Ghostscript portable and PDF thumbnails

[cicciobello]

I haven't installed Ghostscript because I prefer to have portable programs to mess up the operating system as little as possible.

However, I would like to see thumbnails of the PDF files.
I saw that from www.portableapps.com it's possible to download Ghostscript portable.

Can MP use it (in the portable version) to create thumbnails of PDF files?
Should it be copied/used to .\plugins\ or .\AddOn\?

It would be useful to use it with a relative path.

XnView MP 1.5.5
Windows 10 x64

[cday]

There have been a number of previous threads relating to this issue, which should show up in a forum search using the 'Google search...' option with search terms 'xnview portable ghostscript'.

The short answer, unless something has changed recently, is that as xnview software accesses Ghostscript via an environment variable created when the Ghostscript installer is run, portable software cannot access it when used on a computer on which Ghostscript has not been installed.

However, as I believe portable apps versions of both XnView MP (maybe not the latest release) and Ghostscript are available, in principle using both would be expected to provide portable PDF operation. If you test that could you please report back!

[cicciobello]

I've already tried twice at different times (but not recently), with older versions of MP. I've tried every way I know, but I haven't solved anything.

I asked because I was hoping that something had changed in the latest releases of MP. Maybe a switch/variable, a starting option, etc.

I'd like to see PDF previews, but I don't want to install Ghostscript on every one of my computers just for that. Furthermore, I much prefer the portable versions (which I also use locally and from my NAS) and I also put them on a USB stick to use on other computers, on which obviously I can't install anything. Maybe... in future MP's releases.

[cday]

The PortableApps possibility not interesting?

If Ghostscript is only available as an installer there possibly isn't a solution that Pierre could use.

[cicciobello]

The PortableApps possibility not interesting?

Please read my previous messages.

I tried various ways and several times with various versions of MP, both using .\Addon\ and .\plugins\, but I didn't solve anything.
On one of my PCs I have Ghostscript 10.01.2 x64 installed and this allows you to view PDF previews.
But I don't want and can't install Ghostscript on all the computers on which I use MP (always portable and also from USB stick), so I was hoping to use Ghostscript portable (Portableapps version). But I couldn't get MP to see it.

[cday]

The PortableApps possibility not interesting?

Please read my previous messages.

I'm not sure that you were clear about whether you had tried PortableApps XnView with PortableApps GS, still not sure whether that simply doesn't interest you...

... I was hoping to use Ghostscript portable (Portableapps version). But I couldn't get MP to see it.

Possibly Pierre could interface with the PortableApps GS utility if he tried, subject to any possible rights problem...

[cicciobello]

I'm not sure that you were clear about whether you had tried PortableApps XnView with PortableApps GS, still not sure whether that simply doesn't interest you...

It's easy to write only. If I didn't care, I wouldn't take the time to write here.
I also tried today with MP 1.5.5. No result. Here MP works only with the Ghostscript version installed directly. But maybe I did it because I have time to waste.

When you use the Portableapps version, you can find everything in the same directory. How can you get MP to use that version? Bah... Forget it.

[cday]

When you use the Portableapps version, you can find everything in the same directory. How can you get MP to use that version?

When XnView software is programmed to look for the environment variable, it would in principle need to be programmed to also check for the PortableApps utility, if it could interface with it, and subject to any rights issues, wouldn't it?

[cicciobello]

I don't have PortableApps.com Platform installed (actually 26.1), just the programs that interest me. Ghostscript from PortableApps unpacks everything into a directory (/S), but MP doesn't see it, neither in .\AddOn\ nor in .\plugins\. PortableApps Platform probably creates environment variables suitable for this purpose, but I prefer to install the various programs on their own.

I could create the necessary environment variable on my computers (as I do for other things), but I can't do it on computers on which I use portable programs from USB sticks. A dedicated batch file would unfortunately work in VDM only.
It would be nice if MP looked for Ghostscript in .\AddOn\ (like it does for FaceTag) to use it as if it were installed, but I've seen that not work.
I don't know if this is due to technical or licensing issues. In any case, I use MP 98% for images, so never mind the PDFs, which I will open with a specific program based on the file name.