Unable to use any downloaded plugins.

Æþelleo Durkin

I do not seem to be able to use any downloaded plugin in Notepad++. For example, copying “NppTextFX.dll” to “C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\plugins” or “C:\Users<User Name>\appData\Local\Notepad++\plugins” or “C:\Users<User Name>\appData\Roaming\Notepad++\plugins” never makes the “TextFX” drop-down menu appear between “Run” and “Plugins” in the Menu bar. I have tried most of the permutations of reinstalling, uninstalling, installing, run as Administrator, installing into a folder not located within “Program Files (x86)”, and installing on a different partition. I have also attempted to install other plugins which also do not seem to work: I have not witnessed any evidence that Notepad++ is aware of any plugin that was not included by default. For example, I cannot make the old “Download Manager” work. I am using Notepad++ 7.6 32-bit on Windows 8.1.

Is there anything else that might cause this behaviour? I have no problems with aesthetic changes made with the Style Configurator system. I am starting to form the opinion I may have to delete all references associated with Notepad++ in the Windows Registry. Is there a list of these entries? I am baffled.

guy038

Hello, @æþelleo-durkin, and All,

This is my method that should work 100% ;-)) It uses the portable version of N++. Just try it to get an idea !

Create, on your system, a folder, let’s say 760, under any partition ( C:, D:, … )
Dowload, as you wish :
- the last 32-bits portable version, from : https://notepad-plus-plus.org/repository/7.x/7.6/npp.7.6.bin.zip
- the last 64-bits portable version, from : https://notepad-plus-plus.org/repository/7.x/7.6/npp.7.6.bin.x64.7z
Extract all the contents of the archive on <Drive Letter>:\760\
Now, move to the <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins folder

=> In addiditon to the usual folders, APIs, Doc and Config, you’ll see 4 folders, corresponding to the 4 plugins, part of the official N++ v7.6.0 distribution ( DSpellCheck, mimeTools, NppConverter and NppExport )

Create a new folder, named NppTextFX
Download the NppTextFX plugin from https://sourceforge.net/projects/npp-plugins/files/TextFX/TextFX v0.26/TextFX.v0.26.unicode.bin.zip/download
Extract the contents of the TextFX.v0.26.unicode.bin.zip archive ( the .dll file ) in the folder <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\NppTextFX
Start <Drive Letter>:\760\notepad++.exe

=> You should see, as expected, the TextFX menu, between the Run and Plugins menus ;-))

Notes :

In the <Drive Letter>:\760\ folder, you’ll notice a zero-length file, named doLocalConf.xml. This file must always stay in that location, along with notepad.exe
As you see, the <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins folder contains, only, sub-folders. So, if you want to add, let’s say a plugin named MyFavourite.dll, then :
- Create a folder with the exact name MyFavourite, inside the <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins folder
- Move the MyFavourite.dll plugin, and, maybe, some additional files/folders, inside the <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\MyFavourite folder

Best Regards,

guy038

P.S. :

So, for instance, after installation of all the plugins, below :

BetterMultiSelection
ComparePlugin
CustomizeToolbar
LuaScript
NppExec
NppTextFX
PythonScript

Here is below, the tree structure of the folder 760, with the MAIN files only, regarding the plugin’s organization :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760 :

Folder   localization
Folder   plugins
Folder   themes
Folder   updater

File     doLocalConf.xml
File     notepad++.exe
File     python27.dll
File     SciLexer.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins :

Folder   APIs
Folder   BetterMultiSelection
Folder   ComparePlugin
Folder   Config
Folder   CustomizeToolbar
Folder   doc
Folder   DSpellCheck
Folder   LuaScript
Folder   mimeTools
Folder   NppConverter
Folder   NppExec
Folder   NppExport
Folder   NppTextFX
Folder   PythonScript
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\BetterMultiSelection :

File     BetterMultiSelection.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\ComparePlugin :

Folder   ComparePlugin

File     ComparePlugin.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\ComparePlugin\ComparePlugin :

File     git2.dll
File     sqlite3.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\Config :

Folder   Hunspell
Folder   PythonScript

File     BetterMultiSelection.ini
File     converter.ini
File     CustomizeToolbar.dat
File     DSpellCheck.ini
File     npec_cmdhistory.txt
File     NppExec.ini
File     NppTextFX.ini
File     startup.lua
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\Config\Hunspell :

File     en_US.aff
File     en_US.dic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\Config\PythonScript :

Folder   scripts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\CustomizeToolbar :

File     CustomizeToolbar.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\doc :

Folder   NppExec
Folder   PythonScript
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\doc\NppExec :

File     fparser.html
File     NppExec.txt
File     NppExec_Manual.chm
File     NppExec_TechInfo.txt
File     README.txt
File     style.css
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\doc\PythonScript :

File     PythonScript.chm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\DSpellCheck :

File     DSpellCheck.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\LuaScript :

File     LuaScript.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\mimeTools :

File     mimeTools.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\NppConverter :

File     NppConverter.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\NppExec :

File     BaseDef.h
File     menuCmdID.h
File     Notepad_plus_msgs.h
File     NppExec.dll
File     Scintilla.h
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\NppExport :

File     NppExport.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\NppTextFX :

File     NppTextFX.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\PythonScript :

Folder   lib
Folder   scripts

File     PythonScript.dll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\PythonScript\scripts :

Folder   Samples

File     startup.py
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Folder   <Drive Letter>:\760\plugins\PythonScript\scripts\Samples :

File     CTags Based Autocompletion.py
File     Disable Virtual Space.py
File     Enable Virtual Space.py
File     Event Handler Demo.py
File     Python Regex Replacements.py
File     Remove and Modify selected lines.py
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Æþelleo Durkin

Thank you for your response. All the plugins work when put into a well-named folder within the “plugins” folder, so it would seem the files are not corrupted. I have managed to do more in 10 minutes then I did in 1 hour last night. I may as well mention that Windows 8.1 does not appear to use "C:\Users<User Name>\appData\Local\Notepad++\plugins” folder - it will change files in the "C:\Users<User Name>\appData\Roaming\Notepad++\plugins” folder. I wish I had thought of using the portable version when I was gnashing my teeth last night. Thank you.

guy038

Hi, @æþelleo-durkin, and All,

Pleased to know that you managed to get your plugin’s installation, correctly :-)) Of course, the folder 760, containing N++ portable version, does not need to be, exactly, <Drive Letter>:\760. My goal was just to create a neat summary !

So, you may create this folder, in numerous locations, even on a USB device ! And, of course its name may just be Notepad++, instead of 760 or anything else !

Just 3 rules, regarding portable N++ versions :

Do NOT place this folder in C:\Program Files folder nor in the C:\Program Files (x86) folder
Preferably, use a short pathname, as some programs may not handle very long pathnames, properly !
You may, also, install several N++ portable versions, simultaneously, on your system, as long as the zero-length file doLocalConf.xml exists, along with each N++ version !

Cheers,

guy038

rinku singh

@Æþelleo-Durkin
Notepad++ v7.6 (32-bit)
Build time : Nov 12 2018 - 23:51:42
Path : C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe
Admin mode : OFF
Local Conf mode : OFF
OS : Windows 7 (32-bit)
Plugins : DSpellCheck.dll mimeTools.dll NppConverter.dll NppExport.dll

answer already given there:
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/community/topic/16629/notepad-7-6-and-the-plugin-textfx/10