Plugins and Menus...

derei · 5 Dec 2015, 14:36

I made a similar post a while ago, people seemed to appreciate the idea, but as the things went afterwards, it seems that it wasn't really taken seriously and I wonder why...

The point was as it follows:
Most of the honorable plugin makers ( thank you for all your effort) tend to place their plugins in Extensions (Plugins) menus... which is understandable, as they are... Extensions. But again, those extensions could be easily classified for other menus (camera/view, draw, window, etc).
There is the second trend of the plugins placed under Tools, which again is understandable if you think to them as tools used in your work. But again, some could be distributed in other menus...

Why this trend doesn't catch? I ended up having to scroll the Extensions Menu and I am sure I am not the only one here (unless I have the smallest display of you all).

Examples:
JF Custom Toolbar - could go in View, where are other Toolbar settings

Keyframe Animation - could go in Camera, as it's about placing and controlling cameras

Extension Store - could go in Window, where is the Extension Warehouse too (if Trimble decided to put it there). But it also could go in File, as it's very rarely used and the File menu is rather short.

Weld - could go in Draw, as it's about lines and curves

cgScenes - could go to View, as it manages scenes/styles/visual properties

Export to DXF (from Tools) - could go to File, where other importing/exporting options are

And of course, the examples can continue.
I believe that paying more attention to where plugins will be located will actually improve user's experience with SketchUp both by making them easily found and also making the menus less crowded which will again make them easier to spot in the menu.

Some of you will say that i can do that myself, which is true...but what then when there is an update for that plugin? Will be rewritten and moved back to where the developer thinks it belongs. Better the developer to put the plugin where it fits best from the first time, what do you think?

Maybe this time, the idea will catch.

KrisM · 5 Dec 2015, 18:11

There is a third location at work here and that is the right click context menu which is becoming increasingly large. Plugins are SketchUp's greatest asset and it's greatest curse. I would hesitate to suggest that Trimble enforce some kind of order so as to not stifle the creativity which happens with the plugin authors. However, there must be some way to have a rational structure to this issue.
KrisM

derei · 5 Dec 2015, 21:12

@krism said:

There is a third location at work here and that is the right click context menu which is becoming increasingly large. Plugins are SketchUp's greatest asset and it's greatest curse. I would hesitate to suggest that Trimble enforce some kind of order so as to not stifle the creativity which happens with the plugin authors. However, there must be some way to have a rational structure to this issue.
KrisM

I believe that enforcing anything will lead eventually to limiting freedom (of creativity, plugin development, people willing to participate, etc).
Best would be to wake up awareness... like a guided topic and also maybe a team of volunteering people to "review" the plugin when is launched and to suggest to the author the proper location in case it was poorly chosen.
But then, the author should be willing to accept this suggestions.

greenskp · 8 Dec 2015, 04:19

I think the plugins should stay on Extensions menu but ordered by category.

Extensions > Edit
Extensions > Draw
Extensions > Camera

and so on....

If the user likes to organize by author, the author could provide an alternative like Thomthom and Chris Fullmer does.

If Trimble include on Sketchup API that option, it will be easier for the developers to accept this workflow.

derei · 9 Dec 2015, 03:03

@greenskp said:

I think the plugins should stay on Extensions menu but ordered by category.

Extensions > Edit
Extensions > Draw
Extensions > Camera

and so on....

If the user likes to organize by author, the author could provide an alternative like Thomthom and Chris Fullmer does.

If Trimble include on Sketchup API that option, it will be easier for the developers to accept this workflow.

Well, this could work too, of course... it will just add a sub-menu, that will make the things a bit more complicated.
Why do you believe the plugins should stay on Extensions menu? Because there are already plugins in other menus... just not that many, but they are. People thought to put them there... and as sketchup allows this in a open manner, I believe the Extensions menu is just a convention, nothing more.

greenskp · 9 Dec 2015, 23:17

@derei said:

Why do you believe the plugins should stay on Extensions menu?

...I believe the Extensions menu is just a convention, nothing more.

Just for convention. Something like... "everything does not come in default installation from SketchUp goes to the Extensions menu".
For people who love to install multiple plugins, do not get lost when are looking for a native tool. Something that already happens with the Tools menu.

derei · 10 Dec 2015, 12:45

@greenskp said:

Just for convention. Something like... "everything does not come in default installation from SketchUp goes to the Extensions menu".

For people who love to install multiple plugins, do not get lost when are looking for a native tool. Something that already happens with the Tools menu.

Yeah, I feel you here... but once you start using SU in a "professional" manner - meaning that it became your "second nature", you stop dividing things between native/installed. You KNOW what you want to achieve and you go for the right tool... is's a lot about memory, this is true.. the more plugins you have, the memory will be more active in remembering those and their functionality.
But exactly here is the catch: once you know what you need to achieve, you don't consider the tool, you consider the mean of doing it. So, I need to DRAW something, is more intuitive to go to DRAWING menu, to look for my tool, instead of digging in Extensions.

Is like working in a workshop... i need screws, is better to go to look in the Screws Drawer, rather than in "shopping drawer" ... because I may shop for many things. From screws to napkins... but this doesn't make it better to keep all my shopping in the same place.

I can understand that for the new user it may become confusing, because there is not a clear structure in user's mind about what native SU tools can do and whether a plugin is needed. But once you go past this, you don't even consider the software... the software is just the environment. You focus on the final goal and you just need a tool. So, is best to have tools better organized and quicker to find, instead of navigating in submenus.