Setup Notepad++ Console via NppExec plugin
In this tutorial, we will add console functionality to Notepad++ using the NppExec plugin.
Solving :
Step 1: Open the Plugins Admin in Notepad++.
Run the Notepad++ application on your Windows system. In the top menu, click on the "Plugins" menu item, then click on the "Plugins Admin" submenu item.
Step 2: Find and install the NppExec plugin.
Now we are in the Plugins Admin dialog. In the search field, type 'NppExec' and press the 'Next' button. Then select the NppExec plugin by enabling the checkbox in the search output. After that, press the 'Install' button in the upper right corner of the dialog window.
Step 3 : Confirm Notepad++ restart.
In the 'Notepad++ is about to exit' dialog, click 'Yes' to restart the application and apply the new changes.
Step 4 : Open the NppExec Console.
Now, open the NppExec Console by clicking the newly appeared icon in the toolbar.
Step 5 : Test NppExec Console.
To test the NppExec console, type the 'dir' command and press Enter.
Step 6 : Explore the NppExec plugin folder.
First, click on the 'Plugins' menu item, then click on the 'Open Plugins Folder...' submenu item.
We are seeing the Notepad++ plugins folder. Click on the 'NppExec' folder.
As we can see in the folder, the NppExec plugin is a DLL file.
Now let's check NppExec folder with C++ headers files.
They're essentially the complete plugin SDK for extending Notepad++.
NppExec uses all four together.
It talks to Notepad++ itself via Notepad_plus_msgs.h.
It triggers menu actions via menuCmdID.h.
It manipulate the editor/text directly via Scintilla.h.
It uses NppExec's own scripting search/replace via BaseDef.h.
Now let's check 'doc' folder of NppExec plugin.
The README.txt file provides a brief introduction to the plugin's core features, basic installation instructions, and troubleshooting tips for the manual.
The NppExec.txt file acts as a comprehensive reference guide listing all available commands, variables, and internal functions supported by the plugin.
The NppExec_HelpAll.txt file contains the full text of the "help all" command, detailing every console command and keyboard shortcut in a single searchable document.
The NppExec_Manual.chm file is a compiled Windows Help file that serves as the official interactive user guide for the plugin.
The NppExec_TechInfo.txt file describes advanced, "hidden" configuration settings that can be manually adjusted within the plugin's .ini file.
The fparser.html is a documentation for the C++ library used by NppExec to parse and evaluate mathematical expressions within scripts.
The style.css file is a cascading style sheet used to define the visual layout and formatting for the HTML documentation files.
Well Done
Awesome! We successfully installed NppExec plugin and explored plugin folder files.
