New built-in Plugin Admin (Plugin Manager) is ready

George Rodger

@Meta-Chuh : Thanks for your reply, but I remain confused.

if you have a look at your %ProgramFiles%\Notepad++\plugins folder, you will notice, that the alphabetical order you see here is exactly the same order you will see at your plugins menu, albeit some plugin developers used different names as menu item, not matching their plugin folder names … and that’s the culprit.

Well, my %ProgramFiles%\Notepad++\plugins folder contains only three sub-folders, as follows:

“API” which contains 25 files with .xml extension
“config” which contains an empty “Hunspell” sub-folder
“disabled” which is empty

Any further ideas?

George Rodger

@donho

@Meta-Chuh said:

workaround:
… you can rename the folders and the dll within this folder, to their matching plugins menu name, and you will see them in a more logical, alphabetic order.

@Meta-Chuh
Will I have to perform this renaming routine following every version update of the relevant plugins?

Meta Chuh

@George-Rodger

thanks tor reporting back.

Well, my %ProgramFiles%\Notepad++\plugins folder contains only three sub-folders, as follows:

“API” which contains 25 files with .xml extension

“config” which contains an empty “Hunspell” sub-folder

“disabled” which is empty

%ProgramFiles%\Notepad++\plugins is the default plugin folder for a notepad++ v7.6.3 (64-bit) install.
we would need your debug information from ? > debug info... > copy debug info into clipboard to have a closer look where your own plugins folder is located, if you haven’t found it yet.

the “APIs” folder is a leftover from an older notepad++ and contains auto completion files for different languages (eg. php.xml).
those files have been relocated to %ProgramFiles%\Notepad++\autoCompletion in newer versions, as “autoCompletion” is more logical and descriptive than the old “%ProgramFiles%\Notepad++\plugins\APIs” location.

Will I have to perform this renaming routine following every version update of the relevant plugins?

plugins admin will not even present you any updates for renamed plugins, as they will no longer match the name of the updater list.
renamed plugins will neither be updated by plugins admin, nor renamed back to the original names.

you will, however be able to distinguish your renamed plugins at the plugins admin’s “installed” list, as they will be listed with the .dll extension, as seen at the screenshot below, instead of just the name.
(NppConverter renamed to Converter will show up as Converter.dll)

Imgur

note: keep in mind, that renaming the plugin’s files is a workaround, for power users that prefer an alphabetic order at the plugins menu.
the most ideal thing would be, if all plugin authors would stick to a single name for files and menu entry … but that’s a wish fulfillment i’m not patient enough to wait for ;-)

Derek Brown

So how does the Plugin Admin updates it’s plugin list? The old Plugin Manager plugin could self-update (it included itself in the plugin list and you could update it from the update tab). I don’t see anything similar for Plugin Admin. Does it automatically update? Or does it only update when Notepad++ updates?

Meta Chuh

@Derek-Brown

yes, your findings are very accurate.

the plugins list for the built in “plugins admin” of newer notepad++ versions, like 7.6.3, resides statically compiled as resource into a file called nppPluginList.dll, usually located at
[PathToYour]\Notepad++\plugins\Config\nppPluginList.dll.

currently this list is only updated as a bundle with a new notepad++ release, and will not get updated without updating notepad++ itself.

as of the moment, i don’t know when or if this will be changed in the near future, but i’ve read that it might be considered.

we will have to wait and see, if this will eventually gains more priority some day.
especially because plugins currently don’t update as quickly and often as notepad++ itself, and delivering a signed nppPluginList.dll only at notepad++ release dates, seems to eliminate security issues like spoofing a fake update list, by intercepting and modifying network traffic.

side note: if you are also interested in the detailed contents of nppPluginList.dll, as well as the download urls of all included plugins, or you want to have a look what will be available at the next release, you can have a look here:

latest plugin list for 64 bit: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/notepad-plus-plus/nppPluginList/master/src/pl.x64.json
latest plugin list for 32 bit: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/notepad-plus-plus/nppPluginList/master/src/pl.x86.json

Peter McLean

I installed Notepad++ V7.6.4 32-bit on Windows XP and do not have “Plugin Admin” listed in the Plugin Menu List. Also I originally used “Plugin Manager” to install and manage my old 2-bit plugins, but “Plugin Manager” appeared to misbehave after the move to github and installation of Notepad++ V7.6 onward, due to new configuration folders for plugins, etc. However I have been able to install some of my old compatible plugins by using the V7.6 Setting>Import>Import plugin(s)… option, i.e. point to old plugin dlls and V7.6 creates plugin folder for and installs OK. However now although I can make use most of my old compatible plugins, i do not have the new “Plugin Admin” to install and manage the latest 32-bit plugins. Also some of the latest version of plugins do not work on Windows XP due to compatibility issues, which I understand why. I have searched the Internet for npppluginlist.dll, but can’t find, so assume that plugin admin is build into the new V7.6 notepad++ executable, as evidenced by the npppluginlist.dll not being installed by a fresh install of notepad++ v7.6.4. How can I get “Plugin Admin” to work on notepad++ V7.6.4 32-bit on Windows XP. Please help… :-)

Meta Chuh

@Peter-McLean

I installed Notepad++ V7.6.4 32-bit on Windows XP and do not have “Plugin Admin” listed in the Plugin Menu List.

unfortunately plugins admin is not supported on windows xp for technical reasons.
please upgrade to windows 7 or above, if you want to use plugins admin, or use notepad++ version 7.5.9 or below, together with the old plugin manager if you want to stay on windows xp.
(it is recommended to use retro software on retro machines)

