[does not work] Paint.Net Plugin Manager X! New Version JUST Released!

[Braiden]

NOTICE:

Paint.Net Plugin Manager 'X' has been Released! And is now being Improved constantly!

[*]Context Menus' ( Right-Click Options! )

[*]Conditional Plug-in (Un)Installing ( Install every plug-in starting with/containing "a" )

[*]Plug-In Searching

[*]Custom Drawn GUI, no Bland Forms! ( Or so i hope )

[*]And the Rest you will have to wait for

Sick of having to browse into, C:\, then, Program Files, then, Paint.Net, then, Effects, every time you want to add or remove a Plugin?

LAST EDITED: 30-06-2008

Remove the hassle all together with: Paint.Net Plug-in Manager!

DOWNLOAD

Paint.Net Plugin Manager X.zip

All this requires is .NET Frameworks 2.0 ( which you should have if Paint.NET is installed )

SCREENSHOTS

Paint.Net Plugin Manager UI

FEATURES

-Finds Installation directory itself, if key isnt found, uses default ( DRIVE:\Program Files\Paint.NET\Effects\ )

-Instant Add / Remove DLL ( now more efficient in file checks, while being faster yet )

-List Building ( not noticed by most users, but organises lists, and checks files over, unnoticable speeds! )

-Plugin number counter, counts how many Plugins you have available, or installed!

INSTALL

Simply extract the contents of P.NManager.zip to a folder on your Desktop (or anywhere else)

HOW TO:[/b][/u]

When the .exe is run, you will be shown a Form, it will have 4 Listboxes, 2 on each side, the top listboxes are for FileType Plugins ( located in the "\FileTypes\" folder ) and can be swapped backwards or forwards. The Bottom two are for the Effects Plugins ( located in the "\Effects\" folder ) which can also be swapped around.

The Left side listbox's are your INSTALLED Plugins, and the right side are Plugins located INSIDE Plugin Managers' "Effect" and "FileType" folders.

If you do not have a properly installed version of Paint.Net ( i.e. installed to a Pen Drive ) you can specify WHERE you want Plugin Manager to look, simply by editing the "installationfolder.txt" file located inside "\Config\", you simply type the location of the Installation folder, e.g. "E:\Paint.Net\" will point Plugin Manager towards the portable installation of Paint.Net, found on my pen drive. Obviously as you change PC's you may have to change the drive letter, but soon this will be replaced with a menu built into Plugin Manager.

REMOVE Paint.Net Plugin Manager (Not that you'll want to )

Simply Delete the Folder you extracted and its gone! no footprints at all!

COMING SOON

-Mass add remove - SOON, seems there are a lot of ways of doing it, just got the find the best!

-Description of currently highlighted .dll ( will need help from Dev team for that )

Think i should add any more features? tell me and ill try my best

All comments are welcome!

[Mike Ryan]

Actually, this sounds interesting. Rename it to Paint.NET Plugin Manager and you will be golden.

Edit: I just tried it out and it is interesting, to say the least. Instead of using the name of the .DLL, you should try using the name of the actual effect. As well, while the link works, it should be paintdotnet.forumer.com. It would be much appreciated if you toned down the color of that blue as well, as it is hardly readable. Other than that, great work! I have a few more ideas in store, I just want to see how this works out.

[Braiden]

hey thanks Mike ( seems like people like me )

thanks for the Tips!

I realised just then that the Blue does stand out on other PC's, i forgot that my Theme is a Messy version of Vista Aero, and it is fully bright, near everything is a light color

Ill get onto that, and also, in respect to the code you posted in my other thread, that is one of the features im going to add, along with a few more!

I think ill rename it now, and fix the Colors, just to let everyone have a good quality look of it!

It should be very stable and high speed, ive kept the code as streamlined as possible, but ive had to use some public variables ( i think ) 2 or more times which is faster, but could cause errors in messy code ( thank god for O'Rielly )

I'd love to hear any andall suggestions for fixes or things to add!

EDIT: Fixed the Labels, Name, Colors, and some loose variable i found

[Curtis]

I haven't had a chance to look at this yet, but can it handle effects that use more than one dll?

[Mike Ryan]

Curtis, it handles all effects on a DLL to DLL basis. For instance, CurtisBlack.Effects.Common still appears as a seperate effect but even I am unsure of how one would change it.

[Braiden]

do you mean, if i move one DLL, and it requires 1 or more other DLL's to work, will it move them all?

If that is the case, no, but that is one of the features the will be added shortly, along with getting Full Descriptions and Names of Plugins, not just the name of the DLL.

Hope that helps!

@Mike, did the changes make it look better?

[Curtis]

Yep, thats what I mean.

:THINGS TO COME:

Rename .dll

Please don't let users rename the dlls, some effects simply won't work if you change their filename.

[Braiden]

Yep, thats what I mean.

