It would help if plugins page showed if a plugin is 4.4 compatible not only 4.x

• Sep 22, 2024 - 01:16

Comments

From my vantage, MS4's plugin window is a mess:

• Many of the plugin names are blank ... even in the Enabled list.

• I don't understand why the icons so large. Perhaps it's a premature step toward mobile? Or just a pointlessly trendy MuseGroup thing.

• Why isn't there an option for a simple, sortable List View for those of us annoyed by the iconic waste of space?

MS3's method was _much simpler_and clearer ... albeit considerably less grandiose!

On my installation the plugin page takes up 3/4 of my 27" display:

MS4 - Plugin window.png

Where as a list or menu would suffice:

Enabled
     No title
     No title
     No title
     No title
     ABC Import
     New Retrograde
     Note Names
     Tin Whistle

Disabled
     No title
     No title
     No title
     Color Notes
     Courtesy Accidentals
     Lilypond Lyrics
     Mirror intervals
     Modal Temperaments
     Modal Tuning
     Tuning

In reply to by scorster

This is my Enabled list in MS 4.4.2's Plugin Menu, displaying all the unnamed plugins as Run plugin  ( ) :

MS 4-4-2 Plugin Menu.png

I'd vote that MuseScore 4 only enabled plugins that have a valid name string. Otherwise identifying the plugin requires trial-and-error guesswork. And one must identify a plugin:

    • to enable it
    • to run it via MuseScore 4's Plugin menu
    • to disable it

In reply to by scorster

While we are at it: now there are only 4 plugin categories:

static KnownCategories categories {
{ "composing-arranging-tools", TranslatableString("extensions", "Composing/arranging tools") },
{ "color-notes", TranslatableString("extensions", "Color notes") },
{ "playback", TranslatableString("extensions", "Playback") },
{ "lyrics", TranslatableString("extensions", "Lyrics") }
};

Isn't this somewhat restricted? e.g. where to categorize the 'Harmonica tabs' plugin? In composing-arranging tools?

In reply to by scorster

The naming is easy to fix, in the plugins.
The issue stems from the different methosds used in MuseScore 3.x, 4.0-4.3 and 4.4+ ans the plugins developers' desire to maintaine onle one version for all 3 of them.

Typical code:

   description: "This plugin colors the chords and rests of each voice"
   menuPath: "Plugins.Notes.Color Voices"  // Name for Mu3
 
   id: colorvoice
   //4.4 title: "Color Voices"
   //4.4 thumbnailName: "color_notes.png"
   //4.4 categoryCode: "color-notes"
   Component.onCompleted : {
      if (mscoreMajorVersion >= 4 && mscoreMinorVersion <= 3) {
         colorvoice.title = "Color Voices";
         colorvoice.thumbnailName = "color_notes.png";
         colorvoice.categoryCode = "color-notes";
      }
   }

description, thumbnailName and categoryCode are optional

A plain Mu3 plugin just needs

   description: "This plugin colors the chords and rests of each voice"
   menuPath: "Plugins.Notes.Color Voices"  // Name for Mu3

A plain 4.0.-4.3 plugin only needs

   Component.onCompleted : {
         colorvoice.title = "Color Voices";
         colorvoice.thumbnailName = "color_notes.png";
         colorvoice.categoryCode = "color-notes";
      }
   }

A plain 4.4+ plugin only needs

   title: "Color Voices"
   thumbnailName: "color_notes.png"
   categoryCode: "color-notes"

But one version stumbles accross the methods needed by the others, so you end up with the top example.

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

Sure, but one cannot add a new catagory, hence no new submenu.
In MS3x, menuPath: "Plugins.Notes.Color Voices" adds a new submenu Notes under Plugins.
(and if you name it "NewPlugins.Notes.color Voices" you even have a complete new menu 'NewPlugins"
newplugins.png
In MS4.X, you can only choose between the predefined categories. Anything else is ignored and the plugin ends up under Plugins in the menu.

WHile we´re at it, i think it would also help if there was some indicator for plugin updates (an asterisk or something-just like the forum).

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