Automatic Installation of Plugins and Language Files

The program suggest automatic installation of plugins or language files if entering plugin, containing "pluginst.inf".

The ini-file, containing:

[plugininstall]

description=<plugin description>

description.<language code>=<plugin description>

description<alternative language code>=<plugin description>

version=<version string>

type=<type code>

build=<build number>

file=<plugin file name or language code>

defaultdir=<plugin file folder>

defaultextension=<file extension>

parameters=<parameter string>

Keys:

description=<plugin description>

description.<language code>=<plugin description>

description<alternative language code>=<plugin description>

<plugin description> – plugin description in particular language (if code isn't specified, preferably in English).

<language code> – name of one of lng-files in subfolder Languages of the program (usually 2-letters).

<alternative language code> – code, specified in lng-file in parameter "Info=".

There may be as many parameters descriptionXXX as many language translations present in the file. Default description is desired, which has no language code "description=".

Words in string can be highlighted using color, style or font size. Use formatting constructions [f…;…] for that.

Description string may be split into multiple lines. Use "\n" as string delimiter. Character "\" can be escaped as "\\" (optional).

Key:

version=<version string>

<version string> – a message for the user. The message gets shown in a separate line.

Key:

type=<code type> (required parameter)

<code type> may contain following values:

Key:

build=<build number>

<build number> – Program build number, with which the plugin or language file is associated. To be compatible with future version it is desired to specify this number. Build number constantly increases and identifiers the version.

Key:

file=<name of the plugin file or language code> (required for language files)

<name of the plugin file or language code> – for plugins it's a plugin file name, for language file it's a language code. That can be a language file name, extension will be ignored.

To install from the same archive both versions of plugin (32- and 64-bit):

oExecutable files of various plugins must be in the same folder.

oNames of executable files must be the same, except extensions.

oPlugin extensions must be standard, i.e. acx32, wcx for 32-bit, acx64, wcx64 for 64-bit.

Key:

defaultdir=<folder name>

The parameter is used during plugin installation and for types Copy, CopyAndLng.

Full path of the folder, where files and subfolders need to be copied, must be specified. The path may contain variables, for example %aRun% – program folder.

Key:

defaultextension=<file extension>

The parameter is only for archiver plugin. Archive extensions are delimited by comma. If comma is a part of extension, it can be escaped with '\'.

Key:

parametersX=<parameters string>

If just one plugin gets installed, X isn't required, otherwise X is an ordinal number, starting with 1.

For archiver plugins a string of additional settings and external archiver parameters can be specified here.

The same format, used in ini-files of plugin settings, applies here, except beginning with the plugin file name. Example:

In main.ini section [PackerPlugins] there is a string:

rar=%aRun%\Plugins\Standard\acx\rar\pylRar.acx64|xxx

where xxx – is the external archiver description.

The string may contain Unicode. Therefore file pluginst.inf, if the string is used, must be saved in Unicode little-endian format, preferably with the BOM label.