I hope I'm not derailing this thread too much but here's another easier way to be able to build plugins without the large sdk downloads.
Installing visual c++ express and construct's SDK still are necessary steps.
Next I found that all that was needed from the MFC and ATL libraries was the CString class.
You can find a free replacement here, just 36kb .
Copy "StdString.h" from that zip to the "/Template Win32 VC8-9 Static/" folder.
Edit "StdAfx.h" and comment out these two lines:
#include <atlstr.h>
#include <atltypes.h>[/code:2jvgwa5p]
and add these two lines:
[code:2jvgwa5p]#include "StdString.h"
typedef CStdString CString;[/code:2jvgwa5p]
Next:[url]http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/construct/index.php?title=How_To:_Create_a_plugin[/url]