Feature requests for a better handling of the Windows Store version

[Bernd]

Three request for the Windows Store version. For the second and third one, the problem seems to be, that the EXE file of the Store version is hidden somewhere in the WindowsApp folder inaccessible for the regular user.

• I would like to be able to drop an image file on the desktop icon of Paint.NET in order to open the file for editing.
• I would like to use Paint.NET as the default image editor in Windows and in XNview. Since the executable is somewhere hidden, I have tried some of the stuff described here and here with no success. Here is described something called App Execution Alias which sounds promising. Can Paint.NET support this? Or maybe there is another feasible way to call the Store version; to define an editor, you usually have to pick the EXE from the file system and it is called with the selected file as an argument.
• The desktop icon has a blue background, see attached picture. It would also be fine to get the Paint.NET icon as a ICO file.

I would be happy if you could consider those requests.

Best regards,

Bernd

[Tactilis]

33 minutes ago, Bernd said:

I would like to be able to drop an image file on the desktop icon of Paint.NET in order to open the file for editing.

It's easier to right click the image file and select Open with -> paint.net

 

Quote

I would like to use Paint.NET as the default image editor in Windows

Right click an image file and click Open with -> Choose another app, then select paint.net and click Always.  Do this for for each file type (PNG, JPG, etc) for which you want paint.net to be the default.

[Tactilis]

1 hour ago, Bernd said:

Or maybe there is another feasible way to call the Store version

Have a look at the paint.net Documentation here https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/

 

Read the Getting Started -> paintdotnet: protocol section.

 

 

[Rick Brewster]

6 hours ago, Bernd said:

The desktop icon has a blue background, see attached picture. It would also be fine to get the Paint.NET icon as a ICO file.

The ICO is already available -- just download the portable version, it's right there as paintdotnet.ico

 

6 hours ago, Bernd said:

I would like to use Paint.NET as the default image editor in Windows

You should be able to choose which file types are associated with Paint.NET by using the "Default apps" settings page (just search for "Default apps").

 

6 hours ago, Bernd said:

The desktop icon has a blue background

Unfortunately that's just what Windows does for Store apps. I think it's an ugly leftover from Windows 8/8.1. If anyone knows how to fix this, assuming it's even possible, I'm all ears for it. There might be some new thing that can be done in the Appx manifest.

 

6 hours ago, Bernd said:

I would like to use Paint.NET as the default image editor in Windows and in XNview.

I think the standard solution here is to create a batch file that uses the paintdotnet: protocol. Sometimes programs don't work very well when directly given the protocol, etc. "paintdotnet:%1", but they often easily handle batch files.

[Tactilis]

17 minutes ago, Rick Brewster said:

Sometimes programs don't work very well when directly given the protocol, etc. "paintdotnet:%1"

As it happens, you can't even try that in XnView because it won't allow you to type in the command line for an external editor; you can only select an .exe or a .bat file.

[Bernd]

On 1/14/2024 at 8:11 PM, Rick Brewster said:

The ICO is already available -- just download the portable version, it's right there as paintdotnet.ico

 

Thanks, I found the ICO file. Maybe it would be possible to put a link to the official (?) Github repository of the portable version on the download page.

 

On 1/14/2024 at 8:11 PM, Rick Brewster said:

You should be able to choose which file types are associated with Paint.NET by using the "Default apps" settings page (just search for "Default apps").

 

The "Defaults Apps" only set the "View" command. But with the batch file and the Default Program Editor, I was able to change the "Edit" command.

 

On 1/14/2024 at 8:11 PM, Rick Brewster said:

I think the standard solution here is to create a batch file that uses the paintdotnet: protocol. Sometimes programs don't work very well when directly given the protocol, etc. "paintdotnet:%1", but they often easily handle batch files.

 

I adapted the batch file a little bit - without the "start", it didn't work.

@echo off
start paintdotnet:%1

 

So the only thing left would be the possibility to drop a file on the Paint.Net icon. As a workaround, I could put the batch file on the desktop. But it would be nicer if Paint.Net could do it by itself.

 

Thanks for the help - and of course for the cool Paint.Net program 😀

 

Best regards,

Bernd