I originally used “Plugin Manager” to install and manage my old 2-bit plugins

i don’t recall any 2 bit plugins have ever existed 😉 (just kidding)

How can I get “Plugin Admin” to work on notepad++ V7.6.4 32-bit on Windows XP. Please help… :-)

you can not.
your options are to upgrade to windows 7 or above, if you want to use plugins admin, or use notepad++ version 7.5.9 or below, together with the old plugin manager if you want to stay on windows xp.
(it is recommended to use retro software on retro machines)

Peter McLean

Thank you for your very prompt response. I much appreciated you time here in down under Aussie, especially when you commit many hours of your time free. I take no offense to your comments, which I found quite humorous. Yeah mate the 32-bit plugins did exist and they were quite useful for code management, XML and SQL development, etc. :-) I am a 65-year-old 40 years ICT professional that has been using notepad++ on Windows 7 for approx. 10 years, and Window 10 for approx. 2 years for ICT software development. I was around when CPM 8-bit and DOS 8-bit were first invented and we user line by line text editors on computer terminals. Were you? :-) My wife uses the Windows XP box at home and I hop on now and again to knock up some quick code. For the record thought, once you install notepad V7.6 on wards that comes with Plug-in Admin, the old Plug-in Manager misbehaves (earlier notepad versions were fine) and you need to use Plug-in Admin to get everything singing properly. The two Plug-ins managers do not seem to coexist very well. The catch 22 is that Plug-in Manager wants the Plug-in environment its way and Plug-in Admin wants its Plug-In environment configured in a different way. Therefore the best option for me if I wish to run the latest V7.6 on Windows XP is to use the Setting>Import>Import Plug-In(s)… option to install the old Plug-ins. I cannot use Plug-In Admin to install any Plug-ins at all on Windows XP, as it is not available. On Windows 7 and Windows 10, I got rid of Plug-In Manager and the old Plug-ins and use Plug-In Admin for all Plug-ins. Shame is that I no longer have the old useful plugins available on Windows 7 and Windows 10. Thanks again for a great development tool and do not listen to the knockers. We love notepad++ and will continue to use and support it. Cheers mate… :-)

Meta Chuh

@Peter-McLean

you’re welcome.

I was around when CPM 8-bit and DOS 8-bit were first invented and we user line by line text editors on computer terminals. Were you? :-)

no, i started out with an apple ii when it came out, so i’m pretty much kind of a freshman ;-)

once you install notepad V7.6 on wards that comes with Plug-in Admin, the old Plug-in Manager misbehaves (earlier notepad versions were fine)

then stick to 7.5.9, as you stick to xp (with good reasons, as i and many others around here use xp too, as it, if you compare it to a car, was the last windows version, that did not move the steering wheel into the trunk and put the clutch on the other side)

a nice quote that might apply:
patient: doctor, doctor, my leg hurts if i press here.
doctor: then don’t press here.

Yeah mate the 32-bit plugins did exist and they were quite useful for code management, XML and SQL development, etc. :-)

they still are, i just took your “2 bit” typo literarily, my apologies for that.

Shame is that I no longer have the old useful plugins available on Windows 7 and Windows 10.

all but two or three 32 bit plugins work fine on windows 7 and 10, as long as you use the 32 bit version of notepad++.
we will help you on any plugin you would get stuck while trying (as long as it is not one of the two or three mentioned before ;-) ).

with best regards and a big cheers back mate ;-)

Peter McLean

Hey man. Good news. Based on your sound advise, I recovered all of my old 32-bit plugins from backup. I then placed each plugin in an appropriate folder under the notepad++ plugins folder on my Windows 7 box. I then used the Notepad++ V7.6.4 Setting>Import>Import plugin(s)… option to import each old 32 bit plugin, and like magic all plugins imported and now all plugins appear to be working OK. This was after some mucking around with removing and installing some of the older 32-bit plugins, Also I noted that more plugs are now showing in the Plugin Admin available list (seems more than before), and also in the Plugins Admin Installed list. It all seems to me that the following steps did the trick: 1) Fresh install of notepad++ V7.6.4. 2) Fresh install of plugins available with “Plugin Admin” 3) Setting>Import>Import plugin(s)… import of old 32 plugins. I now have 24. including old and new, plugins working. I’ll let you know if anything breaks. “All is good in the world” now man! :-) Cheers Pete.

Peter McLean

More news. After getting 24 32-bit Plug-ins working on Windows 7, I renamed the Program Files>Notepad++ folder on XP to “Notepad++ Org”, copied the whole Program Files>Notepad++ folder tree structure to XP from my Windows 7 box, and got 21 of the 24 Plug-ins to work on XP. The only problem is now, that I do not have a “Plug-in Manager” or “Plug-in Admin” that works on XP with Notepad++ V7.6.4. I can technically only install “Plug-in Manager” on XP, whereas I cannot even install “Plug-in Admin” on XP. However even if I install “Plug-in Manager”, “Plug-in Manager” cannot manager the Plug-ins running under Notepad++ V7.6.4, since V7.6.4 uses a different installation configuration. So my option now is to install the 32-bit Plug-ins on the Windows 7 box and then copy same to the XP box, and if they work then great, if not then bad luck hey? All you have to do, if the 32-bit Plug-ins do not work on XP, is to answer yes when asked if you wish to remove for compatibility reasons, or delete the incompatible Plug-in name folder under the Program Files/notepad++\plugins folder, e.g. C:\Program Files\Notepad++\plugins\csvquery to remove the 32-bit “csvquery” Plug-in. I hope that what I have learned is of some help to someone. Cheers from Aussie mate and happy Notepad++ing hey? :-)

Amanda Jansen

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