View Issue Details
ID | Project | Category | View Status | Date Submitted | Last Update |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0000287 | OpenMPT | Feature Request | public | 2012-08-06 20:05 | 2012-08-06 20:42 |
Reporter | harbinger | Assigned To | |||
Priority | normal | Severity | feature | Reproducibility | N/A |
Status | new | Resolution | open | ||
Platform | x86 | OS | Windows | OS Version | XP |
Product Version | OpenMPT 1.20.02.* (old testing) | ||||
Summary | 0000287: Plugin Help access | ||||
Description | When using one of my many VSTs, esp. one i don't use often or is very complex, i often need to access the manual or ReadMe of the VST to figure out certain functions or limitations of the plugin. What i need to be able to do is quickly call up its help file from ModPlug (for me it's on my computer but i can see others wanting to get online help). Problem is, installers do not always put these help files in a consistent place, and even if i know where it is, i have to go rooting around in my folders to find it, which takes time -- and time away from an inspiration can kill it. What i'm requesting is a menu item, or shortcut, or some way to access the help file that matches the plugin. Let's assume that the user must enter its path one time manually (or by browsing). From then on, MPT can ask Windows to open this file in its native application when the user needs to study how to use a plugin feature. Usually i have ideas on implementation, but this time i wouldn't know how or where to put this function. You could remember the path in the INI maybe, and perhaps insert a dynamic menu item in a plugin's wrapper GUI. But i don't know if that's possible and i've never seen it done. The same problem would exist if you tried to create a dynamic menu under Help. Any ideas on furthering this FR by implementation suggestions i'm sure would be helpful for current or future devs. | ||||
Tags | No tags attached. | ||||
Has the bug occurred in previous versions? | |||||
Tested code revision (in case you know it) | |||||
Really, I don't think OpenMPT should fix other software's deficiencies (that is, implement something that the plugin manufacturer should implement on their own). As a suggestion, you could create a folder on desktop and add links to all plugin manuals there, or organize all your plugins into folders (e.g. using the Manufacturer\Plugin folder scheme) and then copy the manual in the plugin's folder (or put a link to the manual there). For me, this would be one more step to OpenMPT becoming an "all-in-one device suitable for every purpose", which it really shouldn't be. |
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No, i'm not asking for an "all-in-one device". Since MPT has incorporated plugin utility into its core features, it would be a direct expectation to get help for a plugin and perfectly reasonable to request a shortcut. Other open-source and commercial products that i've used do have methods for getting plugin help, but admittedly, those cases are of a very specific data architecture and path system. In this case, i think that it would not be UNreasonable to ask the user to enter the path for the plugin help file, and made even easier with a browsing dialog. The object i would think in development is to make using MPT as efficient as possible, given MPT capabilities, features, and code restrictiveness. (Don't mean to seem snarky, i'm just rebutting your assertion.) |
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Date Modified | Username | Field | Change |
---|---|---|---|
2012-08-06 20:05 | harbinger | New Issue | |
2012-08-06 20:22 | Saga Musix | Note Added: 0000854 | |
2012-08-06 20:23 | Saga Musix | Note Edited: 0000854 | |
2012-08-06 20:42 | harbinger | Note Added: 0000856 |