Gimp on load and plug ins

Software GIMP
1

Hi. I’d like to know if it’s possible to prevent Gimp on load from checking new plug ins. If it is, could you tell me how? I have no idea about programming, I’m just a regular user.

If the question is not for this type of forum or category, could you please tell me where can I find that info?

Thanks.

2

Not as far as I know.

But what would you want to do that? By default Gimp checks for plugins in very specific places: your user profile and the Gimp installation. These aren’t places where files pop at random, and if there is nothing new this is very quick, because Gimp checks the date stamps of the files against the current registration data. If it takes too long, it means there are files there that aren’t plugins and should be moved elsewhere (or Gimp loses its registration data for some reason and does everything from scratch, but this is what should be fixed).

If that still bothers you, you can remove your own profile from the list of explored folders (see Preferences > Folders > Plug-ins), but you cannot remove Gimp’s own installed plug-ins folder (otherwise many things won’t work, starting with the inability to open files).

3

Thanks. So I guess Gimp is losing records because sometimes (not always) it takes too much time on loading, considering it had been no changes since it was first installed (no extensions or updates, and the PC software has been always the same). It only happens with every new PC session. So after I turn off the PC, Gimp might be losing records.

4

When Gimp scans for plugins, it shows the “discovered” plugins in the splash screen. So if you don’t see the plugins scanned there, it is something else. The plugin registration data is kept in the pluginrc file in your Gimp profile. An entry looks like this:

(plug-in-def "${gimp_plug_in_dir}/plug-ins/colorify/colorify" 1680988215
    (proc-def "plug-in-colorify" 1
         "Replace all colors with shades of a specified color"
         "Makes an average of the RGB channels and uses it to set the color"
         "Francisco Bustamante"
         "Francisco Bustamante"
         "1.1"
         "Colorif_y..."
         0
        (icon icon-name -1 "")
         "RGB*"
         4 0
        (proc-arg 0 "run-mode" "The run mode { RUN-INTERACTIVE (0), RUN-NONINTERACTIVE (1) }")
        (proc-arg 13 "image" "Input image")
        (proc-arg 16 "drawable" "Input drawable")
        (proc-arg 10 "color" "Color to apply")))

The first line describes the executable file that hold the plugin:

  • ${gimp_plug_in_dir}/ represents where Gimp is installed (this is a standard plugin
  • /plug-ins/colorify/colorify gives the rest of the path name to the file.
  • 1680988215 is the last modification date of the file (seconds since 1970-01-01 00:00:00, so here Sat 08 Apr 2023 23:10:15 CEST)

When Gimp scan files, if it finds that a file last modification date is the same as the recorded one, it doesn’t update the registration data and skips it.

Of course if the pluginrc has disappeared, the scan is redone from scratch (but as said above, you will see files listed in the splash screen). Knowing where you Gimp profile is, you can also check that the file stays around when Gimp ends.

Gimp is however more sensitive to the number of assets (brushes, patterns, gradients, palettes…) because it build lists fresh each time. There are ways to switch sets of assets in and out Gimp’s scope to speed up the startup.

5

Ok. If it doesn’t matter extensions’ records are rebuilt each time (in my case I think is a PC configuration issue), is there a way to prevent Gimp from searching for new extensions on first load?
(Right now I’m not near my PC but I 'll check registry files later, as you suggest, thanks for the explanation!!)

6

is there a way to prevent Gimp from searching for new extensions on first load

None I know of