App manager is refreshed when a new app is added. How is this accomplished?

[ubacher]

The App manager is refreshed when a new app is added. How is this accomplished?
It does not seem from within the App manager code.

Ultimate question is: can the user trigger a reload via a script? (Other than writing a file into the user directory)
Sorry for this rather esoteric question.

[Mario]

The App Manager in IMatch monitors all apps for changes and reloads the apps affected by the change. This makes for a lot easier development ("hot reload").

You want to trigger a reload of what via a script? Of the App Manager app? When you change an app, the App Manager panel will reload automatically.

[ubacher]

.....monitors all apps for changes and reloads the apps

I was looking at the app manager code to see where/how this is done but I could not find it.

If I can trigger a reload then I can change the list of hidden apps externally.....

[Mario]

The refreshing is done by the App Manager running in IMatch. It is not related to the App Manager panel, which is just another app.

The hidden apps are considered private to the App Manager and you should not tinker with them from the outside.
The structure of how the App Manager app stores information about hidden apps has changed for IMatch 2018 and when you somehow consider manipulating the data store contents of the app manager from the outside - just don't. You may break things or cause side-effects you have no control over. The data stored by apps should be considered private.

[ubacher]

There are 20 System Apps, 20 Sample Apps, I have 49 Apps and I have 16 Apps from others.
That's a total of 105 Apps! Currently we can hide apps. This gives us only two sets of apps: all or one reduced set.
I find this limiting/inconvenient/space-wasting.

Because of this I had modified the app manager to allow me to select 4 Sets + All: System, Samples, Mine, Foreign.
(I posted this modification for the previous version.)

Now I thought it would be easier if I just create different sets of hidden files- imatch.appmanager.hiddenapps.ubach -
so I would not have to modify the app manager. Seems a legitimate/logical way to do it.
I have done this and it works. Only I will have to modify a file in the user directory to make the app manager reload the new set.
If the app-manager in IM2018 changes this it may break of course.

[Mario]

Just hide what you don't need and move the other apps to the top.
The IMatch 2018 App Manager can easily display 50 or more apps in very little space...

[Jingo]

There are 20 System Apps, 20 Sample Apps, I have 49 Apps and I have 16 Apps from others.
That's a total of 105 Apps! Currently we can hide apps. This gives us only two sets of apps: all or one reduced set.
I find this limiting/inconvenient/space-wasting.

Because of this I had modified the app manager to allow me to select 4 Sets + All: System, Samples, Mine, Foreign.
(I posted this modification for the previous version.)

Now I thought it would be easier if I just create different sets of hidden files- imatch.appmanager.hiddenapps.ubach -
so I would not have to modify the app manager. Seems a legitimate/logical way to do it.
I have done this and it works. Only I will have to modify a file in the user directory to make the app manager reload the new set.
If the app-manager in IM2018 changes this it may break of course.

I too had created new sets once I wrote the "hide/unhide" tweak for the appmanager as well.. then I realized I wasn't really using the majority of the apps so just hid them and never used my code again once the unhide feature became part of the standard.  I think this new thumbnail approach will make things even better.... and we might even be able to tweak the software to make the icons smaller for those of us with good eyesight still!

[Mario]

There are four icon sizes. The smallest icon size only shows the icons, without any text. Even 100 apps fit into a small app panel.
And you can of course always make Favorites for apps, to start them via a keyboard shortcut or mouse-click.

[Jingo]

Making me happy happy!!   

[Mario]

Making me happy happy!!   

Great. Start putting a few $ aside every month for the IMatch 2018 upgrade. I will make it worth it