Add an UI for Managing Plugins & Settings

[dhruv-sherathia]

Summary

QuickLook currently runs with no visible UI, exposing only a tray icon and a context menu. While this minimal design aligns with the app’s philosophy, it makes plugin management and configuration difficult for users who are not comfortable navigating the file system or manually editing folders. An optional, lightweight UI would improve usability without compromising QuickLook’s core simplicity.

Problem

Managing plugins requires several manual steps:

• Installing plugins requires selecting a .qlplugin file and pressing Space, then restarting QuickLook.
• Removing or upgrading plugins requires quitting QuickLook, navigating to the data directory, and manually deleting or replacing plugin folders.
• There is no built‑in way to:
  • View which plugins are installed
  • Check plugin versions
  • Enable/disable plugins
  • Update plugins
  • Change QuickLook settings (startup behavior, hotkeys, etc.)

For many users, this workflow is unintuitive and error‑prone.

Proposed Solution

Introduce a minimal, optional UI panel accessible from the tray icon (e.g., “Open QuickLook Settings…”). This panel could include:

1. Plugin Manager

• List installed plugins
• Show plugin name, version, and description
• Buttons to:
  • Enable/disable
  • Update
  • Remove
  • Install new plugin (drag‑and‑drop or file picker)

2. Basic Settings

• Toggle “Run at Startup”
• Configure hotkeys
• Choose preview behavior (e.g., auto‑play videos, default zoom)
• View data folder location

3. About / Diagnostics

• QuickLook version
• Plugin folder path
• Log viewer (optional)

Why This Matters

• Reduces friction for new users
• Eliminates manual file operations
• Makes plugin discovery and maintenance easier
• Improves transparency (users can see what’s installed and running)
• Aligns QuickLook with modern Windows UX expectations while keeping the preview experience lightweight

Non‑Goals

• Not requesting a full application window or heavy UI
• Not changing the core preview behavior
• Not replacing the tray menu, only extending it

Additional Context

QuickLook’s plugin system is powerful but currently hidden behind manual steps. A small UI would make the feature more accessible and help the project scale as more plugins are created.