I have a plugin (still CEP and being converted to UXP) that is very niche-specific so the target user base is fairly small. At the same time, the plugin has a steep learning curve and isn’t the type of plugin that the user can just install, click and start using without some training.
So for this plugin, I’m really not wanting to promote it to the entire world. Most people who install it without training would have no idea what to do with it anyway. However, I really do like the way the marketplace installers work and it makes managing updates easy for the users. From the feedback from my userbase, most people prefer the marketplace distribution over CCX files.
Would there be a way in the future to have “unlisted” marketplace entries so that people just browsing the marketplace would not see specific plugins? Only users who had a link to the plugin would be able to find it and install it?
That’s an interesting use case – basically like Google Docs sharing by URL – not searchable otherwise, but anyone who has the link can use it?
I’m assuming the idea here is that you’d have additional assets on your website that help train the user, and then uses a deep link to link to the marketplace for the install.
Love this! We’re having some internal discussions around this as well. What kind of access control do you want to have with this? Should anyone with the link be able to “acquire” the plugin? Is there an explicit invitation sent? Password protected link? etc.
Nothing is hidden. Everything is available on the website. However, for the most part only people in this niche industry will find the website for the most part. I am heavily involved in the volume youth sports photography industry so most people find it though trade shows, facebook groups, etc that I am involved with.
I have tutorials on the website and a facebook support group for the users. This plugin generates a ton of tech support just because of all of the different things it can do and the high volume of work users do with it. It is a volume automation CEP panel for youth sports photography automation for auto compositing, memory mates creation, text data replacement through CSV files, etc.
Just based on the tech support demand that comes with it, I just want to keep everything on my website and not expand the user base on this plugin too much.
Really, I don’t need anything special for access other than I would like to not have it show up in the general plugin search. It’s not a “secret” plugin and anyone access it directly from my website. All licenses are already being sold on my website (currently it is CEP). I just don’t want to showcase this particular plugin anywhere else outside of my website.
I could always just distribute as a CCX. However, the installer and update management system through the marketplace works very well so I’d just like to be able to use that without the plugin showing up on main “browse plugins” area.
I don’t have any timing for you, but this is something we’ll be looking at more closely as we plan for 2022.