How to open plugin file types with windows store app

[antonjuulnaber]

Hi  Sorry if this has already been answered, but i couldn't find anything on it.

 

I am using the Windows store version of PDN on Windows 1809 with a filetype plugin.

 

I specifically have the webp plugin installed (https://github.com/0xC0000054/pdn-webp). It works perfectly and i am able to save images as webp files. Unfortunately, the webp files open in Chrome when i click on them. Usually i just choose "open with", and then choose paint.net to get around that, but paint.net is not listed here. I can choose to "search for an app on the app store", but PDN is already installed, so that function doesn't help me. I can also choose to manually search for the application, but as far as i know, store apps don't exist anywhere as traditional applications.

 

As a result of this, it is impossible for me to open .webp images with paint.net, and i can imagine that the same issue applies to most/all other filetype plugins.

 

Is there a way to get around this?
 

Thanks for any help in advance!

 

EDIT - SOLUTION

You have to edit the file type extension in the registry. In there, you can add a string that points to the paint.net app. Windows will now understand that paint.net can open the new file type, and will let you open it normally by right clicking on the file you want to open and choosing "open with".

 

See this and this post for full details.

Edited June 5, 2019 by antonjuulnaber
Added solution

[HyReZ]

Greetings,

Your trouble is a not a plugin problem or even a Paint.NET problem!
It is a file extension association problem!
Although this link to a video tutorial is not specific to Paint.NET it can help you with your problem:
 

 

Edited May 26, 2019 by HyReZ

[antonjuulnaber]

Greetings HyReZ

 

I am very well aware that this is a file extension association problem. It is a file extension association problem that is directly linked to the way paint.net works with plugins.

 

As i mention in the original question, the issue is that paint.net is not listed in the list of compatible apps. This is the same list, no matter if youre trying to "open as", or if you are trying to change the default application for a file extension in the windows settings.

 

Here is an image where i am trying to change the default app for webp:

 

as you can see, paint.net is nowhere to be found. The option to search explorer isn't even there. There is an option to "search for an app in Microsoft Store", but that does not seem to work the way i want it to - it will just let you install new apps that advertises the capability to open .webp natively.

 

I do have a bit of speculation on why this is a problem, but i am no expert:  Windows will only let me use a Windows store-app to open something if the app explicitly advertises a capability to open that file extension type. But paint.net does not natively support .webp, so it does not advertise that capability. That means that there is no way to make windows open the images with paint.net. Traditionally, you could get around this issue by choosing "browse for", where you could browse windows explorer until you found the executable that you needed, and in that way brute-force your way into opening the file. That is unfortunately not possible with a windows store-app, since it does not have an executable lying around in a folder somewhere.

 

Lastly, FYI, the video that you linked to is for an old version of Windows, so it shows an incorrect path to the settings.

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by antonjuulnaber

[HyReZ]

One Page Tutorial...

File Association

To get started make sure the webp filetype plugin has been installed into PDN
Then find a .webp image and right click it to get the #1 menu below.
Then follow the steps as indicated. It is easy as 1-2-3, A-F 🙂

Edited May 29, 2019 by HyReZ

[antonjuulnaber]

Thanks for taking the time to make a simple tutorial, but i really don't think you've understood my issue. Maybe this will help:

 

 

And yes, the plugin is correctly installed since i can save .webp images.

[HyReZ]

Your issue is not that complicated and I do indeed understand it!
Your issue was addressed at 4 minutes and 3 seconds into the video link that I added on May 25th, but I created a simple tutorial for additional assistance for you and others. I have included some additional information here:

If Paint.NET does not appear automatically you will have to go to the prorgarm files>paint.net folder and associate the extention to the executble file manually. Follow the gold star and it will get you started! You are almost at the finish line. This time break the ribbon!
(I will have to add the additional steps G and H to the tutorial to cover this eventuality)

Edited June 4, 2019 by HyReZ
to add more nfo and clarification

[antonjuulnaber]

Iv'e tried to do what it says at 4 minutes and 3 seconds in the video, but the UI has since been reworked, and i cannot find the same button in the new UI. If you know that it still exists and can point me in the right direction, that would be fantastic

 

The second solution that you mention does not work, as i have the program installed as an app, not a program. So there is no executable in the "program files" folder.
I adressed this in the original question:

"I can also choose to manually search for the application, but as far as i know, store apps don't exist anywhere as traditional applications."

