plug-ins menu does missing in Acrrat DC

Report · Nov 15, 2021

I have a couple of Adobe Acrobat's plug-ins working perfectly fine in a few computers with Adobea Acroat DC installed. However, in one of the computers the "plug-ins" menu does not appear in the toolbar.

Under "Help->>Generate System Report" the plug-ins are listed under "Installed Plug-ins".

How do I make sure the "Plug-ins" menu is activated?

Thanks

Report · Nov 18, 2021

HI,

Can you check the simple stuff first, is this checkbox checked:

Preferences -> General

Report · Nov 18, 2021

Hi BarlaaDC,

thanks for your response.

the checkbox is not checked.

Report · Nov 19, 2021

Is this problem in an M1 Mac conputer?

Report · Nov 29, 2021

No. This issue is happening in a windows 10 computer.

Report · Nov 29, 2021

Ok, next... on Windows, Acrobat Pro comes in both "32-bit" and "64-bit" versions. Check and compare this on all systems. Plug-ins are not interchangeable, they will be either 32-bit or 64-bit.

Report · Nov 30, 2021

both are 32-bit versions

Report · Nov 30, 2021

by the way the plug-in shows in the Installed Plug-ins report.

Report · Dec 01, 2021

But I still not able to find the plug-in in the menu bar.

Report · Dec 02, 2021

Dear all,

Can anybody help me?. I don't know what the problem is

the plug-ins load and work perfectly fine in one computers, but not to others. same OS sane bit size.

Is there any library that need to install in the new computers?

I tried everything to solve this issue but I do not see a solution.

thanks in advance for your help.

Oscar

Report · Dec 07, 2021

Hi,

Silly question: Do the plug-ins add the plug-in menu them selves, can you share the code as to how you add the plug-in menu and how you add your menuitems to it?

Report · Dec 07, 2021

Here is the code

AVMenubar menubar = AVAppGetMenubar ();
AVMenuItem menuItem;
AVMenu commandMenu = NULL;
// Set up our command menuitem.
commandMenu = AVMenubarAcquireMenuByName (menubar, "Plug-Ins");

if (commandMenu == NULL) {
commandMenu = AVMenuNew ("Plug-Ins", "OOPS:Plug-Ins", gExtensionID);
}

if (commandMenu) {

// Add command menu item to plug-in menu.
menuItem = AVMenuItemNew ("&MarkedPDFReport", "OOPS:MarkedPDFReport", (AVMenu)NULL, false, NO_SHORTCUT, 0, NULL, gExtensionID);
AVMenuItemSetExecuteProc (menuItem,
ASCallbackCreateProto(AVExecuteProc, &MarkedPDFReportCommand), NULL);

AVMenuItemSetComputeEnabledProc (menuItem,
ASCallbackCreateProto(AVComputeEnabledProc, &MarkedPDFReportIsEnabled), NULL);
AVMenuAddMenuItem (commandMenu, menuItem, APPEND_MENUITEM);
AVMenubarAddMenu (menubar, commandMenu, APPEND_MENU);

// Release the menu resource.
AVMenuRelease (commandMenu);
} else {
AVAlertNote ("Unable to open plug-ins");
}

Report · Dec 07, 2021

Ah, I think I see the problem. The Plug-ins menu is a shared resource, and yet you are making it in a way that is unique to your plug-in (is OOPS really your company prefix? Cool!)

You must access the Plug-ins menu using AVMenubarAcquireMenuByName with the same name you will find in other plug-ins that add to a Plug-ins menu. You never try to create it; Acrobat makes it visible if you add to it. Otherwise the results are going to be unpredictable - and may well depend on plug-in load order, which you cannot control.

Report · Dec 08, 2021

Yes, I registered OOPS a few years ago with acrobat 🙂

I still not able to load the plug-ins in some computers. Same version of acrobat, same operating system, same bit size.

