[Tool] Extension Selector

Jim

This is something new for me, so let me know how it works, and if it's useful.

This is not a plugin for SketchUp, but a Windows executable that lets you enable/disable Ruby extensions before starting SketchUp. It reads the Windows Registry and creates a checklist of the available extensions.

Updated: Version 2. Mostly cosmetic.

First, enter the version of SketchUp you want to use:

Then enable/disable the extension you want to load.

The OK button will save the selected extension and close the app, Cancel will cancel any changes made.

SketchUp must be closed before making changes. You will be notified if SketchUp is running.

Thanks.

AutoHotKey Source Only

TIG

It seems like agood idea...
Then again if you had Sketchup open you could use Preferences > Extensions and Enable/Disable the Extensions from there and restart...
This'll simply let's you change them before starting Sketchup [you must close Sketchup before using it?], whereas the Sketchup version only lets you change then when Sketchup IS open and then you must restart - either way seems as convoluted.
The scripted version could simply let you change settings irrespective of whether or not Sketchup is open - if it's open it saves the changes until Sketchup has closed and then it reopens with the changes... Just like Sketchup itself. Otherwise if Sketchup isn't active the changes will be ready the next time Sketchup opens...

Also it's PC only which is a bind ?

Jim

Thanks for the feedback. There are definitely good and bad features of how Extensions are currently handled. I particularly don't like the dialog for Extensions - too short, no scroll wheel, and no way to turn of the prompt when disabling. So this is just a different way to do things. If it fits in your way of working, great.

Khai

oh yes please
I suggested something like this a while back.. (tho I was thinking copies of the plugins folder with different sets of Rubies you could select before you run SU... you'd have "Modeling Plugins" - the program would then rename the current plugins folder then rename "Modeling Plugins" to "plugins" and start SU...)

hebeijianke

Good work
THX................

Dan Rathbun

I can see better uses for this, slightly changed. (...need to think about that a bit, and PM ya'.)

Secondly... DCs should never be turned off. When they are many of the methods in the AttributeDictionary class do not work at all. (ThomThom and I discussed it somewhere here, maybe the API Doc topic. Basically count and 1 other method, work when DCs are off.)
They are just too tightly integrated with Sketchup to be considered a plugin.

Uh.. somewhere here I posted a manifest file that has the entry you need to turn on MS Common Controls v6, so you don't get those old ugly Win 3.x buttons and checkboxes. (Search manifest.. oh I'll just open my manifest file and paste it in here.)

XML: goes in your RT_Manifest


  <dependency>
	<dependentAssembly>
	  <assemblyIdentity type="win32" name="Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls" version="6.0.0.0" processorArchitecture="X86" publicKeyToken="6595b64144ccf1df" language="*"></assemblyIdentity>
	</dependentAssembly>
  </dependency>

Dan Rathbun

Oh .. never mind, I see you have already added the dependency into the internel manifest.

TIG

It would be best if you could run it inside AND outside SketchUp.
If it is run outside of SketchUp it first checks if SketchUp itself is running.
If SketchUp itself is not running then it rewrites the Registry immediately, with a closing message "The changes to SketchUp's Active Extensions have been applied...": but if SketchUp itself is running then the message becomes "SketchUp is running: the changes to your Active Extensions will be applied after you close and reopen it...", and it then continues to run as a minimized/hidden cmd/exe which waits until there is no SketchUp process running before re-writing the Registry entries.
In the same way, if it is run inside SketchUp then it will run as a minimized/hidden cmd/exe which waits until there is no SketchUp process running before re-writing the Registry entries, and the message then becomes "To apply the changes to your Active Extensions you must close and reopen SketchUp...".

This would then give a consistent interface no matter which method you used.

Presumably you could do stuff the the MAC "plist" given enough knowledge ?

Dan Rathbun

@tig said:

It would be best if you could run it inside AND outside SketchUp.

Many of the Registry Entries are not written until Sketchup closes.. but maybe these are an variance. If so... the writing to the Registry can happen at any time, simplifying things.

@tig said:

Presumably you could do stuff the the MAC "plist" given enough knowledge ?

Jim what are programming in, C ? or VB ?
If it's C, the Mac porting should be a bit easier.

Jim

@dan rathbun said:

Jim what are programming in, C ? or VB ?
If it's C, the Mac porting should be a bit easier.

Neither, it's hack, and it's not portable. It's a compiled autohotkey script - something between a batch file and VB. The "language" is awful, but it let me put this small app together in a few hours including learning curve.

I have another that is a pop-up calculator for the Measurements box; would that be more useful? Getting the result into the VCB was easy, but I need a better expression evaluator - one that understands SketchUp's Length class would be preferable.

Jim

Updated version 2 - should be more scalable now using a ListView box.

I added the source script to the .zip.

What language would you use to make something like this cross-platform?

Dan Rathbun

@jim said:

What language would you use to make something like this cross-platform?

For compiled.. I think C, so it could be compiled with Xcode, but the platform specific stuff would be in an include file.

For script... well Ruby could do it, using a cross-platform GUI kit, like TK which is part of the Ruby distro.
.

Dan Rathbun

Jim... why don't MS Common Controls ver 6 appear in your screen shots ??

Do you have "Windows Classic" set as your theme ?

Dan Rathbun

Version 2: Just hitting OK when 7 is displayed in Version Input box:

Jim

@dan rathbun said:

Jim... why don't MS Common Controls ver 6 appear in your screen shots ??

Do you have "Windows Classic" set as your theme ?

I set my computer to "performance" over "appearance"

Dan Rathbun

@jim said:

@dan rathbun said:

Jim... why don't MS Common Controls ver 6 appear in your screen shots ??

Do you have "Windows Classic" set as your theme ?

I set my computer to "performance" over "appearance"

If you check just the last box on that list, you'll be able to see how the rest of the world, sees your applets; likely without any noticable slowdown.

Jim

I recently learned the script language i used to write this, which is called AutoHotKey, gets flagged by a lot of people's anti-virus software. Be assured if you saw this there is no virus, but I've removed the executabele and posted just the source code.