[MU4] Plugins actualization

[Eism]

Resolves: #10812

[jeetee]

Is the ABC Import(Export) plugin coming in a different PR?
If there won't be a musescore hosted webservice like ABC_import.qml used to use and there is an expectancy to use local tools instead; will MuseScore bundle those tools?

[Eism]

@jeetee
The best solution would be to make requests to the server(as it was in the previous version). Do you know why the server is not available?

[Jojo-Schmitz]

No, we don't. See also https://musescore.org/en/node/304539
It might be a server that @lasconic had set up, not sure (he authored the plugin code for sure).
As it is 'just' running a python script (from https://wim.vree.org/svgParse/abc2xml.html), it should quite easy to provide that service directly from musescore.com?

Or integrate https://musescore.org/en/project/abcimpex, as #10812 suggests

[jeetee]

An advantage to the offline approach is that it works when offline (hello, I'm captain obvious!).
The CON to me is having to provide/support the local version of the tool then (including the eventual python environment) which seems like a fairly big bundling on our side.

The advantage of the server approach is ease of plugin installation for the user. If we go that route I feel hosting the service at .org or .com makes a lot of sense, to be able to fix server issues like the current plugin is having.
Self-hosting might also open up the ability for export as well?

Another option (the most clean and preferred imho, but almost certainly not for 4.0) is to translate that tool into C++ and make ABC a built-in import/export format.

[Eism]

@jeetee I agree with you
@Tantacrul Do we need this plugin in 4.0 or can we delay the implementation?

[Jojo-Schmitz]

A full integration into MuseScore might be something for (after) the Qt 6 switch, as there AFAIK Python can get used directly by the framework, is an integral part of Qt? @cbjeukendrup might know more about this.

For now a service on musescore.com seems rather low hanging fruit to me? Adjusting the plugin code would be very easy for sure. And would even help 3.x users.

[Tantacrul]

@jeetee I agree with you

@Tantacrul Do we need this plugin in 4.0 or can we delay the implementation?

I think it is fine to delay this one until you have an ideal technical solution. Can you create a separate task for it and we'll bump to 4.x?

[MarcSabatella]

I have only minimal experience with AppSpot, but I suspect it’s something very simple to recreate. I know something similar can be done through GitHub - GitHub.io, I think? I can try to look into this.

[jeetee]

FYI: I just got a basic python "hello world" enabled on my server, so I might be able to run the convertor (perhaps even both directions) in the coming week(s) via https://musescore.jeetee.net/

I'd still prefer a .org hosted version, but due to the amount of users complaining about the current plugin failures it can act as a duct tape stop-gap intermediate solution

[EDIT]: Got it functional, see https://musescore.org/en/node/304539#comment-1130579 for now.

[Tantacrul]

@jeetee - I think we can sort that out!

DM me and we'll figure out the details