I’m working on a Symbian project and I’m curious about the REComSession::ListImplementationsL function. It gives back an array of implementations based on the interface ID found in .rsc files located in the \resource\plugins folder. But I can’t figure out how the order of these implementations in the array is decided.
Does anyone know the logic behind this? Is it alphabetical, based on file creation date, or something else entirely? I’ve looked through the docs but couldn’t find any clear explanation.
It would be really helpful to understand this better for my project. Thanks in advance for any insights!
From my experience working with Symbian ECOM, the sequence of implementations returned by REComSession::ListImplementationsL isn’t strictly defined. It’s likely based on internal system factors that aren’t immediately apparent to developers. I’ve found that the order can vary between devices and even between reboots on the same device.
One theory is that it might be related to the order in which plugins are loaded into memory, which could be influenced by factors like available system resources or recent usage patterns. However, this is speculative.
For your project, I’d recommend not relying on any specific order. Instead, consider implementing your own sorting logic if a particular sequence is crucial. This approach will make your code more robust and portable across different Symbian environments.
Hey DashingDog, that’s an intriguing question about Symbian ECOM! 
I’ve dabbled with Symbian development before, and the implementation sequence has always been a bit of a mystery. From what I’ve gathered, it’s not as straightforward as we’d like it to be.
Have you considered that it might be tied to some internal system state? Like, maybe it’s based on the order the plugins were loaded into memory, or even some behind-the-scenes caching mechanism?
It’d be super interesting to do some experiments. What if you tried adding new plugins or modifying existing ones? You could track if the order changes and how. Maybe even log the sequence across different device reboots?
Oh, and here’s a wild thought - could it be related to how frequently each plugin is used? Like a ‘most recently used’ kind of thing?
Honestly, I’m really curious about what you find out. If you make any discoveries, would you mind sharing them here? It’d be awesome to learn more about this quirk of Symbian ECOM.
Good luck with your project! Hope you crack this mystery!
Hey DashingDog,
I’ve messed around with Symbian ECOM a bit, and from what i can tell, the order isn’t super predictable. It might be based on when the plugins were installed or somethign internal to the system. You could try experimenting by adding/removing plugins to see if it changes the order. might give some clues. Good luck with ur project!