parent.recordoptions_save.connect("clicked", self.save_only)
        parent.recordoptions_eventbox.modify_bg(gtk.STATE_NORMAL, gtk.gdk.Color("#442211"))

        # shortcuts
        self.add_plg = parent.configwin.add_plg           # create _cfg widgets
        self.load_config = parent.configwin.load_config   # populate _cfg widgets
        self.save_config = parent.configwin.save_config   # save from _cfg widgets
        self.cfg_vbox = { 
        self.recordoptions_cfg = parent.recordoptions_cfg # our vbox widget
            "basic": self.parent.recordoptions_cfg,
            "extra": self.parent.recordoptions_cfg_extra,
            "verbose": self.parent.recordoptions_cfg_verbose,
        }

        
    # prepares a few shortcuts
    def map_app_args(self, app):
        config = self.flag_meta[app]["config"]
        self.argmap = { row["arg"].split(" ")[0]: row["name"] for row in config if row.get("arg") }
        self.namemap = dict(zip(self.argmap.values(), self.argmap.keys()))
        self.typemap = { row["name"]: row["type"] for row in config if row.get("type") }

        # show window
        p.win_recordoptions.show()


    # populate config widgets, seth defaults/current settings
    def load_config_widgets(self, row, group="streamripper", p=None):
        # clean up previous
        [self.recordoptions_cfg.remove(w) for w in self.recordoptions_cfg.get_children()]
        [vbox.remove(w) for vbox in self.cfg_vbox.values() for w in vbox.get_children()]
        # add plugins
        self.add_plg(group, self.filter_options(self.flag_meta[group]), self.add_flag, self.cfg_widget_pfx)
        self.add_plg(group, self.flag_meta[group], self.pack_option, self.cfg_widget_pfx)
        # set values
        self.load_config(self.configdict_from_args(row), self.cfg_widget_pfx, widgets=self.widgets)

    # clean up options according to each {category:} and `recordflags_extra`
    def filter_options(self, meta):
        meta = copy.copy(meta)
        filter = ["basic", conf.recordflags_extra, None, {"verbose":"extra"}.get(conf.recordflags_extra)]
        log.CONF(filter)
        meta["config"] = [desc for desc in meta["config"] if desc.get("category") in filter]
        return meta

    # Put config widgets into recordoptions_cfg vbox
    def add_flag(self, id=None, w=None, label=None, color=None, image=None, align=5):
        self.parent.recordoptions_cfg.pack_start(uikit.wrap(self.widgets, id, w, label, color, image, align, label_markup=1, label_size=250))
    # Put config widgets into recordoptions_cfg_*** vbox
    def pack_option(self, id=None, w=None, label=None, color=None, image=None, align=5, opt={}):
        vbox = self.cfg_vbox.get(opt.get("category"), self.cfg_vbox["basic"])
        vbox.pack_start(uikit.wrap(self.widgets, id, w, label, color, image, align, label_markup=1, label_size=250))

        
    # return "--args str" for current config widget states
    def args_from_configwin(self):
        cfg = { name: None for name in self.namemap.keys() }
        self.save_config(cfg, self.cfg_widget_pfx, widgets=self.widgets)
        log.DATA(cfg)