Notepad++ UWP package in Windows store - almost there
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@Claudia-Frank @[Name Redacted From Deleted Account] You might have seen my posts above about how I packaged it. I am not the person who put it on the store, however. I have no idea who NightRise is. Just letting you know - even though I posted a lot on how to do it, I am not the same person.
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Hi folks - that would be me who put it in the store… i really really really really needed it for a not-for-profit I am helping out (thank you Windows 10S).
Code modifications were required to get Microsoft to approve it… so I did have to fork the code. Modifications, and the packaged application (so folks can verify it) is all located here: https://github.com/NightRi-se/notepad-plus-plus
Any questions do let me know, also happy to transfer this app to the official “notepad++” team to maintain if they would like it. Until then… I am happy to keep it going on the store.
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@Claudia-Frank The store version is built of 7.5.5 (calling the store version 7.55.buildnumber.0). Most of the updates I have been posting have been to get settings to save/work correctly in UWP land, get file associations working, and next step is getting the x64 plugin manager in there and working.
@[Name Redacted From Deleted Account] no not official… it is a clone. If you can think of a better way to make that clear let me know.
@gjsman sorry if you got a bad wrap for this - also great work above… I didn’t see this announcement before going down this line however. For Windows 10S there is a bunch of policy’s that MS requires you comply by (with a possible fine of $15 per download if you app breaches them). One of those is no run, or ability to get to command. … it took about 4 weeks of going back and forth to get this working, approved, and published (initially it was published hidden/privately… but some friends wanted to use it, so I recently moved it to be public).
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Dude, seriously, don’t you think this is a little bit presumptuous? If this “store” thing is to happen, shouldn’t @donho be the one to do it? I mean, at the end of the day, it is his software…he’s the “benevolent dictator” after all…
Sure, it’s open source, and you can pretty much do with it what you’d like, but, I don’t know, creating an unauthorized distribution channel seems to push the boundaries…
and next step is getting the x64 plugin manager in there and working
So it was @donho’s decision to remove the PluginManager from the distribution…and you can just arbitrarily decide to add it back in? Again, seems quite, well…presumptuous…
So now people will report bugs against some version of Notepad++, but probably no one will be really sure which one. (Will the real Notepad++ please stand up?)
Now if you’re doing all this with @donho’s approval and blessing, then I retract all of the above…
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@Scott-Sumner your right, one thing lead to another - and I had a np++ clone in the store and users were finding it, so I just opened it up to the public. No blessings given.
I am trying to make it as clear as possible that this is a clone - and I will totally pull it when there is an “official” version avalible (or someone can convert this to an official one if they prefer). I cant say I care much either way… other than I need one in the store for the moment.
Re the plugin manager. I wasn’t aware of this… but interesting thing about an official store is folks provide reviews… and a plugin manager is the number 1 thing folks are complaining about (now the persistent settings issues, and file association issues are corrected), or asking for. Folks seem to be creating issues there in the reviews, or as instructed, against my fork in GitHub. Here is the plugin manager issue: https://github.com/NightRi-se/notepad-plus-plus/issues/10
Another interesting tidbit… MS failed this app for store certification on one round due to the certifier being unable to load a plugin… [they did try to load a 32bit plugin, and this fork is 64bit only].
Ill let @donho weigh in as to his thought on all this. yes, boundaries pushed and as per the reddit thread, folks are split if this is a good thing or not. But due to the store requirements, this is a true fork, with code changes to support (that will have to be maintained for the app to stay in the store).
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Here’s my answer about Notepad++ on Windows Store:
https://twitter.com/Notepad_plus/status/975886395461046272 -
For the record, I think it is for the best this way. As long as there are two different things out there calling themselves “Notepad++”…no matter how well-intentioned it is…we’ve got a support nightmare.
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@donho I think you mean https://twitter.com/Notepad_plus/status/975886395461046272 ?
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@donho and for a moment I thought folks were going to be reasonable and awesome ;)
So as per https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/blob/master/LICENSE I will maintain this as a fork. Folks dont need to use it if they dont want to. The name is being changed to Notepad++ Fork on the 7.5.6 update that is pending now.