I could be wrong though, there could be an executable stored somewhere else. Be sure to mention that if you know anything about it.

[HyReZ]

Do a system wide wildcard for 'paint' to loacate every file on your system that has the text string of paint in its file name. This will locate the path where your paint.net executible is.

[BoltBait]

@HyReZ, that's not going to work; apps are protected.

[HyReZ]

@BoltBait
I guess that I am out of date! I never use apps so I don't know how the are accessed and stored.
I discovered that it requires a reg edit to do the file extension association, and I found no utility to help.

[antonjuulnaber]

Yeah, it unfortunately doesn't work. Although i do think it could work if i can somehow get the direct path to the executable. I am trying a few things in order to do that, but Windows really doesn't like it. If anyone wants to try their luck, i believe the first part of the puzzle is to run

explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder

in an elevated command prompt. Then you somehow need to access the protected folder for paint.net from there, which i haven't figured out yet.

Although this might be possible in the end, I am still hoping that someone has a better solution. It can't be right that you have to go through all this pain just to open a file.
Is no one else having this problem or what?

[BoltBait]

You don't need access to the exe file itself to launch the Paint.NET app.

 

Paint.NET can be launched like this:

 

paintdotnet:c:\path\myfile.gif

 

(to open a graphic, for example)

 

or simply:

 

paintdotnet:

 

(to open Paint.NET with the default canvas)

[HyReZ]

4 hours ago, BoltBait said:

You don't need access to the exe file itself to launch the Paint.NET app.

 

Paint.NET can be launched like this:

 

paintdotnet:c:\path\myfile.gif

 

(to open a graphic, for example)

 

or simply:

 

paintdotnet:

 

(to open Paint.NET with the default canvas)

There should be an easier alternative than have to use the command line every time you want to open a particular file extension with an app.
Can an administrator override the app protection or unhide the executible to assoicate a file type without editing the registry?
If so, then how?

If not,then why?

Edited June 5, 2019 by HyReZ

[BoltBait]

 

How did I know what string to add?  I looked up the .pdn association, like this:

 

 

You should be able to look up the same thing in regedit for the store version of Paint.NET (Sorry, I can't look it up, I don't have it installed.)

 

You can do the same method for other filetype associations.

 

[antonjuulnaber]

THANK YOU @BoltBait, that worked like a charm!

For Windows Store Apps, the name is not stored as a string. It is instead stored as a binary with default contents (00000000), and the name looks something like this:

AppX12vebfsjbqncwtwm30s21erf0fkzzn6t

The string after "AppX" is probably randomly generated, so anyone wanting to do this will have to find their own string under .pdn as noted in the answer.

 

 

Now with that said, this workaround really shouldn't be necessary. Do you guys think i should report it as a bug and/or feature request? Or should i leave it alone. You are the experts, so i will do what you advise me to

[BoltBait]

1 hour ago, antonjuulnaber said:

Now with that said, this workaround really shouldn't be necessary. Do you guys think i should report it as a bug and/or feature request?

 

I really don't think this should fall to Rick to update the registry for filetype plugins.  I think the individual filetype plugin authors should update the registry (either automatically or explain in their installation instructions how to do it--this would allow association before running Paint.NET).

 

This is something to brainstorm on though...

 

[antonjuulnaber]

47 minutes ago, BoltBait said:

 

This is something to brainstorm on though...

 

 

Well, this is an issue that all filetype extensions will face. So having a standardised way, instead of 367 different ways to do it, would make a lot of sense.

It would save developers time, which probably also means that more developers would implement it, it would probably make the experience less buggy for the end users, and it could prevent a fragmented system where solutions only apply to a few plugins, and then users will have to sip through several support cases to find a solution that works for their specific problem.

The only argument i can see for not standardising it, is if Rick doesn't want to invest the time in developing and supporting the feature, which is off course fair...

 

 

I think I will post this issue on the forum page for this specific .webp plugin., and then I will let it be up to the developers to raise a feature request if they think it is necessary. Wouldn't you say that that is the most sensible solution?

[BoltBait]

I will file this as a bug in the official private code repository.

 

Let's see what kind of discussion with the developers that sparks.

[antonjuulnaber]

Allright, cool! And once again thanks for the help