Notepad++ 7.6 & new Plugins Admin

[Meta Chuh]

@bveldkamp
%LOCALAPPDATA% is personalized for each user, so if installed as Administrator, all other users won’t see any plugins

the only workaround i found so far for using all plugins for all users is:
install notepad++ to C:\Notepad++ with the option “Do not use %APPDATA%” selected
(don’t install inside C:\Program Files\ when selecting “Dont use %APPDATA%” or you will not see plugins nor the plugins admin)

hope it helps

[Zanzaraaa]

wow guys, this is a big step back.
now its not possible anymore for sysadmins to provide plugins for all users in the notepad++ plugins directory in the program files install folder. now plugins are only in the current users profile? seriously?

[Meta Chuh]

@Zanzaraaa
i understand your point, but it’s not quite a big step back for np++ imho.

multiuser installs was just something noone of us users had tested thoroughly enough prior to the 7.6 release, so it’s more our fault as “pre release testers”.

the only thing needed to fix this behavior is that a present DoLocalConf.xml overrules the trigger that plugins manager ignores DoLocalConf.xml if the install is within %PROGRAMFILES% or %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%

currently plugins manager and the plugin routine just ignores a DoLocalConf.xml (don’t use %APPDATA% setting at install) if notepad++ lies within %PROGRAMFILES% or %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%

maybe @donho has a fix soon, maybe not, but anyway noone is really forced to use 7.6 instead of 7.5.9 or a later release, so it doesn’t seem that much of a problem

[donho]

@dinkumoil said:

Point 1. is also nasty for users because currently they can not download easily a NppPluginList.dll and I already thought you will not refuse to change that.

Which folder is suitable for this enhancement?

[donho]

@Andrew-Briggs said:

I confirm as well. Notepad++ needs to use folder names based on architecture e.g. %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Notepad++\x64\ and %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Notepad++\x86 etc or some other structure that has unique folders for the 2 x64 and x86 architectures.

Please give me a reason that we need that.

[dinkumoil]

@donho said:

Which folder is suitable for this enhancement?

As @SinghRajenM already suggested here:

%allusersprofile% … or can it be kept in %programfiles% itself

[donho]

@Zanzaraaa said:

now its not possible anymore for sysadmins to provide plugins for all users in the notepad++ plugins directory in the program files install folder. now plugins are only in the current users profile? seriously?

IMO, every user has his/her need, so it makes sens that each user installs his/her plugins in his/her space. Or am I missing some cases?

[Zanzaraaa]

@donho said:

IMO, every user has his/her need, so it makes sens that each user installs his/her plugins in his/her space. Or am I missing some cases?

yes this seems ok for home users.
but in company environment where you have some plugins that you want or have to provide to ALL users, you just had to copy the plugins into the program files plugin folder and every user has it when he starts notepad++. no need for users to manually mess around.
also normally i delete the plugin manager after installation because we dont want users to use it to manually install or update plugins. they should only use the ones we provide.

[pnedev]

There is also the case when some plugins are needed by ALL users using the computer and some are for personal use.
Best would be to be able to install and load plugins from %ALLUSERSPROFILE% as well as from %LOCALAPPDATA%.

[donho]

@Zanzaraaa said:

but in company environment where you have some plugins that you want or have to provide to ALL users, you just had to copy the plugins into the program files plugin folder and every user has it when he starts notepad++. no need for users to manually mess around.

OK, I see. How about an empty file pluginsForAllUser.xml makes Notepad++ load from %ALLUSERSPROFILE% ?

also normally i delete the plugin manager after installation because we dont want users to use it to manually install or update plugins. they should only use the ones we provide.

So I will provide a simpler way for the deployment of Notepad++ - could you test to see if it’s suitable for companies?

[Zanzaraaa]

@donho said:

@Zanzaraaa said:
OK, I see. How about an empty file pluginsForAllUser.xml makes Notepad++ load from %ALLUSERSPROFILE% ?

Yes that sounds good. Also pnedevs idea is good. it should be possible to define if you want plugins to be loaded from both paths or only one.
But why use %ALLUSERSPROFILE% and not keep the plugins folder in the program files install folder like in pre 5.7 versions?
Also i’m still concerned about migration of existing plugins. i wonder if it is possible to keep things like they were in pre 5.7. that you dont have to migration plugins from the plugin folder into their own subfolder.

So I will provide a simpler way for the deployment of Notepad++ - could you test to see if it’s suitable for companies?

Sure, i can test it.

[NoMoreFood]

@donho said:

@Andrew-Briggs said:

I confirm as well. Notepad++ needs to use folder names based on architecture e.g. %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Notepad++\x64\ and %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Notepad++\x86 etc or some other structure that has unique folders for the 2 x64 and x86 architectures.

