Calling Whaat and Fredo!! new MAC issues (SOLVED)

tfdesign

I still think Atlast/Google need to make it so plugins are dropped directly into the ruby console window, then SU determines where the plugins go. All this guess work is really unprofessional.

thomthom

@tfdesign said:

I still think Atlast/Google need to make it so plugins are dropped directly into the ruby console window, then SU determines where the plugins go. All this guess work is really unprofessional.

As Jeff, said, the official location is under HD. There should be no guesswork. Why some end up in the User location is not Google's fault. That's either user's or installers misplacing it there.

At Googles pages it says: http://sketchup.google.com/download/rubyscripts.html

@unknownuser said:

Installing Ruby Scripts

To install a Ruby Script, here's what you need to do:

Download it onto your computer.

If the downloaded file is zipped, unzip it. You can usually do this by double-clicking on it. Unzipped Ruby Script files have the following file extension: .rb

Close SketchUp if it's running.

Copy the Ruby Script file into the right location for your operating system:
Windows: C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins
Mac OS X: 'Hard Drive'/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins

tfdesign

@thomthom said:

@tfdesign said:

I still think Atlast/Google need to make it so plugins are dropped directly into the ruby console window, then SU determines where the plugins go. All this guess work is really unprofessional.

As Jeff, said, the official location is under HD. There should be no guesswork. Why some end up in the User location is not Google's fault. That's either user's or installers misplacing it there.

Thom, moderator or not, you do not use a current Mac system. You have a Mac, but as you said in your own words, "it is not used". Please instead of coming out with really unhelpful remarks such as this, please could you kindly refrain, because it really doesn't help. I have read the instructions, yet I still can't get Booltools to work. It may be that I may need to reinstall my entire OS, but I really don't have the time to do this right now.

Anyway, this is besides the point. My post was made, because I think it has a valid solution to what really is a problem for many of us Mac users, if only the developers would listen. Thom, you are a moderator of this forum, NOT a developer for Google Sketchup! Jeff is right, there should be no guesswork, but there is.

thomthom

Come on. This wasn't moderating. It was expressing an opposite opinion. I'm have my own criticism of Sketchup and I'm not one to hold them back.
But I'm one for credit where credit is due. And in this case I don't see no reason to call the developers unprofessional. I pointed out that Google only states the HD part as where to install it. Backing up Jeff's post where he said he got all the plugins to work.
In what I quoted you on you pointed the finger to Google for the confusion - which I see no just cause for - as they've never stated anywhere that plugins should go into the user directory.

As Jeff said, on installation of SketchuUp, there is never any plugins folder in the user sector. So starting to put plugins in that area is not an invention of Google.

Though, it would be great if Google would provide with some info on this issue. But calling them unprofessional is uncalled for - and also not helpful.

tfdesign

Thom, if a company fails to deliver what it says it delivers, don't you think that you have a right to criticise it? Google need to address this problem, because it is a problem. Companies and individuals such as those who develop rubies, also need to stick to the guidelines, then we get more reliable products. I think I am completely within my rights to call a company, or an individual, unprofessional, if they fail to deliver what they say they will deliver- especially if that product involves taking money. I've paid for Booltools, yet it still doesn't work. I haven't got the time to sit around playing with folders. The reason developers like user directories is because something that is paid for is owned by an individual, and not a group, that's why this confusion happens.

I apologise if I have upset you, but I can't think of a better word for it.

thomthom

@tfdesign said:

Thom, if a company fails to deliver what it says it delivers, don't you think that you have a right to criticise it? Google need to address this problem, because it is a problem.

Yes, by all means.

@tfdesign said:

I think I am completely within my rights to call a company, or an individual, unprofessional, if they fail to deliver what they say they will deliver

True.
But what is it Google hasn't delivered here in regard to the plugins in User vs HD section?

@tfdesign said:

The reason developers like user directories is because something that is paid for is owned by an individual, and not a group, that's why this confusion happens.