I modified the access to the menu code. So it is the simpliest version and it works perfectly fine in some computer and not in others 😞

AVMenubar menubar = AVAppGetMenubar();
AVMenu volatile commonMenu = NULL;
AVMenuItem menuItem = NULL;

if (!menubar){
AVAlertNote ("ERROR !menubar");
return false;
}
DURING

// Create our menuitem
menuItem = AVMenuItemNew ("MarkedPDFReport", "OOPS:MarkedPDFReport", NULL, false, NO_SHORTCUT, 0, NULL, gExtensionID);
AVMenuItemSetExecuteProc (menuItem, ASCallbackCreateProto(AVExecuteProc, MarkedPDFReportCommand), NULL);
AVMenuItemSetComputeEnabledProc (menuItem,
ASCallbackCreateProto(AVComputeEnabledProc, MarkedPDFReportIsEnabled), (void *)pdPermEdit);

commonMenu = AVMenubarAcquireMenuByName (menubar, "OOPS:Acrobat_SDK");
// if "Acrobat SDK" menu is not existing, create one.
if (!commonMenu) {
commonMenu = AVMenuNew ("Acrobat SDK", "OOPS:Acrobat_SDK", gExtensionID);
AVMenubarAddMenu(menubar, commonMenu, APPEND_MENU);
}

AVMenuAddMenuItem(commonMenu, menuItem, APPEND_MENUITEM);

AVMenuRelease(commonMenu);

HANDLER
AVAlertNote ("ERROR handler");
if (commonMenu)
AVMenuRelease (commonMenu);
return false;
END_HANDLER

return true;

Report · Dec 08, 2021

Please try the fix I suggested, instead of a completely different one.

Report · Dec 08, 2021

I tried your suggestion. and it does not work.

by the way when a plug-in does not load none of them do. I have 4 plug-ins working fine in one computer but 4 plug-ins that do not load in another.

Report · Dec 08, 2021

Please show the complete non working code with the suggested change.

Report · Dec 08, 2021

Here is the code, that works some computers and does not work some others.

AVMenubar menubar = AVAppGetMenubar ();
AVMenuItem menuItem;

// Set up our command menuitem.
AVMenu commandMenu = AVMenubarAcquireMenuByName (menubar, "Extensions");
if (commandMenu) {

// Add command menu item to plug-in menu.
menuItem = AVMenuItemNew ("&MarkedPDFReport", "OOPS:MarkedPDFReport", (AVMenu)NULL, false, NO_SHORTCUT, 0, NULL, gExtensionID);
AVMenuItemSetExecuteProc (menuItem, ASCallbackCreateProto(AVExecuteProc, &MarkedPDFReportCommand), NULL);

AVMenuItemSetComputeEnabledProc (menuItem, ASCallbackCreateProto(AVComputeEnabledProc, &MarkedPDFReportIsEnabled), NULL);
AVMenuAddMenuItem (commandMenu, menuItem, APPEND_MENUITEM);

// Release the menu resource.
AVMenuRelease (commandMenu);
}

//Set up our help menuitem.
AVMenu helpMenu = AVMenubarAcquireMenuByName (menubar, "UsingExtensions");
if (helpMenu) {
menuItem = AVMenuItemNew ("MarkedPDFReport", "OOPS:MarkedPDFReport", (AVMenu)NULL, false, NO_SHORTCUT, 0, NULL, gExtensionID);
AVMenuItemSetExecuteProc (menuItem, ASCallbackCreateProto(AVExecuteProc, &MarkedPDFReportHelp), NULL);
AVMenuAddMenuItem (helpMenu, menuItem, APPEND_MENUITEM);
AVMenuRelease (helpMenu);
}

// Set up our "About" menuitem. Its text does not include "About" because the viewer provides that.
AVMenu aboutMenu = AVMenubarAcquireMenuByName (menubar, "AboutExtensions");
if (aboutMenu) {
menuItem = AVMenuItemNew ("MarkedPDFReport...", "OOPS:AboutMarkedPDFReport", (AVMenu)NULL, false, NO_SHORTCUT, 0, NULL, gExtensionID);
AVMenuItemSetExecuteProc (menuItem, ASCallbackCreateProto(AVExecuteProc, &MarkedPDFReportAbout), NULL);
AVMenuAddMenuItem (aboutMenu, menuItem, APPEND_MENUITEM);
AVMenuRelease (aboutMenu);
}

