Crappy Workaround for Alphabetizing Categories in Plugin Menus (SEE BETTER WAY IN THREAD!)

[James Steele]

Made a very quick video showing how you can alphabetize categories inside of folders. It's a pain in the butt, but until MOTU adds a capability to re-order these directly, this is how you have to do it. I think this also works with folders. The main idea is that categories or folders order themselves in the order they were added to a folder.

In the video, I added an "SSL" category to a folder and it appears at the bottom of the list of categories. I then have to "peel away" the categories above "SSL" by dragging them to a "Sorting" folder (which because it is usually empty will not appear in the plugin menu when your right-click an insert) until "SSL' is in the correct spot, and then then drag the categories I previously moved out of the "Sorting" folder back into the original folder in correct alphabetical order (in this case, bottom to top). Then they appear beneath "SSL."

Should be self explanatory from the video:

[stubbsonic]

Thanks for posting that. Here's hoping that someday that video will be obsolete.

[bayswater]

Here's hoping that someday that video will be obsolete.

+1. There is an obvious fix for an otherwise very useful feature.
I used this workaround when User Categories first arrived. It's a bit time consuming, but fine for the initial setup. It's just too much when you add a lot of plugins and want to put them in categories, and worse if you decide to reorganize them. I gave up on it and did a spreadsheet. It's not ideal either, but at least you only have to deal with each plugin once.

[James Steele]

I used to be pretty resistant to the Effects Chooser, mainly because I thought the font was a bit too small. But I’m learning that it’s a hell of a lot easier just to start typing the first few letters of a plug-in and then use the down arrow to select it and then the enter key to load it. It’s probably a lot faster than using right-click and the hierarchal menu.

[JSmith1234567]

Hi thank you for this!

This is really helpful to me.

I actually have done a similar thing with Clippings, as it will only put things in order of when you added them.

Actually ANYTHING to do with clippings crashes DP for me about 95% of the time.

It took me a few moment to decide on that percentage before I just typed it.

It's probably more like 98% when I think about it.

Anyway I digress.

Thanks for this idea and the video!

[cjb]

After being frustrated by the inability to reorder in the effects categories as well, I realized some ways back that a quicker way to do what you're wanting to do is:

- First, select the category that alphabetically would follow directly after the new one your adding, then 'Add Category'
- Give it your desired name and hit Enter and it will appear in the list directly above the one you selected in the previous step
- Done

[James Steele]

After being frustrated by the inability to reorder in the effects categories as well, I realized some ways back that a quicker way to do what you're wanting to do is:

- First, select the category that alphabetically would follow directly after the new one your adding, then 'Add Category'
- Give it your desired name and hit Enter and it will appear in the list directly above the one you selected in the previous step
- Done

Aha!!!! This is indeed much better. I just tried it. I guess I assumed (wrongly) that I needed to select a folder and then choose "Add Category." Maybe I was thinking if I selected a category and then chose "Add Category" it would make a sub-category?? Either way, this is indeed MUCH BETTER!! Thank you! Cant believe I was doing the other way for a while now!!

[dewdman42]

Has anyone tried automating this with Keyboard Maestro or something?

[James Steele]

Has anyone tried automating this with Keyboard Maestro or something?

Look at cjb’s post. It is much easier than what I’d been doing.

[Rick Cornish]

Has anyone tried automating this with Keyboard Maestro or something?

Look at cjb’s post. It is much easier than what I’d been doing.

Oh man, do I need this! Thanks everyone.

[dewdman42]

(deleted- never mind I figured it out) But I do want to look later at sorting the XML file

[dewdman42]

ps - i guess the best way to completely sort an existing categories XML would be to edit the XML or write a script to edit the XML.. I will have to ponder that for a rainy day.

[JSmith1234567]

I can't get right-click hierarchical plugin menus working in DP at all like in this old DP8 organizing plugins tips video. Does anyone know of any reason or preference that might be stopping it from happening?

I am using control-click instead of mouse right-click, as I still have an old left-click-only Apple mouse, but control-click does function correctly for everything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWvvHWOcMh4