diff --git a/plugins/maplayer/maplayer.pro b/plugins/maplayer/maplayer.pro
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1c2e697f535
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/maplayer/maplayer.pro
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# File generated by kdevelop's qmake manager. 
+# ------------------------------------------- 
+# Subdir relative project main directory: ./plugins
+# Target is a library:  
+
+TEMPLATE = lib 
+CONFIG += debug \
+          warn_on \
+          qt \
+          thread 
+SOURCES += maplayertest.cpp 
+HEADERS += maplayertest.h \
+	   ../../src/qgsmaplayerinterface.h
diff --git a/plugins/maplayer/maplayertest.cpp b/plugins/maplayer/maplayertest.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a9caf4c8f01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/maplayer/maplayertest.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+#include <qpopupmenu.h>
+#include <qmessagebox.h>
+
+#include "maplayertest.h"
+// xpm for creating the toolbar icon
+#include "matrix1.xpm"
+MapLayerTest::MapLayerTest(){
+}
+void MapLayerTest::setQgisMainWindow(QMainWindow *app){
+	qgisApp = app;
+}
+// set the coordinate transform for drawing the layer
+void MapLayerTest::setCoordinateTransform(QgsCoordinateTransform *xform){
+	coordTransform = xform;
+}
+int MapLayerTest::getInt(){
+	return 999;
+}
+void MapLayerTest::initGui(){
+	// setup the menu
+	 QPopupMenu *mapLayerPluginMenu = new QPopupMenu( qgisApp );
+
+        mapLayerPluginMenu->insertItem("&Add Foobar Layer", this, SLOT(open()));
+        mapLayerPluginMenu->insertItem(  "&Unload Foobar Plugin", this, SLOT(unload()));
+	// create the menubar
+	 menu = ((QMainWindow *)qgisApp)->menuBar();
+
+        menuId = menu->insertItem( "&PluginMenu", mapLayerPluginMenu );
+	//QAction *zoomPreviousAction = new QAction( "Zoom Previous",QIconSet(icon_matrix), "&Zoom Previous", CTRL+Key_S, qgisMainWindow, "zoomFull" );
+		
+     //   connect( zoomPreviousAction, SIGNAL( activated() ) , this, SLOT( zoomPrevious() ) );
+
+}
+void MapLayerTest::unload(){
+	// remove the GUI
+	menu->removeItem(menuId);
+	// cleanup anything else that needs to be nuked
+}
+void MapLayerTest::open(){
+	// try and open a layer dialog
+	QMessageBox::information(qgisApp,"Plugin Message","You clicked the Add Foobar Layer menu item");
+}
+void MapLayerTest::draw(){
+}
+extern "C" QgsMapLayerInterface * classFactory(){
+	return new MapLayerTest();
+}
+extern "C" QString name(){
+	return QString("Map Layer test plugin");
+}
+extern "C" QString description(){
+	return QString("Map Layer test plugin using QgsMapLayerInterface interface");
+}
diff --git a/plugins/maplayer/maplayertest.h b/plugins/maplayer/maplayertest.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a99dda0e96e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/maplayer/maplayertest.h
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#ifndef QGSMAPLAYERTESTPLUGIN_H
+#define QGSMAPLAYERTESTPLUGIN_H
+#include <qmainwindow.h>
+#include <qmenubar.h>
+#include "../../src/qgsmaplayerinterface.h"
+#include "../../src/qgscoordinatetransform.h"
+class MapLayerTest : public QgsMapLayerInterface{
+Q_OBJECT
+public:
+MapLayerTest();
+void setQgisMainWindow(QMainWindow *app);
+void setCoordinateTransform(QgsCoordinateTransform *xform);
+int getInt();
+void initGui();
+public slots:
+void open();
+void unload();
+void draw();
+private:
+	QMainWindow *qgisApp;
+	QMenuBar *menu;
+	int menuId;
+	QgsCoordinateTransform *coordTransform;
+};
+
+
+#endif //QGSMAPLAYERTESTPLUGIN_H
diff --git a/plugins/maplayer/matrix1.xpm b/plugins/maplayer/matrix1.xpm
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..99c7fc01392
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/maplayer/matrix1.xpm
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+/* XPM */
+static const char *icon_matrix[] = {
+/* width height ncolors chars_per_pixel */
+"22 22 76 1",
+/* colors */
+"  c #000000",
+". c #00FF00",
+"X c #00FD00",
+"o c #00FB00",
+"O c #00F500",
+"+ c #00E300",
+"@ c #00DF00",
+"# c #00DD00",
+"$ c #00DB00",
+"% c #00D700",
+"& c #00CF00",
+"* c #00C700",
+"= c #00BB00",
+"- c #00B500",
+"; c #00B300",
+": c #00B100",
+"> c #00A300",
+", c #00A100",
+"< c #009D00",
+"1 c #009700",
+"2 c #009300",
+"3 c #008B00",
+"4 c #008300",
+"5 c #007300",
+"6 c #005500",
+"7 c #005300",
+"8 c #004B00",
+"9 c #002D00",
+"0 c #002B00",
+"q c #001900",
+"w c #00FE00",
+"e c #00F800",
+"r c #00F600",
+"t c #00F400",
+"y c #00EC00",
+"u c #00EA00",
+"i c #00E800",
+"p c #00E200",
+"a c #00E000",
+"s c #00DC00",
+"d c #00D800",
+"f c #00D400",
+"g c #00D000",
+"h c #00CC00",
+"j c #00CA00",
+"k c #00C600",
+"l c #00C000",
+"z c #00BA00",
+"x c #00B600",
+"c c #00B200",
+"v c #00AC00",
+"b c #00AA00",
+"n c #00A400",
+"m c #00A000",
+"M c #009800",
+"N c #009400",
+"B c #008C00",
+"V c #008800",
+"C c #008400",
+"Z c #008200",
+"A c #008000",
+"S c #007200",
+"D c #007000",
+"F c #006A00",
+"G c #006600",
+"H c #006400",
+"J c #006000",
+"K c #004600",
+"L c #004400",
+"P c #004000",
+"I c #003400",
+"U c #003200",
+"Y c #003000",
+"T c #001E00",
+"R c #000600",
+"E c None",
+/* pixels */
+"      77 PP        JL ",
+"dd 0R pp PP  GK GB jV ",
+"9= t5 ff  .  G. ez PP ",
+"cc OS     A     AT    ",
+"   0R  eF mP ;; Gq kk ",
+"qG     rL PP 11 aK 77 ",
+"Zo 6y     PP 77    BB ",
+"<r R0  r4 mm    0R 77 ",
+"qq     i%       ,0    ",
+"    ;q    FA .hUTA PP ",
+"2:  XZ qq Pb    P* s5 ",
+"8w  ;I aa Uh AA    gL ",
+"T.     aa 0, >Y Y>    ",
+"qC DD  YY LJ o4 Lv R0 ",
+"   @@  l+ PP AT GG Bc ",
+"nh 77  R0       PP zM ",
+"9i     TP qq PP PP PP ",
+"77  yY A* GG NN       ",
+"    -Y GG PP DD .M HH ",
+"qq qG  qq mm    vM zz ",
+"$u Ka  qq qq && qq 77 ",
+"3#     >> GG xx GG BB "
+};