// Set up our "Preferences" menuitem.
// The menuitem text does not include "Preferences", since the viewer provides that.
// The text also does not include "Plug-In".
AVMenu prefsMenu = AVMenubarAcquireMenuByName (menubar, "Prefs");
if (prefsMenu) {
menuItem = AVMenuItemNew ("MarkedPDFReport...", "OOPS:MarkedPDFReportPrefs", (AVMenu)NULL, false, NO_SHORTCUT, 0, NULL, gExtensionID);
AVMenuItemSetExecuteProc (menuItem, ASCallbackCreateProto(AVExecuteProc, &MarkedPDFReportPrefs), NULL);
AVMenuAddMenuItem (prefsMenu, menuItem, APPEND_MENUITEM);
AVMenuRelease (prefsMenu);
}

AVToolBar toolBar = AVAppGetToolBar ();
AVToolButton toolButton, toolsSeparator;

// Set up our toolbutton
toolsSeparator = AVToolBarGetButtonByName (toolBar, ASAtomFromString("endToolsGroup"));
toolButton = AVToolButtonNew (ASAtomFromString("OOPS:MarkedPDFReport"), GetButtonIcon(), true, false);

// Toolbutton internal by default.
//AVToolButtonSetExternal (toolButton, TOOLBUTTON_EXTERNAL);

AVToolBarAddButton(toolBar, toolButton, true, toolsSeparator);
AVToolButtonSetExecuteProc (toolButton,
ASCallbackCreateProto(AVExecuteProc, &MarkedPDFReportCommand), NULL);
AVToolButtonSetComputeEnabledProc (toolButton,
ASCallbackCreateProto(AVComputeEnabledProc, &MarkedPDFReportIsEnabled), NULL);
AVToolButtonSetHelpText (toolButton, "Activates MarkedPDFReport command");

// Initialize our custom tool
InitializeMarkedPDFReportTool ();

// Set up our toolbutton

toolsSeparator = AVToolBarGetButtonByName(toolBar, ASAtomFromString("endToolsGroup"));
toolButton = AVToolButtonNew(ASAtomFromString("OOPS:MarkedPDFReportToolBtn"), GetMarkedPDFReportToolIcon(), true, false);

AVToolBarAddButton (toolBar, toolButton, true, toolsSeparator);
AVToolButtonSetExecuteProc (toolButton,
ASCallbackCreateProto(AVExecuteProc, &MarkedPDFReportToolCommand), NULL);
AVToolButtonSetComputeEnabledProc (toolButton,
ASCallbackCreateProto(AVComputeEnabledProc, &MarkedPDFReportToolIsEnabled), NULL);
AVToolButtonSetComputeMarkedProc (toolButton,
ASCallbackCreateProto(AVComputeMarkedProc, &MarkedPDFReportToolIsMarked), NULL);
AVToolButtonSetHelpText (toolButton, "Activates MarkedPDFReport tool");

return true;

Report · Dec 08, 2021

Ok, that should work. I suggest

1. You add debugging code to indicate whether if (commandMenu) returns true or false, so you know whether it is creating the menu items at all.

2. I think you are installing multiple menus? And if so I suspect you are using the wrong name in some of them. Try installing ONLY the problem plug-in and see.

I speculate that Adobe do not allow two top level menus with the same text (Plug-ins) and different codes (Extensions, OOPS:Plug-ins). This could have been a recent and undocumented change.

Report · Dec 09, 2021

Hi,

I just realized that in the machines the plug-ins do not work.

The Handshake and PluginInit functions do not run.

any idea?

Report · Dec 10, 2021

Hi it is me again.

Can anybody help me? what am I missing. on these machines. Any dependency library? security setting?
thanks

Oscar

Report · Dec 15, 2021

Solved.

the issue had nothing to do with the code.

it seems that some dependencies were missing on thse computers.

I am not sure yet which one. I reinstalled:
Microsoft .net Framework v4.5.1 (C01035B4)
Microsoft InfoPath 2013 for Office 365 2016 v1.0

Java Runtime Smart Installation v1.8

something in one of those were affecting the loading of the plug-ins.

thanks for all your help.

sorry I make you spend so much time searching for nothing.

Oscar