Index: channels/file.py
==================================================================
--- channels/file.py
+++ channels/file.py
@@ -2,13 +2,16 @@
 # api: streamtuner2
 # title: File browser
 # description: Displays mp3/oggs or m3u/pls files from local media file directories.
 # type: channel
 # category: media
-# version: 0.0
+# version: 0.1
 # priority: optional
 # depends: mutagen
+# config:  
+#   {name:"file_browser_dir", "type":"text", "value": "~/Music, /media/music", "description":"list of directories to scan for audio files"},
+#   {name:"file_browser_ext", "type":"text", "value":"mp3,ogg, m3u,pls,xspf, avi,flv,mpg,mp4", "description":"file type filter"},
 #
 #
 # Local file browser.
 #
 #
@@ -18,22 +21,22 @@
 # modules
 import os
 import re
 
 from channels import *
-from config import conf
+from config import *
 
 # ID3 libraries
 try:
     from mutagen import File as get_meta
 except:
     try:
-        print("just basic ID3 support")
         from ID3 import ID3
+        __print__(dbg.INFO, "Just basic ID3 support")
         get_meta = lambda fn: dict([(k.lower(),v) for k,v in ID3(fn).iteritems()])
     except:
-        print("you are out of luck in regards to mp3 browsing")
+        __print__(dbg.INIT, "You are out of luck in regards to mp3 browsing. No ID3 support.")
         get_meta = lambda *x: {}
 
 
 # work around mutagens difficult interface
 def mutagen_postprocess(d):
@@ -54,32 +57,25 @@
 
 # file browser / mp3 directory listings
 class file (ChannelPlugin):
 
     # info
-    api = "streamtuner2"
     module = "file"
     title = "file browser"
-    version = -0.5
     listtype = "url/file"
     
-    
     # data
-    config = [
-        {"name":"file_browser_dir", "type":"text", "value":os.environ["HOME"]+"/Music, /media/music", "description":"list of directories to scan for audio files"},
-        {"name":"file_browser_ext", "type":"text", "value":"mp3,ogg, m3u,pls,xspf, avi,flv,mpg,mp4", "description":"file type filter"},
-    ]
     streams = {}
     categories = []
     dir = []
     ext = []
     
     # display
     datamap = [ # coltitle   width	[ datasrc key, type, renderer, attrs ]	[cellrenderer2], ...
            ["",		20,	["state",	str,  "pixbuf",	{}],	],
            ["Genre",	65,	['genre',	str,	"t",	{"editable":8}],	],
-           ["File",	160,	["filename",	str,	"t",	{"strikethrough":11, "cell-background":12, "cell-background-set":13}],	],
+           ["File",	160,	["filename",	str,	"t",	{"strikethrough":10, "cell-background":11, "cell-background-set":12}],	],
            ["Title",	205,	["title",	str,    "t",	{"editable":8}], ],
            ["Artist",	125,	["artist",	str,	"t",	{"editable":8}],	],
            ["Album", 	125,	["album",	str,	"t",	{"editable":8}],	],
            ["Bitrate",	35,	["bitrate",	int,	"t",	{}],	],
            ["Format",	50,	["format",	str,	None,	{}],	],

Index: channels/global_key.py
==================================================================
--- channels/global_key.py
+++ channels/global_key.py
@@ -27,10 +27,11 @@
 # register a key
 class global_key(object):
 
     module = "global_key"
     title = "keyboard shortcut"
+    meta = plugin_meta()
     
     config = [
         dict(name="switch_key", type="text", value="XF86Forward", description="global key for switching radio"),
         dict(name="switch_channel", type="text", value="bookmarks:favourite", description="station list to alternate in"),
         dict(name="switch_random", type="boolean", value=0, description="pick random channel, instead of next"),

Index: channels/history.py
==================================================================
--- channels/history.py
+++ channels/history.py
@@ -4,48 +4,41 @@
 # description: List recently played stations under favourites > history.
 # version: 1.0
 # type: category
 # category: ui
 # priority: optional
+# config:  { name: history,  type: int,  value: 20,  description: Number of last played streams to keep in history list.,  category: limit }
+#
 # 
 # Lists last activated streams in a new [history] tab in the favourites
 # channel.
 #
 #
 #
 
 
 
-from config import conf, __print__, dbg
+from config import *
 from channels import *
 
 
 
 class history:
 
     # plugin info
     module = "history"
     title = "History"
-    
-    
-    # configuration settings
-    config = [
-        {
-            "name": "history",
-            "type": "int",
-            "value": "20",
-            "description": "Number of last played streams to keep in history list.",
-            "category": "limit"
-        }
-    ]
+    meta = plugin_meta()
+
     
