Creating Plugin Packages

Compression Software

In theory, you can use almost any software that supports ZIP compression.

However, it is recommended to use the open-source software 7-Zip because of its efficient compression algorithm and wide compatibility.

This article uses NanaZip, which is based on 7-Zip.

Other software may have different interfaces, but the steps are generally similar.

Preparing Plugin Content

Before compressing, ensure that the plugin directory structure is correct. A standard plugin directory structure is as follows:

PluginName/
├── Data/
│   └── ...
└── Files/
    ├── Main.dll
    └── ...

Make sure the Main.dll file is located in the Files folder, and all necessary data files are stored in the Data folder.

Compressing the Plugin Directory

1. Right-click on the plugin directory and select Add to archive.

2. In the pop-up window, choose the following options:

   • Compression format: zip
   • Compression level: Level 1 (fast compression, suitable for plugin packages)

   

   Below are example screenshots for other compression software:

   Windows Explorer

   

   WinRAR

   

3. Confirm the options and click OK to start compressing.

Verifying the Compression Result

After compression, check if the generated ZIP file has the following directory structure:

Plugin.zip
├── PluginName/
│   ├── Data/
│   │   └── ...
│   └── Files/
│       ├── Main.dll
│       └── ...

You can verify this by extracting the file and checking its contents.

Multi-Plugin Packages

Simply select multiple plugins and compress them together. The result should look like this:

Plugin.zip
├── PluginName1/
│   ├── Data/
│   │   └── ...
│   └── Files/
│       ├── Main.dll
│       └── ...
├── PluginName2/
│   ├── Data/
│   │   └── ...
│   └── Files/
│       ├── Main.dll
│       └── ...
└── ...

Final Example

Below is a screenshot of the compressed package content using the Process plugin as an example:

Common Issues

1. Incorrect file structure after compression

   • Check if the initial plugin directory structure meets the requirements.
   • Ensure the correct options were selected during compression.

2. ZIP file not recognized

   • Ensure the ZIP format was used.

3. Compression level selection

   • Level 1 is the recommended compression level, balancing speed and compression ratio.

4. How to import the plugin package

   • Use Xdows Tools - AddPlugins to import the plugin package.