaking of this project has been going from theoretical to practical. In essence, it is relatively simple to understand how an audio player should work and specifically how the TFMX format is built. With some documentation and by reverse engineering a few players, I have been able to build a solid understanding of the TFMX file structure. This pointer goes here, this command does that, and so forth but the real challenge arises in going from that initial understanding to building functional code in C++ (or any language for that matter). It is easy to logically read through a TFMX file and think, OK, this part here specifies what note to play, and so forth but our mind doesn’t think in C++ (unless you are like some people I know). We generally don’t think about things being broken down into if statements and for loops. So how do you go from those initial steps to designing code that incorporates variables, classes, and algorithms which need to systematically come together to represent that system that you understand only in your brain’s logic (and perhaps faulty logic)?
The answer obviously lies in practice and experience. If you don’t think like a computer, then it is going to take training to shape your brain into a computer. You will have to practice and scan through endless lines of source code. You will have to buy as many books as you can and when you run out of cash, head to the library. But one thing is for sure, it still will be challenging.
Now excuse my ranting…