:THINGS TO COME:

Rename .dll

Please don't let users rename the dlls' date=' some effects simply won't work if you change their filename.[/quote']

Hmm, i didnt think that would be a problem. have you tested that theory ( that renaming files makes them not work ? )

Because the way Plugins are made, specially in .NET, say i want to change the button name, i would call:

Me.button1.text = "This is the new text for our button"

or atleast thats how i code, and most other people, and also because of how .net handles plugins, only the plugin talks to Paint.net, and PDN never has to call directly to a file name ( the only time it ever calls a plugin, is for getting mathematical equations, which are handles as put in the code above )

So im not sure if that makesa difference, ill have to ask a Dev member, like Mike, or Rick

[Curtis]

I have tested it and can tell you that renaming any of my plugin file names will break them.

[Braiden]

I have tested it and can tell you that renaming any of my plug in file names will break them.

Since thats the case, ill have to strike that off the list, what to replace it with

Ill think of something tomorrow, while I'm at college, supposedly doing work ( or something like, i don't really pay attention much )

Ill probably add some 1337 ub3r c00l thingy

Naa, we'll keep it simple, and functioning for now, add the fancy stuff later!

[Mike Ryan]

@Mike, did the changes make it look better?

Yes, much better on the eyes thanks! This seems very promising. I am going to show this to a business partner of mine and will most likely contact you regarding it.

[Simon Brown]

Wouldn't it just be simpler to have a shortcut to the Paint.NET plugin folder on the desktop?

[HITMAN-X-]

Does this know how to find Paint.NET if it is installed in another folder. EG: D:/Paint.NET

[Braiden]

It will soon. At this particular moment, no, I need to make an installer, or search the registry for its HKEY, and make the directory that, either way works, the Installer will be better in the long run, but until this becomes a mojor hassle ( because, in honesty, more people will have 'Program Files' as their directory.

I would use .ini files, but from ive had to do, the code can get quite messy, so i would rather use the 'not so pretty' "Imports System.IO" and use StreamReader as such:

Imports System IO()

Dim contents as String
Dim objReader as New StreamReader()
contents = objStreamReader.ReadLines("C:\File.txt")

Thats probably slightly wrong, but the idea is there.

By tonight, i will have some more features added, probably:

-Mass Remove/Add

-Correct .DLL Directory ( Mentioned Above )

I will also work on being able to show Details about a selected .dll so you can manage several .dll's for the same thing, as some might be out dated etc etc, Also, ill have to get some help from Mite ( Got is right now ) and Rick, but also doing a dll comparison, so you can know if a .dll WILL work with the current Paint.Net version your using!

Thanks guys, feedback is awesome, bring it on!

[Mike Ryan]

Also, ill have to get some help from Kite and Rick

Were you talking about me when you said 'Kite'?

[Braiden]

Also, ill have to get some help from Kite and Rick

Were you talking about me when you said 'Kite'?

Hah, yea sorry, was early morning before college, had to leave quickly so yea.

Ill pm you some time, im waiting for your pm ^

You code in both VB.net and C#? If not ill send you code converted to what ever language you script in ( unless its C++ )

Thanks

[Braiden]

@Mike

Sorry about my spelling, i did mean you, i hope to hear from you soon !

New Version, fixed several low level bugs ( speeds, reliability, file checking etc etc )

-Now Finds the Installation path itself!

-Now process's most ( if not all ) commands in under 0.2 Seconds!

-Fixed colours looking askew ( Link, Boxes, how the program 'Draws' itself on different OS ( XP/Vista )

Please, if there is anything you think should be added to this, do tell me, so we can have a 200% awesome Program for us to use!

[Mike Ryan]

Looks amazing! Downloading now :wink:

[Braiden]

Heh, thanks!

In general terms, it will look the same across both XP/Vista, regardless of what theme you are using, which is good.

Im going to Edit the first posts with screen shots and more formatted Details, as i think that it looks sloppy

Any Features you think i should add?

[Mike Ryan]

Yes, but by PM. I am not here to start arguments. Check your inbox later on today and will give you more screenshots and words then possible

[Braiden]

Yes, but by PM. I am not here to start arguments. Check your inbox later on today and will give you more screenshots and words then possible

Pfft, you just know you'll lose against me

No thats cool, thanks mate!

[Mike Ryan]

I have PM'd you.

[MiguelPereira]

interesting app, nice work Braiden

[Braiden]

Thanks Miguel,

It needs work, but so do all works in progress. Alteast it has the basics down, and does its job, for the most part :wink:

Im happy i got the installation directory checking system in, that made plugins easier to find, move and later on check.

[Myrddin]

If I have understood your application correctly, then it's a plugin, correct?

If so, then I'm thinking this be more suited to the Plugins Forum, and I'm inclined to move it there. It will also keep all plugin related articles together under one roof.

If the other moderators, and indeed anyone else has a different opinion, do PM me. Let's not clog up this topic with banter about location, let's talk about the plugin itself!

Topic moved.