Teaser: Advanced Plugin Manager
 

(Planned) Features:

• Group Plugins for Easy Administration
• Description for each Modification/Hack
• Activate/Deactivate & Uninstall of a Modification/Hack with one click (instead of one for each Hook)
• Set Execution Order when multiple Modifications use the same Hook and might conflict
• Create Plugin, Phrase, Settings and Template XML
• Install/Uninstall PHP Code for each Modification/Hack
• Create distribution ZIP with all necessary files
• Auto-Create manual installation instructions for Queries, Settings, Phrases and Templates

The devs should do this. The grouping of plugins is a much-needed feature and it's a shame we're going to have to mod to get this functionality :(

Nice - is this a hack you are doing - or something planned for the official product ?

That's my code :)

Cool - looks impressive, and highly useful :)

That would like all the HTL and other defunct hack installers. Plugins are meant to avoid code changes to make upgrades easier. If the plugin system itself is hacked, and hacked in a way differing from the planned vB plugin upgrades, then it defeats the purpose of the plugin system in the first place. Just my $0.02

Hmm - in some ways it is like HTL, in other ways it is not.
It does not touch the normal Plugin System much - it only adds two columns to Table plugin: One for execution order and one for grouping.
It does not require any Code-Changes.
The Plugin XMLs are the same as normal, you can just install them.
A User who just want's to install a Hack also doesn't need this installed, or Files packaged with the Hack to be installed - it just creates normal installation instructions (Create Phrase, etc.)

I don't see how this could conflict with upgrades, except Jelsoft using the same Column Names - but that's a problem with all Hacks changing the DB structure.

Sounds good :up:

One would hope vB would just add these thigns (as requested by many of us) before end of beta, otherwise there would be too many hacks and plugins to plug-in this plugin system :)

Yes, supporting such things out of the Box would be best.
And as Jerry said @ vbulletin.com, they are wroking on improvements for the System :)

Here is another Screenshot.

The attached ZIP is the Result of this Screen.
If the User has APM installed, he would have to upload the additional Files, make the Template changes and install the XML - Queries, Phrases, Templates and Settings would be installed automatically.
If he does not use APM he must install the Queries, Settings, Templates and Phrases manually. For this purpose, manual_installation.txt is automatically being created.