     # store
     bm = None
 
 
     # hook up to main tab
     def __init__(self, parent):
+        self.config = self.meta["config"]
 
         # keep reference to main window    
         self.bm = parent.channels["bookmarks"]
 
         # create category

Index: channels/jamendo.py
==================================================================
--- channels/jamendo.py
+++ channels/jamendo.py
@@ -5,10 +5,13 @@
 # type: channel
 # version: 2.2
 # category: radio
 # depends: json
 # priority: default
+# config: 
+#    { name: "jamendo_stream_format", type: "select", value: "ogg", select: "ogg=Ogg Vorbis|mp32=MP3, 192vbr|mp31=MP3, 96kbps|flac=Xiph FLAC", description: "Default streaming audio format. Albums and playlists still return Vorbis mostly for best quality." }
+#
 #
 # Now utilizes the Jamendo /v3.0/ API.
 #
 # Radio station lists are fixed for now. Querying the API twice per station
 # doesn't seem overly sensible.

Index: channels/links.py
==================================================================
--- channels/links.py
+++ channels/links.py
@@ -12,10 +12,11 @@
 # and some others are listed with homepage links.
 #
 #
 
 
+from config import *
 from channels import *
 import copy
 
 
 
@@ -24,10 +25,11 @@
 
     # plugin info
     module = "links"
     title = "Links"
     version = 0.1
+    meta = plugin_meta()
     
     
     # configuration settings
     config = [    ]
     

Index: channels/surfmusik.py
==================================================================
--- channels/surfmusik.py
+++ channels/surfmusik.py
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@
 # This plugin comes in German (SurfMusik) and English (SurfMusic) variations.
 # It provides a vast collection of international stations and genres.
 # While it's not an open source project, most entries are user contributed.
 #
 # They do have a Windows client, hencewhy it's even more important for
-# streamtuner2 to support it on other plattforms.
+# streamtuner2 to support it on other platforms.
 #
 # TV stations don't seem to work mostly. And loading the webtv/ pages would
 # be somewhat slow (for querying the actual mms:// streams).
 #
 #

Index: channels/timer.py
==================================================================
--- channels/timer.py
+++ channels/timer.py
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@
 # are stored in the description field, and can thus be edited. However, after editing
 # times manually, streamtuner2 must be restarted for the changes to take effect.
 #
 
 
-from config import __print__, dbg
+from config import *
 from channels import *
 import kronos
 from mygtk import mygtk
 from action import action
 import copy
@@ -34,10 +34,11 @@
 class timer:
 
     # plugin info
     module = "timer"
     title = "Timer"
+    meta = plugin_meta()
     
     
     # configuration settings
     config = [
     ]

Index: channels/xiph.py
==================================================================
--- channels/xiph.py
+++ channels/xiph.py
@@ -1,21 +1,29 @@
-#
+# encoding: UTF-8
 # api: streamtuner2
 # title: Xiph.org
 # description: ICEcast radio directory. Now utilizes a cached JSON API.
 # type: channel
 # category: radio
 # version: 0.3
 # priority: standard
 #
-#
 # Xiph.org maintains the Ogg streaming standard and Vorbis audio compression
 # format, amongst others. The ICEcast server is an alternative to SHOUTcast.
 #
 # It meanwhile provides a JSOL dump, which is faster to download and process.
 # So we'll use that over the older yp.xml. (Sadly it also doesn't output
 # homepage URLs, listeners, etc.)
+#
+# Xiphs JSON is a horrible mysqldump concatenation, not parseable. Thus it's
+# refurbished on api.io for consumption. Which also provides compressed HTTP
+# transfers and category slicing.
+#
+# Xiph won't be updating the directory for another while. The original feature
+# request is now further delayed as summer of code project:
+# · https://trac.xiph.org/ticket/1958
+# · https://wiki.xiph.org/Summer_of_Code_2015#Stream_directory_API
 #
 #
 
 
 
@@ -41,11 +49,11 @@
         # desc
         api = "streamtuner2"
         module = "xiph"
         title = "Xiph.org"
         homepage = "http://dir.xiph.org/"
-        #base_url = "http://api.dir.xiph.org/"
+        #xml_url = "http://dir.xiph.org/yp.xml"
         json_url = "http://api.include-once.org/xiph/cache.php"
         listformat = "url/http"
         config = [
            {"name":"xiph_min_bitrate", "value":64, "type":"int", "description":"minimum bitrate, filter anything below", "category":"filter"}
         ]