None the less. Nowhere from Google does it say to use the User directory. On PC they are in Program File which is shared by all, and on OSX they should be on HD.

What I was pointing out was that you blamed Google for the User vs HD confusion. Where I see no reason for that, as all the info I from from Google says HD. If a user puts it in the user directory while the documentation says HD, then that is not Google fault. That there is two areas of OSX that look alike is also not Google's fault. If a user or developer install a plugin outside HD, then they are doing that counter to the official instructions.
Is it for that I don't see it just and call them unprofessional on the basis of the folder confusion. And calling them unprofessional is also no "solution" - which is why I mentioned it. But I take it that the statement was a wish for Google to take action and help their users as there is a seemingly widespread issue. And I agree with that. And I also agree that SU would be much better if there was a builting plugin manager, installer/uninstaller so SU would take care of all this itself.

wind-borne

@chrisjk said:

In my case, the Podium stuff turned out to be a red herring.

Immediately upon opening SU after installing Podium, several plugins
broke down.

Immediately after flushing what Podium created, SU plugins worked properly in the proper location.

In between, some valuable learning experiences coupled with rage.

fredo6

Could one Mac users having installed Podium and having scripts in the User folder do us a favor and open the Ruby Console and type $: and then report the result.

For info, the command $: contains the folders where SU is looking for scripts.

Thanks in advance

Fredo

chrisjk

@unknownuser said:

Fwiw, I have a few of the recently mentioned rubys in this thread and the all work fine with su7.1.
Projections, booltools, profile builder, bezier spline, all are installed in the main library plugin folder and I have no plugin folder in the user library.
Again, the user library plugin folder is not there with a fresh SU install and these type of problems begin upon installing podium( which creates a user plugin folder) or by the user creating a plugin folder there.
If you insist on keeping a plugin folder in the user library then you're going to continue having these problems. Google doesn't put it there so why make it?

Jeff,
I have tried installing Profile Builder as you suggest but to no avail - it is not to be seen. The manual makes explicit mention of this "The plugin may NOT work if installed to the following directory: Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Google Sketchup 6/SketchUp/Plugins" and although I am using SU7.1 (5803) rather than the version 6 mentioned by WHAAT,it makes no difference. The other plugins you mention will work in either place albeit missing some toolbars/icons or actual tools as in the case of Fredo's BZ tools.

Chris

Edson

$:
["/Users/edson/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins", "/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins", "/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Tools", "/Users/edson/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/plugins/Podium.bundle/Contents/MacOS", "/Users/edson/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/plugins/Podium.bundle/Contents/Resources", "/Users/edson"]

fredo6

Thanks Edson,

I forgot to ask about the default Plugin Folder.
You need to type Sketchup.find_support_file "plugins" in the Ruby console.

What I suspect is that the result would be the '/User...' folder (the first one in the $: list.

Unfortunately, some scripts, among which BezierSpline, make the assumptions that the icons folder is located underneath this Default SU Plugin folder, whereas the real folder is in the '/HD...' folder, along with main script. You may have the same problem with JPP.

I tried to fix that with LibFredo6. Could you confirm that FredoScale or TOS works fine with the above configuration.

Fredo

thomthom

I´ll install Podium 1.5 on my MacMini OSX10.4.
Currently everything works. I have ProfileBuilder isntalled under HD. No plugins under User.

Current folder info:


> $;
["/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins", "/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Tools", "/Users/thomas"]
> Sketchup.find_support_file "plugins"
/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/plugins

fredo6

@thomthom said:

I´ll install Podium 1.5 on my MacMini OSX10.4.
Currently everything works. I have ProfileBuilder isntalled under HD. No plugins under User.

Current folder info:


> > $;
> ["/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins", "/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Tools", "/Users/thomas"]
> > Sketchup.find_support_file "plugins"
> /Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/plugins
>

I suspect that on Mac there is a disconnect between the $: and the Sketchup.find_support_file "plugins".
This is why I no longer use the find_support_file method and rely only on the location of the main script to find its subfolders.

