Addon Manager Redesign 2021

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chennes
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by chennes »

git commit dc1c227ad implements @rynn's suggestion of having a filter on installation status. I just added it as another option menu at the top: I don't know if this is the best interface design, but it gets the job done for now. Suggestions welcome!
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by rynn »

chennes wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 4:54 am I've added the "Check for updates" button in git commit 80b95225f. It only shows if you have automatic updates disabled, and have not checked for updates on this launch of the Addon Manager. If you click it, it will hide itself after the check is complete, but can be accessed again by closing and re-opening the Addon Manager. I think it is a rare case where you'd want to check for updates twice in a single session (but of course correct me if I'm wrong here!).

Note that due to some Windows compilation problems at the moment I was only able to test in Linux.
chennes wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 5:34 am git commit dc1c227ad implements @rynn's suggestion of having a filter on installation status. I just added it as another option menu at the top: I don't know if this is the best interface design, but it gets the job done for now. Suggestions welcome!
Both are fine. Thanks a lot.

I can’t help you with Windows, because no Windows here – sorry.
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by chennes »

I've implemented the next major feature for the Addon Manager in PR 5312: an option to download, display, and search macro metadata. This metadata is already embedded in the macros, so nearly all of them have at least something there. I hope that this improves the discoverability of macros, and relies less on them having a good name, etc.
MacroMetadata.png
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I've also modified the "first run" dialog to present a few checkboxes covering the most important options available for the Addon Manager. I've gotten a lot of questions about why update checking isn't happening, etc. so I present this option immediately. I also present the option to download the macro metadata, since it defaults to off (it's a fairly lengthy download).
first_run.png
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by bleber »

Macros are a good source for new tools, but you need to assign to button if you need to start macros quickly.
I think that an option on addon manager to assign an macro to launch icon when installing it, it make macros more useful.
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by ragohix769 »

bleber wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:55 am Macros are a good source for new tools, but you need to assign to button if you need to start macros quickly.
I think that an option on addon manager to assign an macro to launch icon when installing it, it make macros more useful.
+1, I agree on that one.
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by chennes »

bleber wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:55 am Macros are a good source for new tools, but you need to assign to button if you need to start macros quickly.
ragohix769 wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 2:15 pm +1, I agree on that one.
Do you think it should be a one-shot button click (e.g. automatically create a toolbar if it doesn't exist, and populate it based on the Macro metadata), or should it launch the usual macro toolbar walkthrough?
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by ragohix769 »

chennes wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 3:30 pm
bleber wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:55 am Macros are a good source for new tools, but you need to assign to button if you need to start macros quickly.
ragohix769 wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 2:15 pm +1, I agree on that one.
Do you think it should be a one-shot button click (e.g. automatically create a toolbar if it doesn't exist, and populate it based on the Macro metadata), or should it launch the usual macro toolbar walkthrough?
IMHO, the first one: creating a generic toolbar and populate it based on macro metadata.
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by kisolre »

chennes wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 3:30 pm one-shot button click
A button under macros toolbar and macros menu that shows a menu with macro shortcuts of selected macros (from the addon manager or from the macro edit dialog. And automatic download of the macros icon (if exists) and any extra required files upon macro installation.
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by chennes »

kisolre wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 3:39 pm A button under macros toolbar and macros menu that shows a menu with macro shortcuts of selected macros
I apologize, I'm having a hard time parsing this. Can you elaborate?

Designing out loud here...

I think there are two obvious ways of accessing this feature: either every time a macro is installed a dialog appears asking the user if they want to add a button, or simply display a button called "Add to toolbar" in the details page of any installed macro. My inclination is to definitely do the latter, and maybe do the first one, but have a "never show again" option in the dialog.

Then the question is, what does the button do?
  1. Automatically creates a new toolbar for Addon Manager macros (if it doesn't exist already), and puts the macro into that toolbar, either with its icon (if it has one) or its name.
  2. Pops up the existing "walkthrough" dialog sequence for creating a custom toolbar with your macro in it.
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Re: Addon Manager Redesign 2021

Post by kisolre »

chennes wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 3:56 pm Can you elaborate?
There should be some default place for those macros. Now there is a Macros toolbar with just 4 buttons (adding one more would not take much space) and Macros menu item. Under the menu there is a "Recent macros" submenu. So another menu item there with "selected/shortcut/quick access..." macros that is easily populated would be nice. Same list under a button in Macros toolbar - something like Fasteners "drop down buttons" grouping style with the macros icons.
A button under the macro in addon manager that creates those shortcuts and one under the edit macro dialog.
And since there would be a menu items for those macros one could easily add those to any other toolbar if desired.
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