Please give me a reason that we need that.

This was not my comment, but I agree with it. Since DLLs can only be loaded by a version of Notepad++ compiled for the same architecture, it makes sense to design it such it can safely execute the 32-bit version and a 64-bit version side-by-side on the same machine.

[NoMoreFood]

@dinkumoil said:

@donho said:

Which folder is suitable for this enhancement?

As @SinghRajenM already suggested here:

%allusersprofile% … or can it be kept in %programfiles% itself

Use of the Notepad++ execution directory may also make Notepad++ running in portable mode more plugin friendly since it will all be self-contained.

[donho]

@pnedev said:

There is also the case when some plugins are needed by ALL users using the computer and some are for personal use.
Best would be to be able to install and load plugins from %ALLUSERSPROFILE% as well as from %LOCALAPPDATA%.

The idea is good, but there’ll be some situation which make Plugins Admin behaviour inconsistent:
If the same plugin foo.dll is in 2 different location, %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Notepad++\plugins\foo\foo.dll and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Notepad++\plugins\foo\foo.dll
Notepad++ will load only one (old behaviour). If user removes one of 2, the remain one will be loaded by Notepad++ - user will be confused.

So the best behaviour (to me) is loading plugins only from one location.

[donho]

@NoMoreFood said:

@dinkumoil said:

@donho said:

Which folder is suitable for this enhancement?

As @SinghRajenM already suggested here:

%allusersprofile% … or can it be kept in %programfiles% itself

Use of the Notepad++ execution directory may also make Notepad++ running in portable mode more plugin friendly since it will all be self-contained.

Indeed, it’s the current behaviour - if Notepad++ is not installed in Program Files.

[pnedev]

@NoMoreFood said:

it makes sense to design it such it can safely execute the 32-bit version and a 64-bit version side-by-side on the same machine.

Why, what is the justification behind that?
Just curious.

[pnedev]

@donho said:

If user removes one of 2, the remain one will be loaded by Notepad++ - user will be confused.

Hm, not sure about that, maybe you are right.

I kind-of lost the reason behind the idea of moving all plugins out of Notepad++'s install folder. Keeping all plugin’s files under a separate sub-folder in plugins is nice but why in user’s personal folder?

[dinkumoil]

@donho said:

@Andrew-Briggs said:

I confirm as well. Notepad++ needs to use folder names based on architecture e.g. %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Notepad++\x64\ and %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Notepad++\x86 etc or some other structure that has unique folders for the 2 x64 and x86 architectures.

Please give me a reason that we need that.

To support the supporters here in the forum it would be a nice gesture. They will have a lot of work in the next time with users who appear here in the forum and the issue tracker because they are running into problems after updating to Npp v7.6. If you look around you can see it already.

[SinghRajenM]

@donho

@donho said:

@pnedev said:

There is also the case when some plugins are needed by ALL users using the computer and some are for personal use.
Best would be to be able to install and load plugins from %ALLUSERSPROFILE% as well as from %LOCALAPPDATA%.

The idea is good, but there’ll be some situation which make Plugins Admin behaviour inconsistent:
If the same plugin foo.dll is in 2 different location, %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Notepad++\plugins\foo\foo.dll and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Notepad++\plugins\foo\foo.dll
Notepad++ will load only one (old behaviour). If user removes one of 2, the remain one will be loaded by Notepad++ - user will be confused.

So the best behaviour (to me) is loading plugins only from one location.

IMHO, loading from both places should be considered. Reason is below -
In companies (at least in mine), we have a shared PC loaded with lot of licensed software (providing individual license is costly). And we access that PC regularly for multiple purposes e.g. remote connections, RCA using licensed software etc.

Now,

1. my colleague is found of “xmltool plugin” while I’m not. I am found of DSpellChecker while my colleague is found of some other. So Default plugins (shipped with N++) can go to programfiles which allows only admin to alter it while user specific can go to %appdata%. Also preference should be given to user specific plugin as user intentionally puts it in %appdata% and s/he knows what s/he is doing.

2. Also, the update of existing plugin should to %appdata% which will be always loaded as preference is given to user specific. Reason is: 1. user A is happy with version 1.1.1.1 while user B always prefer latest version. 2. Standard user can’t write to programfiles.

3. Offcource, new installation should go to %appdata% as only user A wants that plugin while user B does not.

I hope this makes sense. Thank you.

[Jürgen Ernst Günther]

Same 7.6 but Win10 (64-bit)

I even gave “C:\Program Files\Notepad++” as a whole to me and reinstalled.

I cannot install any new plugins using the admin. It works some magic in background and reappears just as before.

Plus: Even pre-installed plugins vanish as soon as I try to update them.

But it looks nice. Is there a (future) possibility to install plugins for all users? 🧐