Leaving FuBar for LDB

I've made the switch from using FuBar to using LibDataBroker(LDB). LDB is not an addon in itself, it's a library for other addons to use so that they don't need to provide a specific user interface for each bar addon but instead can send the data in a standardized format to a LibDataBroker display addon that knows how to show it. This separates the data and logic from the user interface and it's a very clever way of building applications using the MVC design pattern.

I've made a before and after image but first a comment about my general lower screen setup.

To the left there's the Chatter addon showing guild/party/raid chat with a gradient from eePanels behind it. In the middle there's Quartz cast bar and Dominos action bars. There's an eePanels frame around the action bars with a border. I use ButtonFacade to make the buttons look nicer. The minimap is Squeenix and the three colored bars below the action bars are Widget Meters for durability, experience and reputation. To the right there's my newly found combat log love, HitsMode. Beneath it all I used FuBar to display various information and access configurations and settings for the other addons I use.

This first image shows my FuBar setup.


I had information about location, gold, gear etc on the left and performance stats, XPerl, Dominos, BigWigs etc more to the middle and mail, clock, volume etc on the right. These were all addons specifically written to be seen in FuBar. For example, I'm using ItemRack for gear management and for it to be seen in FuBar I had to install FuBar_ItemRackFu.

Now, what's the alternative? Here's one idea, remove FuBar and install an addon that can show information from any LDB source. I found an interesting post by Drugfreeyth at http://www.shieldsup.ch/ about LDB and FuBar (Looks like a very nice blog by the way, check out!). He has written a great summary about this and gives different tips on which addons to use. I went with his recommendation and installed ChocolateBar as a bar broker display and I'm loving it.

Now here's my setup with ChocolateBar.


I've managed to duplicate my setup from FuBar with replacement brokers for the earlier FuBar-specific addons for location and gold to the left and to the right I've got all the Omen, Big Wigs, Recount, mail, clock, volume addons etc.

Notice that there are new things that can be seen in the bar. That's from a few addons that I already had installed which supports LDB but which FuBar didn't know were there. All addons with LDB output show up in the LDB display addon menu so that you easily can add them to your bar. One downside to Chocolatebar is that it seems you can't resize a bar to take less than 100% of the screen width and you can only place it at the top or the bottom. FuBar had more flexibility when it comes to positioning.

But what do you do with all those addons written specifically for FuBar that didn't act as launchers for other addons like the one for ItemRack did but had purposes of their own? The ones like AuldLangSyne or FactionsFu?

Install FuBar2Broker of course!

This addon takes all of your FuBar plugins and moves them to be shown in an LDB ("LibDataBroker") displayer of your choice instead.

The end result is that at the cost of positioning there's more to choose from by making the switch to LDB. Once I discovered how many different data brokers there were available as well there was no going back :)