Can I move Plugins from 7.3.3 to latest version using just a folder move

Robert Lewis

I am not very experienced in configuring Notepad++ plugins so I have stayed with 7.3.3 because that was the last time that I know that the plugin manager worked. I would like to move to the latest version of Notepad++. Is it possible to copy the current plugins directory under the latest version of Notepad++ and access all my current plugins? I downloaded the Notepad++ but it did not have all my needed plugins and I don’t want to reconfigure all the settings (I don’t know them all). Or can someone suggest another way? thanks

dinkumoil

@Robert-Lewis said

Is it possible to copy the current plugins directory under the latest version of Notepad++ and access all my current plugins?

Radio Yerevan would say: It depends. ;)

Since Notepad v7.6, every plugin needs to be stored in its own subdirectory, exactly named as the plugin DLL file except the .dll extension. Since Notepad++ v7.6.3 these directories have to be stored in <Npp-install-dir>\plugins. As long as a plugin has no companion files (i.e. it is a single DLL file) that’s all to say. Thus, if you have a plugin DLL named ABC.dll it has to be stored under <Npp-install-dir>\plugins\ABC

BUT some plugins come with companion files, e.g. help and/or documentation files, other DLLs, etc. Sometimes these files are even stored in subdirectories. To ensure a plugin can find these files they have to be moved to the plugin’s subdirectory mentioned above. When doing this, it is important that the relative path to a file (based on the storage location of the plugin DLL file) remains the same like before.

I give you an example. If the plugin ABC.dll in Notepad++ v7.3.3 needs the files <Npp-install-dir>\plugins\doc\ABC.txt and <Npp-install-dir>\plugins\ABC\SomeCompanion.dll, after the update to current Notepad++ v7.7.1 these files need to be stored under <Npp-install-dir>\plugins\ABC\doc\ABC.txt and <Npp-install-dir>\plugins\ABC\ABC\SomeCompanion.dll (please note: doubling the ABC directory is not an error).

BUT some plugins internally use absolute paths to access their companion files, or to be more exact, they use paths relative to the storage location of notepad++.exe. These plugins will not find their companion files, if you move them using the schema mentioned above. Instead their companion files have to be kept at the same location as in Notepad++ v7.3.3.

Long story short, you have three options:

Make all the required changes manually and check if your plugins work properly afterwards. Maybe you have to revert some of your changes.
Use a script I wrote for this purpose. You can download it here. Again you have to check if your plugins work properly after running it. Maybe you have to revert some of the changes.
Reinstall your plugins with PluginsAdmin, the plugin management component integrated into Notepad++ since v7.6. This will lead to a pretty mess in your plugins directory (because all plugins will be stored twice on your HD) but it’s the option which needs least skills. Please note: There are plugins which still haven’t been fixed to meet the requirements of PluginsAdmin, thus they are not part of the official plugin list and can not be updated, they have to be moved manually anyway.

In all cases you will not loose your plugin settings because they are stored in a separate directory.

IMPORTANT!! Do not use the old PluginManager to install/update plugins in Notepad++ v7.7.1. PluginManager is not suitable anymore for recent versions of Notepad++.

andrecool-68

@dinkumoil said:

Radio Yerevan would say: It depends. ;)

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Robert Lewis

dinkumoil, Thank you very much for the extensive explanation. I will try your script first and then as a fallback check those that do not work if any.