Plugin Development Quick Start Guide
From notepad-plus
In this section you will make your first Notepad++ plugin in less 10 minutes, without learning how Notepad++ plugin system works.
Follow these 6 steps to make a very simple plugin:
- Download and unzip Notepad++ Plugin Template into a new project folder with a name of your choosing.
- Open NppPluginTemplate.vcproj in your Visual Studio; if this starts a project upgrade wizard, allow it to run with defaults and save the project with a new file name.
- Define your plugin name in PluginDefinition.h.
- Define the number of commands in your plugin in PluginDefinition.h.
- Customize plugin commands names and associated function name (and the other stuff, optional) in PluginDefinition.cpp.
- Define the associated functions.
You are guided by the following comments in both PluginDefinition.h and PluginDefinition.cpp files:
//-- STEP 1. DEFINE YOUR PLUGIN NAME --//
//-- STEP 2. DEFINE YOUR PLUGIN COMMAND NUMBER --//
//-- STEP 3. CUSTOMIZE YOUR PLUGIN COMMANDS --//
//-- STEP 4. DEFINE YOUR ASSOCIATED FUNCTIONS --//
A good sample illustrates the whole picture better than a detailed documentation; check the Notepad++ Plugin Demo to learn how to make more complex commands. However, knowledge of the Notepad++ plugin system is required if you want to accomplish more sophisticated plugin commands.
An advanced example is shown in detail in Analysing Plugin Code.
