Install problem component stringer

flashglove · 20 Jun 2012, 18:03

I'm trying to load the component stringer plugin and keep getting "cant install for some unknown reason..consult documentation",which i am having trouble finding.I've searched the forums but havent found anyone with this problem.I loaded and updated several other plugins no problem,..am i missing an attendant file?Does Trimble have a beef with Chris Fullmer?...wait,i have'nt loaded their version yet.Any ideas?

pilou · 20 Jun 2012, 18:12

Should work normally
Have you yet other plugs from Chris Fullmer installed ?

flashglove · 20 Jun 2012, 18:58

I have shape bender,which seemed to install fine,was about to try it out.Compstring does'nt even make it in,i get the message at the extensions box.Does he have any kind of,for lack of a better term,"overseer"file,like fredos' Libfredo 6?tried shapebender,at a glance it works fine..but i keep getting unable to install on component stringer.Bender needed the progress bar,but i didnt see any notes about a similar requirement for c.s.

TIG · 20 Jun 2012, 21:41

If you posted the full error-message, rather than your half-remembered précis, it would help us help you...

The script has no 'helper' files needed.
It simply goes into the Plugins folder.
It will put its menu item into a special ChrisFullmerTools submenu [if it exists]...

flashglove · 21 Jun 2012, 02:01

The full message is"Sketchup was unable to install the Extension you have chosen for some unknown reason.Consult your Extensions documentation for additional help"..Sorry,i thought it might be a common message.I havent really seen any;the error is always me.

TIG · 21 Jun 2012, 09:33

Component Stringer isn't made as Extension... so it should never get an entry in the Preferences dialog ???
It's run from the Plugins ChrisFullmer submenu item...
Can you give details of all ChrisFullmer's tools you have, which appear as Extensions and which do not etc, and similarly for the submenu items...
Have you tried a clean install of these tools ?

flashglove · 21 Jun 2012, 17:53

That's what i ended up doing,it's all copacetic.I was in Preferences because i'd been loading plugins the updated way as opposed to what i was calling manually{a clean install}.The other c.f. tools i have are shape bender,which appears as an extension,and greeble 2 ,which does not.So what's the difference between an extension and not?The relation to existing SU tools?{which actually is a legit question as opposed to "i'm ignoring an obvious alternative but still why isn't this working?"}

TIG · 21 Jun 2012, 18:29

Many scripts make tools that auto-load into their menus/submenus etc every time Sketchup starts.
Often they'll consist of one .rb file that goes into the Plugins folder, sometimes they might also use some subfolder files, like png's that are used for the tool's toolbar etc.

Some plugins - usually the more complex toolsets - are written as 'Extensions'.
These consist of a 'loader' .rb file and a subfolder containing all of the main .rb/.rbs files and other files like html, png etc used to make webdialogs, toolbars etc.
The 'loader' defines the tool[set] as an 'Extension' - this is recognized as Sketchup starts and depending on how the extension is 'set' it loads or doesn't load the main code.
An Extension can be activated/deactivated from the Preferences > Extensions dialog.
This is useful for tools that might be infrequently used, because this will improve startup time because unneeded code isn't then auto-loaded unless the Extension is activated.
You can activate an Extension tool at any time and its menus/toolbars etc are added to the current Sketchup session.
If you don't deactivate an Extension it will continue to auto-load at startup every time until you deactivate it again...
A deactivated Extension only ceases to be loaded after a restart.

As well as letting you manage which tools load [without you having to 'disable' individual files in the Plugins folder, by moving or re-suffixing them etc] the Extension method has other uses... the new .rbz archive format tools [shipped with recent v9 updates] allows the .rbz file's contents of Extensions and their subfolders to be automatically loaded and activated at the click of a button...

Many of us are in the process of making our more complex tools into Extensions, and using the .rbz format to allow easy installation/updating; however, it can be time consuming to recode existing tools, so progress is slow...