How do you add tool plugins to MO2? (the puzzle piece button)

[Brambleshire]

Hello,

How does one correctly add plugin tools to MO2? All instructions I have found say to simply copy and paste your .py or whatever it is into the /plugins folder, then it shows up in the puzzle piece button along with BSA packer and FNIS. However in my case, nothing happens and the tools do not show up. 

I'm trying to do the NGIO grass precache with the GrassPrecacher.py.

**Addendum: Idk if this matters, but I was trying to do this on my 2nd instance of MO2. Strangely there was no /plugin folder in it, so I created one. In my 1st instance of MO2, there was a /plugin folder, but Grassprecacher.py wouldn't show up in that one either. 

Please let me know if there's any other information you need from me. Thank you in advance to anyone who may have time to point me in the right direction!

Edited May 6 by Brambleshire

[DoubleYou]

I think the GrassPrecacher.py might be incompatible with the latest version of MO2. I haven't checked myself, as I haven't updated. Consider just using the manual method outlined on the NGIO mod page.

[Brambleshire]

On the NGIO nexus page, in the section about precache, there are two expendables. One for MO2, and one for "not MO2". Is the "not MO2" procedure the one your referring to as the manual method?

Also, for MO2 tools in general, is simply copy and pasting them into the /plugins folder the correct way to install them? Generally that should work? 

Thanks for responding so quickly. Your really saving me many hours of time wasting!

[DoubleYou]

Well, looking at the page now, it looks like the plugin was updated, so maybe it just isn't working for you for whatever reason. You need to restart MO2 after placing it there, so maybe that's what you missed. At any rate, if you can't get the plugin to work, the not MO2 instructions will work for you.

[GSDFan]

To get to any of the important folders just click on the folder icon above the mods panel and right of the Profile selector. The plugins folder is third from the bottom.

[z929669]

3 hours ago, Brambleshire said:

Also, for MO2 tools in general, is simply copy and pasting them into the /plugins folder the correct way to install them? Generally that should work?

Yes. I just open the folder location in Explorer along with the archive and drag/drop.

I just installed it myself this way in MO 2.5.1rc2.

Keep in mind that you must also have the Main File installed, but that has nothing to do with seeing the precache operation in the MO Tools menu.

If you are using MO in portable mode, you could be installing into the wrong portable installation.

We recommend instanced mode and describe that in the SSG on the wiki.

[Brambleshire]

9 hours ago, z929669 said:

Yes. I just open the folder location in Explorer along with the archive and drag/drop.

Thank you! Well at least I know I got that part down.

But I have to ask, What do you mean "wrong portable installation?" Do you mean I must have used portable instead of global? 
I'm definitely using instances. I have two. I believe they are both global, but is there a way to check?

[z929669]

1 hour ago, Brambleshire said:

Thank you! Well at least I know I got that part down.

But I have to ask, What do you mean "wrong portable installation?" Do you mean I must have used portable instead of global? 
I'm definitely using instances. I have two. I believe they are both global, but is there a way to check?

If you have only one ModOrganizer.exe, then you are running instanced mode as we recommend. If you have several different installs, each with a ModOrganizer.exe for each game you are running, then you are using portable 'instances'. In that case, then you could have multiple MO\plugins folders, one for each portable install.

If you are using MO2 2.5.1rc2 in instanced mod, then I can confirm that dropping GrassPrecacher.py into your plugins folder should work.

[Brambleshire]

Yes. I have one Modorganizer.exe. And I have two Instances, each with their own /plugins folders, (+ downloads, mods, profiles, etc). However I still cant get grassprecacher to show up as a tool. 

I would want to try the manual way, but the instructions given on the NGIO page is extremely vague and indecipherable. I'll see if they will reply to a comment.

[GSDFan]

4 hours ago, Brambleshire said:

However I still cant get grassprecacher to show up as a tool

So, after you download the archive and extract GrassPrecacher.py to the Mod organizer\plugins folder you do not see the following:

On 5/7/2024 at 3:54 PM, z929669 said:

If you are using MO2 2.5.1rc2 in instanced mod, then I can confirm that dropping GrassPrecacher.py into your plugins folder should work.

Also works in the portable instance.

[z929669]

6 hours ago, Brambleshire said:

Yes. I have one Modorganizer.exe. And I have two Instances, each with their own /plugins folders, (+ downloads, mods, profiles, etc). However I still cant get grassprecacher to show up as a tool.

If you have two plugins folders, then something is amiss. This is not possible if you have one MO installation that is instanced for different games and/or mod lists.

I recommend that you delete all MO installations (first uninstall via Windows, and then remove all other MO folders), and reinstall a single 'instance' of MO. You do not need to remove your MO mod instances and profiles. Those are not MO installations. They are just MO instances and profiles. Have a look at the SSG as a reference to how MO should be installed.From what you describe, you have > 1 MO installations and are thus using MO portable installs at least in part.

This is probably why the GrassPrecacher.py isn't working ... you probably installed it into a MO installation that does not apply to your SSE setup.

[Brambleshire]

18 hours ago, GSDFan said:

So, after you download the archive and extract GrassPrecacher.py to the Mod organizer\plugins folder you do not see the following:

Affirmative. I just see BSA packer, FNIS, and INI Editor

17 hours ago, z929669 said:

If you have two plugins folders, then something is amiss.

Wellll.....
Just to make sure we're clear.
I have one installation of MO2 with one modorganizer2.exe. This is located at C:/Modding/ModdingTools/Mod Organizer. 
I have another instance of MO2 at C:/Modding/ModdingTools/Mod Organizer B.
/Mod Organizer B is the main instance now for my current build. (The first instance was my first attempt at a STEP+ build that I gave up on. I started over with a new instance, "Mod Organizer B".)

When I went to install the grass precache, the instructions on the NGIO page says to put it in your plugins folder. I saw that my /Mod Organizer B didn't even have a plugins folder. I assumed that I accidentally deleted it or something, so I copy and pasted the plugin folder from /Mod Organizer to /Mod Organizer B and put the GrassPrecacher.py in there. 
I also noticed that  GrassPrecacher.py was already in my original instance /Mod Organizer. However, the grassprecacher doesn't show up in that instance either. 

Let me know if that makes sense.

17 hours ago, z929669 said:

I recommend that you delete all MO installations

Would this mean I need to start my build from all over?
 

 

Edited May 9 by Brambleshire

[Brambleshire]

Well I've fixed it. I removed grassprecacher.py from /Mod Organizer B/plugins , and put it in /Mod Organizer/plugins which is the original instance and the one that contains the MO2.exe. Voila, suddenly it works! I SWEAR that both plugins folders had grassprecacher.py, I SWEAR. But I guess I may have cut instead of copied at some point or something. Anyhow, thank you Z for giving me the hint that lead me to the solution. Don't ask why it took me 3 days to figure this out lmao. Nothing is obvious when you know so little!

[z929669]

4 hours ago, Brambleshire said:

Well I've fixed it. I removed grassprecacher.py from /Mod Organizer B/plugins , and put it in /Mod Organizer/plugins which is the original instance and the one that contains the MO2.exe. Voila, suddenly it works! I SWEAR that both plugins folders had grassprecacher.py, I SWEAR. But I guess I may have cut instead of copied at some point or something. Anyhow, thank you Z for giving me the hint that lead me to the solution. Don't ask why it took me 3 days to figure this out lmao. Nothing is obvious when you know so little!

Glad you got it working. Yes, it was probably something very insignificant but with the significant effect of throwing you off