Snagit Accessory Installer
I’ve used Snagit from TechSmith for a year or so now and despite not being free it is without a doubt the best screen capture software I’ve used and I recommend it to anyone that asks me about screen capture software.This post actually isn’t about any of it’s screen capture capabilities but part of their installation. Snagit allows you to install what are called “accessories” (aka plugins) to add additional capabilities to the software. In fact, I’m writing this post with their WordPress.com accessory.
Plugins are certainly not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination, but what impressed me about TechSmith’s implementation is the installation process. Plugins aren’t normally a user-friendly concept because they usually involve putting files in special locations or doing special configuration.
TechSmith take away this complexity by registering a file extension (*.snagacc). These files are effectively a Zip file containing the DLLs and any dependencies of the plugin as well as a “manifest” containing information about the plugin. This file extension is registered to Snagit and the result is that simply double-clicking the *.snagacc file does all of the copying and configuration necessary for that plugin.
