# Plugin improvment

**URL:** <https://krita-artists.org/t/plugin-improvment/7479>\
**Category:** Plugins Development\
**Created:** [May 22, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://krita-artists.org/t/plugin-improvment/7479 "2020-05-22T23:08:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 1

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**Author:** ![Grum999](https://krita-artists.org/user_avatar/krita-artists.org/grum999/32/66488_2.png) [@Grum999](https://krita-artists.org/u/Grum999)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://krita-artists.org/t/plugin-improvment/7479/1 "2020-05-22T23:08:04Z")

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Hi,

From this post: [Calling Filter dialog in Python Script - #7 by tiar](https://krita-artists.org/t/calling-filter-dialog-in-python-script/4672/7)

> [@Calling Filter dialog in Python Script](https://krita-artists.org/t/calling-filter-dialog-in-python-script/4672/7):
>
> how many people use and want to use Python plugins definitely made it seem much more important than it was before

I open a new topic to not pollute the original topic 🙂

I don’t really know how it was “before” but I have to admit that current way plugins are managed doesn’t incite to develop and use them:

- Installing a plugin is **very** complicated:  
– First of all, to find plugins, you need to go to #develop:plugins section or [Krita resource page documentation](https://docs.krita.org/en/resources_page.html#user-made-python-plugins) (I have to update it with my plugins 😅)  
– Download and unzip manually and/or use the _Python Plugin Importer_ (if you’re lucky, plugin developer has provided a how-to, otherwise good luck…)  
– And then go to _settings \> configure \> Python Plugin Manager_  
– And then need to activate the plugin  
– And then need to restart Krita  
None of this is intuitive

- Using plugins is not really attractive; apart from the installation process:  
– The _Tools \> Scripts_ menu is not intuitive  
– The _Tools \> Scripts_ sub-menu is really discouraging (I hate going in this menu, it’s like a mess)

- Plugins proposed by default are, sorry, not really attractive about what you can really do  
I’m trying to create plugins with attractive interface because for most users (I think) it’s important to have something that is visually attractive (just look how active is the topic [Krita UI Redesign](https://krita-artists.org/t/krita-ui-redesign/7239) started by @fullerhill_art and how people are interested by UI design)  
Also @EyeOdin and @Kapyia made plugins with attractive visual which provides good examples of what can be done (when I discovered their attractive plugins, it made me want to create my own plugins, before that…)

- And the most important I think, the pure developer point of view:  
– It’s currently very hard for a new comer (I don’t imagine for a beginner) to understand how to create a plugin (it took me time to create the first one)  
– PyKrita API has a good base, but there’s too much thing that don’t work or that don’t work as expected  
I don’t want to critique anything because I know all the work made behind to provide the API (I already took a look to C++ source…) and I know there’s more important priority before improvement of API…

But to get more plugin for Krita, with more users looking for them and more [potential] developers looking for them, here some idea to improve it:

1. Rename _Tools_ menu by _Plugins_, it will be more attractive and easier to understand for everyone
2. Remove _Scripts_ sub-menu and propose a predefined list of sub-menu to categorize the plugins (developers, utilities, filters, layer management, user interface, …)
3. Review entirely the plugin installation process  
3.1. Remove it from settings  
3.2. Create a dedicated window in _Plugins_ menu (_Plugins \> Manage plugins_)  
3.3. Review the interface and include natively in to this window the _Python Plugin Importer_ feature  
— create a list of available plugins for download, with a button **Install**  
— once downloaded and installed, the plugin is checked as **Active**  
— avoid restart of Krita when a plugin is installed/activated/de-activated/de-installed
4. Review current proposed plugins (yes, they’re not attractive!)
5. Write a documentation easier and more complete
6. Improve PyKrita API (I know that some developers ask for better API but I’m not sure that’s the most important for now)

There’s no urgency about all of this, but this is things I started to think about some time ago, and @tiar comment decide me to start a topic.  
There’s might be more idea to develop and clarify before starting anything, and determinate if the subject is really interesting or not…  
(I unfortunately don’t have all the time I want to currently participate more, I’m still stucking with git and made me 🤯)

Grum999

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