Also just had a search on the TESS database… I cant see a trademark? I also think the word “Notepad” is to generic to trademark. Logo possibly… but then again its included in the codebase and such that is under GPL.
Totally happy to work with you all, if you would like to transfer this fork to the notepad++ team and organization. Until then I will do my best to mitigate @Scott-Sumner 's support concern issue. If someone does create an issue to do with the packaging of the notepad++ fork in the store, feel free to assign it to myself (and point out its unofficial).
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@jakevis You’re awesome, keep up the good work!
I see the good software like Paint .NET appear in the Store (which I bought BTW), and thus as a user I don’t actually care about those “stability” or supporting issues, I just want this software to be in the Store. If @donho can’t do this – you can do this instead.
Cheers! -
@jakevis The logo on the MS store front is likely what’s disputed. That particular image seems to have been taken from the website and not from the repository.
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@AngryGamer mm OK thanks. I do think I took that from a Google image search… On the 10th try to get the size right (so lots of copy right breaches out there I guess ;))
As soon as this update is through certification I’ll do another to update that as well. New image I am playing with is on github.
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Just wanted to loop back to this one - now its been about 4 months since release. We are sitting at about 85000 installs, with 3000-5000 new “acquisitions” a week (averaging that since may). There a few hickups in the first set of packages (to do with how config is saved), and some continuing issues with how plugins can not be installed on Win10S machines (unless included and signed in the store package)… but other than that… things seem stable. The build process + packaging overhead is down to less than 10min.
If folks would like to re-assess the fork to see if it will work as an official release (and move it over) let me know… happy to continue to support that as an official version… or ill continue as it is, as an unofficial fork. LMK.
Cheers - Jake
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I can confirm, that it is great to have notepad++ in the store. The updates are applied silently without any problems and all other great notepad++ features are working as they should.
I would love to see Jakes work applied to the official project.
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We run a windows server domain the only way we can use notepad++ is by jakevis port to the store. The issue I have is odd I can not use my work or school email to leave you a 5 star review on the store. It wants me to log in with a windows hello account. While I could do that, we do not mix work PC’s with Home Log ins.
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FYI if your code is on github you can and should expect people to take it and port it to the store if they like what it does if you have not done it. WHY DO YOU THINK MS BOUGHT GIT HUB? To port useful stuff to its store! Approved store apps are one of the only safe ways MS recommends deploying apps to roaming profiles in domains. AND fyi if anyone ports Irfan View to the store I will love you forever. Right now I have to side load it and use admin rights to install.
BTW I used notepad ++ from the store to save this the 20 minutes while I waited to post it for being a new user…
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This forum is provided for discussion of the real Notepad++, not the “fake” version in the store that it’s “author” won’t give a different name to. That version should have its own forum; please take any further discussion about that product to that forum, wherever it is, to avoid confusion with real Notepad++.
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@Scott-Sumner Just to be clear… this version is “as real” as the packaged versions currently running on Ubuntu or OSX. Only minor modifications have been made to the code in order to meet store policies - but otherwise its original (and its on GitHub so you can verify that). I am now also using appveyor to fully automate the build process. There is no reason why Don or team could not publish this themselves… or publish this version officially.
And thanks @kristian-b @TFA-Web-Master :) - FWIW… new version is going through store certification now (I was a little slow off the batt pushing the update through)
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@jakevis said:
Only minor modifications have been made to the code
That is what makes it a different product.
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@Scott-Sumner … if you say so. Its 5 lines; and 3 of those are me pointing to my own signing certificate instead of the original. This is the only other change (the remaining 2 lines)…
If upstream would like to remove that cmd run dialog, Notepad++ would be fully compliant with store policies, and no code changes would be required at all.
As always, if someone from the core team would like to publish an official version of Notepad++ to the windows store (so users of Win 10S, or under app control enforcement) are still able to use this great tool - I will fully support them in doing so, and move my deployment over to them (or I will also transfer my repo if you prefer to keep it as a different branch).
If users run into a bug on the store version… chances are its a bug on the native version as well. There is no differences there.