Fredo

PS: actually, I have written a small plugin for my own usage where I put scripts in a separate folder (on drive), which are accessed and shared by SU6, SU7.0 and SU7.1, so that I can test all versions, without copying scripts around. The other interest is that you do not have to bother with the Vista and Windows 7 access restriction to the C:\program file folder.

thomthom

After Podium 1.5 installation:


> $;
["/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins", "/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Tools", "/Users/thomas", "/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/Podium.suplugin/Contents/MacOS"]
> Sketchup.find_support_file "plugins"
/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/plugins

And ProfileBuilder still works.

tfdesign

@thomthom said:

I´ll install Podium 1.5 on my MacMini OSX10.4.

It would be interesting to know if having 10.4 as opposed to 10.5 or 10.6 changes anything? I know that there are many more technologies in the later cats. I would test this for you guys, but I need to get this job done this week, with SketchUp. I don't want to have the unjoy of another Podium whip around!

jeff hammond

I'm on my laptop which is a ppc PowerBook running tiger w/ sketchup 5.0.262, 6.4.120, & 7.1.5803. (but I'm typing on a phone so bear with me )

I sync my plugin folder with my main mac (intel quad leopard, su 7.1) and they all work the same so I don't think the different OS or different versions of sketchup have anything to do with it.

I think you (chris and Tom) may be installing whaat's rubys improperly.
For BoolTools, you should place two items in your plugin folder.
-- a file named "booltools.rbs"
-- a folder named "BoolTools" (which contains 3 gif icons)

for profile builder, there are two items that go in the plugin folder.
-- a file named "pb_loader.rb"
-- a folder named "ProfileBuilder" (which contains 17 items of varying types)

(iirc) when you download one of these rubys and unzip them, you will have one folder named the same as the ruby. You have to open that folder to find the two items I mentioned then place those two items in the plugin folder.

jeff hammond

(agAin, I'm on a phone so....)

chris, I guess you are using the correct two profilebuilder files if you can get it to work in the user library.
Have you tried putting the profilebuilder files in the MacHD library AND removing the user library plugin folder altogether?

I dunno, I use three differnt macs with various OS and SU versions + a lot of these so-called trouble rubys and I never experience these problems. none of my computers have a SU plugin folder in the user directory (not even an empty folder-- which will still cause certain rubys to break). I can only base my opinion on my own user experience but seriously, ditch the user library plugin folder. I haven't come across a single ruby that needs to be placed there in order for it to work. The only time a ruby has to be in the user library plugin folder in order for it to work is when that folder is there to begin with. Even podium whose installer causes most of these problems doesn't need the user plugin folder in order to work. It will run perfectly from the standard MacHD location.

chrisjk

@unknownuser said:

(agAin, I'm on a phone so....)

chris, I guess you are using the correct two profilebuilder files if you can get it to work in the user library.
Have you tried putting the profilebuilder files in the MacHD library AND removing the user library plugin folder altogether?

...(not even an empty folder-- which will still cause certain rubys to break).

Jeff,
You are right - thank you. Even an empty plugins folder at the user level is enough to cause things to break. Moving everything over to the top level and deleting the user level folder has worked for me. Now all the tools and icons are there and functioning - great result! I quite thought I had tested this arrangement but I must have become confused by all the shuffling back and forth I have been doing.

Chris

Edson

in fairness i must say that jeff's suggestion has worked for me. i moved all the plugins i had at the user level to the regular plugins folder and removed the extra plugins folder. so far all the plugins are working, even podium which originally installs itself at the user level and booltools.

tfdesign

I've bookmarked this thread, and I'm going to try shifting everything around after I've finished this church visualisation project. But, it all looks very promising, so thanks to everyone for putting all this time in- especially Jeff!