Unable to finish submission to App Store due to strange User folder Addin Error

[0001des]

Hi all,

I'm finishing up my first App Store plugin.  I submitted it to the app store a few times now, and they keep rejecting it and saying that they get this error message:

"External Tools - Add-in Assembly Not Found.  Failed to initialize the add-in "Menu Title" because the assembly "C:\Users\RevitSubmissionTesterUser...\MyPlugin.dll does not exist."

First off, I never get this message on any of the machines I install my app.  I've tried it on a dozen machines, without any error.

Second, in the Autodesk App Store requirements, it states that all apps will be installed in the "ApplicationPlugins" folder in the C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ folder.  I setup my .bundle to reside in the "ApplicationPlugins" folder, as they specified.  It appears from the error message that the Autodesk App Store submission tester sent me, he is running my plugin from his user folder, which I cannot understand how he is doing that, because the installer that they made only appears to be installing my plugin in the "ApplicationPlugin" folder, as it is supposed to be.  I reminded the tester that he shouldn't be running our app from his User folder (because there is no way for Revit to find our plugin without it being in the Addins or ApplicationPlugin folder), but he suggested I post my question to you all here in this forum.  

Any ideas?  

[Troy_Gates]

Can you post a screenshot of your folder/file structure and the contents of your .addin file? They would be helpful.

[0001des]

I assembled my plugin into the .bundle format described in the Autodesk App Store submission specifications.  It is properly assembled in the .bundle, and not only that, when I download the .msi that they compiled for our App Store submission, it install properly on all my machines in all version of Revit 2015-2017 perfectly.  Mine installed properly in the ApplicationPlugin folder.  

I have not been able to reproduce the App Store error.  I just get an email from the App Store Tester with a screen shot of the error message I put up in my original post.  

Since it works on my computers, I'm not sure why they are getting a "user folder" error.

[stever66]

I had the same problem on the first app I sent in.   It didn't install in the folder I expected.  

But I'm confused -  if it can't find the dll, that means the addin doesn't point to the right folder.  But autodesk makes the addin files for App Store addins right?   It's been a little while since I submitted one.

Anyhow, I think it's better to have addin files point to the current directory instead of a hard path.   I think the syntax is ../ filename instead of c:\folder\file....

You can also something similar inside your programs if they need to load image or other files.  There is a command to find the current directory, and you can use string commands to change that to a complete file name.

that way, as long as all files are put in the same directory, it should work.

IN short, try to make your programs so they aren't dependent on the install path.  

[0001des]

I'm already using relative paths in my addin file.  Not only does it work on my machine, but it works on any machine I test it on.  

My addin is located in the same place as my dll.  The .bundle is managed by the xml, which Autodesk provides for me.  So I can't control what that is doing.  All I can control is the .bundle folder structure and the addin file, which is written below.

Here's my addin text:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RevitAddIns>
<AddIn Type="Application">
<Assembly id="AssemblyPath">.\Product_Menu_Coding2017.dll</Assembly>
<Name>Plugin Menu</Name>
<ClientId>cd9b7639-3a96-4df4-36a3-d165ac1e99d6</ClientId>
<FullClassName>PluginMC</FullClassName>
<Text>PluginMC</Text>
<VendorId>0001DLLC</VendorId>
<VendorDescription>0001D LLC, www.0001design.com</VendorDescription>
<VisibilityMode>AlwaysVisible</VisibilityMode>
</AddIn>
</RevitAddIns>

I'm not sure what to do.  Clearly, the Autodesk Tester is doing something different than the .msi installer that they provided me.  So I'm not sure why they are installing it in their user folder, instead of having it only in the ApplicationPlugin folder.  In order for that to occur, they must be copying and pasting files or something, because when I use the .msi installer, it doesn't give me the option to save my plugin bundle anywhere but the ApplicationPlugin folder.   I'm terribly confused.

[stever66]

I'm confused also.  If it works on computers you have never installed it on before, it sounds like it should be fine.

The person that checked my program was more helpful.  I think he even offered to do a video chat or something similar when I had a problem, but I managed to figure it out anyway.  The autodesk installer put mine in a really odd directory.  Something like;

C:\Users\All Users\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\Program Name.bundle\Contents\Source

I can't remember for sure if it put the application and the supporting bitmaps for the ribbon panel in the same directory. 

[0001des]

I'm growing more and more upset with the App Store testing process.  It takes many days for them to respond.  After several days of me responding that I cannot figure out the issue they are getting, I get this message from them:

"Sorry for the inconvenience regarding installation it was an issue in my machine got it fixed."

WHA?  Sent me on some wild goose chase and told me to post my "problem" to the API forum, and it was some issue on their end.  This held up my product for over a week.