Loading Modules

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Contents

• 6.1 PS/Workshop V1 modules
• 6.2 PS/Workshop V2 modules
  • 6.2.1 Registering V2 modules
  • 6.2.2 Loading and unloading V2 modules
  • 6.2.3 Removing V2 modules

This chapter explains how modules are loaded and managed in PS/Workshop to provide extra functionality. There are two types of module that can be loaded into PS/Workshop:

• Modules that were developed for use with PS/Workshop V1.
• COM-enabled modules that were developed for use with PS/Workshop V2 and above.

Both types of module are managed in different ways, as explained in the rest of this chapter.

Once a module has been loaded, a new item appears on the PS/Workshop menu bar that gives access to the functionality of the module.

For information on developing your own modules for use with PS/Workshop, see the PS/Workshop Developer Guide.

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6.1 PS/Workshop V1 modules

Modules that were developed for use with PS/Workshop V1 are loaded using File > Open, as described in Section 2.2, "Opening and closing files". Once a module has been successfully loaded, its functionality is available to any documents that you subsequently open, but will not be available to documents that were already open when the module was loaded.

You can load a V1 module automatically when PS/Workshop is started as follows:

• Place the DLL file for the module in PS/Workshop's Modules folder (by default, this is the Modules folder in the PS/Workshop installation folder).
• In PS/Workshop, choose Tools > Options and click the File Locations tab.
• Make sure that the "Automatically Load Modules at Start" option is ticked.
• Click OK to dismiss the Options dialog.

You can also change the location of the Modules folder from the File Locations tab of the Options dialog. See Section 5.6, "Default file locations", for details.

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6.2 PS/Workshop V2 modules

Modules developed for use with PS/Workshop V2 and above use the COM interface provided by PS/Workshop. As such, they need to be registered on your computer before PS/Workshop can recognize them.

COM-based modules are managed using the Add-Ins tab of the PS/Workshop Options dialog. Choose Tools > Options to display this dialog.

This tab displays all the modules that are recognized by PS/Workshop. In order for a module to be recognized by PS/Workshop it needs to be registered on the computer.

Figure 6-1 Managing COM-based modules

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6.2.1 Registering V2 modules

Before a module is listed in the Available Add-Ins list of the Add-Ins tab, it must be registered. There are two ways of registering a V2 module:

• Automatically. Many V2 modules are registered automatically when they are installed. For instance, all the modules that are supplied with PS/Workshop itself are registered automatically.
• Manually. Sometimes, you may have a module that is not registered automatically (for example, if you are just given a single DLL file). To register it manually, click Add in the Add-Ins tab of the Options dialog, and browse for the new module. After registering the module a new entry is added to the module list.

You may need to register a module manually if you decide you need to use a module having already removed it from the list of modules.

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6.2.2 Loading and unloading V2 modules

You can dynamically load and unload V2 modules from the Add-Ins tab of the PS/Workshop Options dialog.

• To load a V2 module, place a tick next to the module name in the Available Add-Ins list of the Add-Ins tab, as shown in Figure 6-1.
• To unload a module, remove the tick from the module name. The module is still available for you to load without having to re-register it.

Modules that are ticked in the Available Add-Ins list are also loaded automatically when you start PS/Workshop.

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6.2.3 Removing V2 modules

You can remove a V2 module permanently from the list of modules in the Add-Ins tab of the Options dialog as follows:

• Display the Add-Ins tab of the Options dialog.
• Select the module you want to remove.
• Click Remove.

If you need to add a module back into the list after removing it, you will need to re-register it manually, as described in Section 6.2.1, "Registering V2 modules".

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