ACDSee Plug-Ins
ACDSee plug-ins are identified as files with the .apl extension. Plug-ins are loaded on launch from the “PlugIns” folder, which is situated in the ACDSee installation location.
Here is a brief overview of each of the four types of ACDSee Plug-ins:
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Command Extension (CX)
Command extension plug-ins create commands that apply to files in Manage mode. These commands are typically utility functions that can be applied to selected files in Manage mode. The command is usually actualized via a modal dialog. The API for command extension plug-ins is implemented in CX_PlugIn.h.
You can access command extension plug-ins through several areas in Manage mode. The area in which your plug-in will appear is determined by the CX_CN flag that you set for your command. Some examples of these areas are the File | Send or Tools | Create menus in Manage mode. An example of a command extension plug-in is a file uploader (File | Send | Email Images...).
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File | Send |
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Tools | Create |
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Image Decoding (ID)
Image decoding plug-ins provide three main functions:
- decoding a saved image from disk into an in-memory bitmap
- decoding the metadata present in an image saved on disk
- creating a custom view for viewing that file type in View mode
The API for image decoding plug-ins is implemented in ID_PlugIn.h. These plug-ins are used to automatically decode supported image types in all areas of the application. In addition, when you bring an image into View mode that has a custom view, the plug-in will display the custom view for that image type. A couple examples of image decoding plug-ins are the JPEG decoder, and the PDF decoder plug-in (new in ACDSee Photo Studio 2020).
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Image Encoding (IE)
Image encoding plug-ins provide two main functions:
- saving an image bitmap to different image file types
- saving metadata to image files
The API for image encoding plug-ins is implemented in IE_PlugIn.h. These plug-ins are accessible via the Save or Save As dialogs. In these dialogs, they provide the ability to save the file as specific file formats. A couple examples of image encoding plug-ins are the JPEG encoder and the bitmap encoder used by ACDSee Photo Studio.
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Image Filter (IF)
Image filter plug-ins are used to implement additional filters, which you can apply to images in Edit mode. These filters can be accessed through the native ACDSee Photo Studio GUI, or through a menu. If they are actualized through the GUI, they have full native integration with brushing, ACDSee Actions, undo history, and all of the other ACDSee Photo Studio Edit mode features. These plug-ins are accessible via the Edit mode Filter Menu, as well as via the Tools | ACDSee Plug-ins menu in Edit mode. A couple examples of these plug-ins would be a simple blur filter that obscures an image, or a filter that cartoonifies an image.
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Filter Menu |
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| Tools | ACDSee Plugins | 
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