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

Whaat

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.

The key word above is 'may'. The plugin will work if put in the standard HD plugin location (as long as there is no User/plugin folder). At the time I wrote the manual, the best workaround I could think of for this problem was to require all users to install Profile Builder to the Users subfolder.

Since then, I have found the solution to this problem which was been discussed at length here. The problem is related to the Sketchup.find_support_file("Plugins") method which will not return the HD subfolder if there exists a Users plugins subfolder (I never determined if it was related to the OS version or not...)

The solution I have found is to not use this method unless you also specify the desired subfolder. For example, if you say Sketchup.find_support_file("Plugins\/ProfileBuilder"), it will return the ProfileBuilder subfolder regardless of where it is installed (as long as it's in one of the $: locations)

I intend to update ProfileBuilder, SDS, and BoolTools with this fix but I have been dragging my heels a bit (sorry for this...)
So, to summarize, all my plugins should work if you install them in the standard HD plugins subfolder. However, if you run into a conflict with Podium, put the plugin in the Users plugins subfolder.

thomthom

@whaat said:

Since then, I have found the solution to this problem which was been discussed at length here. The problem is related to the Sketchup.find_support_file("Plugins") method which will not return the HD subfolder if there exists a Users plugins subfolder (I never determined if it was related to the OS version or not...)

Would be interesting to hear what Sketchup.find_support_file("Plugins") returns on Edison's 10.5 system. As on my 10.4 system it still returned the HD path after installing Podium.

Edson

Sketchup.find_support_file("Plugins")
/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins

note: i have now all my plugins at the hd level.

thomthom

Ah. Then we need someone else with 10.5/10.6 and User plugins folder to test this.

cmeed

Can I say a huge Thank you to all those people who have helped this problem go away. I have no user level plugins folder now and everything seems to work. THANK YOU!

Jim

Holy carp, so Sketchup.find_support_file is not portable?

Does that mean I need to look at all the locations stored in $LOAD_PATH to be sure?

It does explain some blank toolbar image problems I have on the Mac.

thomthom

@jim said:

Holy carp, so Sketchup.find_support_file is not portable?

Does that mean I need to look at all the locations stored in $LOAD_PATH to be sure?

It does explain some blank toolbar image problems I have on the Mac.

If you use that to get the path of your own plugin - use File.dirname(__FILE__) instead. Or possilby File.dirname( File.realpath(__FILE__) ).

To find other plugins: yes I think you do.

Jim

Yes, but File.dirname(__FILE__) does not return a valid path when used in an encrypted file.

What is File.realpath?

thomthom

@jim said:

Yes, but File.dirname(FILE) does not return a valid path when used in an encrypted file.

Really? Never used encrypted files. What do you get in return then?

@jim said:

What is File.realpath?

Sorry, I mixed up with PHP. I meant File.expand_path http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/File.html#M002540
Reason you might want to use that is explained here: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=26040&st=0&sk=t&sd=a#p224558

Jim

The File:

print "*** file1.rb being loaded..."
print __FILE__
print File.dirname(__FILE__)
print File.dirname(File.expand_path(__FILE__))
print "*** Done."

Output when not scrambled:

*** file1.rb being loaded...
c;/Program Files/Google/Google Sketchup 7/Plugins/file1.rb
c;/Program Files/Google/Google Sketchup 7/Plugins
c;/Program Files/Google/Google Sketchup 7/Plugins
*** Done.

Output when scrambled: No idea why the podium path is in there?

*** file1.rb being loaded...
(eval)
.
c;/Program Files/Google/Google Sketchup 7/Plugins/SU_Podium_V2/plug_in/extensions
*** Done.

thomthom

eh? Now that's odd!

driven

@jim said:

     It does explain some blank toolbar image problems I have on the Mac.

sorry if I'm interupting

May not be related, I'm new to ruby scripting, but in trying to figure out why I sometimes have blank tool buttons, I have noticed a couple of things.

if I load a sphere_tool.rb from WebConsole I don't get the icon, but the ruby works

if I use a full 'load' call from WC to Ruby Console using a "Plugins" I get the large icon or "plugins" I get the small icon,

the other thing is they just add into the existing unless I restart in between.

In other cases, depending on the path in the .rb I'm calling, the blank button may or may not work from WC or ConsoleEditor. even if it works load though ruby Console or place in plugins folder. I'll keep tabs on the path in future, to see if it's a type of path causing the issue.

Spare non functional buttons (like I get with TIG's EE toolbar) only appear (on re-start) if left open and horizontal on close, but they go away when moved vertical down a left side

I don't know why or how I'm just poking around to try and learn something...

For what I've been playing around with this seems to be the most reliable path...

@str = Sketchup.get_resource_path("")

are there problems with me using that if I want to share what I make?

john

observations...

tbd

even if I am not anymore involved in Podium 2 development, I will take a look tomorrow when I get back on my Windows machine.

tfdesign

Thank you TBD. That's very decent of you.

tbd

regarding v2 "odd" behaviour when running scrambled scripts - as .rbs are executed dynamically the FILE returns "." (current directory) which is changed by Podium v2 (renderer.rb) via Dir.chdir.

that's why File.expand_path(FILE) returns .../SU_Podium_V2/plug_in/extensions path

you can try this code:


Dir.chdir "c;/"
puts "*** file1.rb being loaded..."
puts __FILE__
puts File.dirname(__FILE__)
puts File.dirname(File.expand_path(__FILE__))
puts "*** Done."

and you will get back:


*** file1.rb being loaded...
(eval)
.
c;/
*** Done.

dylan

I missed this thread.
Fantastic piece of info about moving rubies and deleting the User level plugins folder on the Mac.
That extra folder has been a pain with rubies in the past.

rbrown3rd

Hello everyone. I am a relatively new Sketchup user using a MAC with OSX 10.58 and Sketchup 7.1.6859. I openly admit to be totally lost as to how to install the Bezier Curve plugin. Reading all of this thread has me totally lost. I am running some tools I added for generating CNC files for a foam cutting machine. I am pretty sure I installed those a long time ago as .rb files. Would someone please tell me the easiest way to get a spline tool installed? I need to create some airfoil designs. Thank you very much.

Edson

do as it was suggested:

move everything you have in the plugins folder at the user level to the plugins folder to be found at the system level.
delete the plugins folder at the user level
from now on install all plugins at the HD level.

rbrown3rd

Thank you Edson. Thanks for the screenshots too. That helps a lot. If I can see it I can do it.

Beautiful. That worked fine.

tfdesign

@rbrown3rd said:

If I can see it I can do it.

I share this same 'problem' too!