Based on feedback from Ton, I've recoded the way "PoseLibs" are implemented/exposed. Therefore, quite a bit of code has been changed to fit this in better.
Now, ANY ACTION can be a "PoseLib". A set of Markers which belong to the Action (it's taken a year, but they're finally back), are used to tag "poses" in the Action. These markers are shown using diamond-shaped blue icons (designed by Matt Ebb) in three shades - unselected/normal, selected, active.
Notes:
* Each Armature Object has an Action which acts as a PoseLib.
* Improved UI presented in buttons panel for this
-- added proper buttons for action assigning
-- renamed "Validate PoseLib" to "Auto-Sync PoseLib" (this option auto-tags poses based on keyframes found)
Like in the 3d-view, use the hotkeys:
* Shift-L to add a local marker
* Ctrl-Shift-L to rename a local marker
* Alt-L to delete selected local markers
Note: transforms, etc. are not currently available with these markers
== PoseLib Preview ==
Added a few features here:
* Left/Right-Arrow keys now change the poses too (previous and next respectively)
* Up/Down-Arrow keys also change the poses, but "jump" to a pose 5 steps away in their respective directions
* Fixed crash using Interactive Preview, on an armature without a PoseLib
* Cancelling Interactive Preview now correctly restores the original Pose
* Interactive Preview now sets the correct active pose after it is run
* Interactive Preview now also updates the buttons window after it is run
* Clicking on the "New PoseLib" button now creates a new PoseLib action, even when one existed before
* Poses can be applied using the Pose browsing menu (i.e. when a menu item from that list is clicked, that pose is assigned)
* When previewing poses, it is now possible to manipulate the view to look at the pose from another angle. It is a known issue, that the normal header displays when using the MMB to do so.
* Added a tool to "validate" or sync its PoseLib data to the keys stored in the Action.
"A slightly late Christmas present for the Animators out there :-)"
This tool allows animators to store frequently used poses in an action, and be able to label those poses to help them retrieve them later. In a way, it acts as a glorified clipboard for poses.
One of the cool features with this is the ability to select which stored pose to use interactively in the 3d-view. Once a few poses have been stored in the PoseLib, simply use the "Ctrl L" hotkey to start previewing. Use the Mousewheel or the Page Up/Down keys to change poses, and confirm/cancel the preview in the same way as you do for transforms.
Usage Notes:
* Each Armature may get its own PoseLib. PoseLibs are simply actions with extra data, so they can get relinked.
* Manually editing actions used as PoseLibs is not a good idea, as some data may not be able to be found. Tools to automagically find poses in an action could be investigated...
* PoseLib will only apply/retrieve poses to/from selected bones
* A basic UI for this can be found in the "Links and Materials" panel. Most of the PoseLib tools are presented there.
Useful Hotkeys (also found in Pose->PoseLib menu):
* Ctrl L - interactively preview poses
* Shift L - add a new pose or replace an existing pose in the PoseLib with the current pose
* Ctrl Shift L - rename an existing pose in the PoseLib
* Alt L - remove a pose from the poselib.c