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Error adding Just Color Picker to external tools menu

Software & Tools
#1

Edited a working pbitools.json to create one for Just Color Picker but get an “invalid json error” when PBIDesktop opens. Cannot see what is wrong with my json (posted) Or is the problem that the executable cannot be called in this manner (not a website)?

{
“version”: “5.5.0.0”,
“name”: “Just Color Picker”,
“description”: “Pick colors and create palates”,
“path”: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Just Color Picker\jcpicker.exe”,
“arguments”:“English”,
“iconData”: “data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABAAAAAQCAYAAAAf8/9hAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAARnQU1BAACxjwv8YQUAAAAJcEhZcwAAFiUAABYlAUlSJPAAAADmSURBVDhPpZIhDsJAEEXHg8eiqhDchUNA0AgcwaHQDQIBBo3lBCTcAUnCCeqGfdNOU5K2W+hPNrMzs//P73alA7SIv2E2F11uRpAtkuedCJy43ie6TacmQCSPCtHk4O4w0ctprM/r0ASI5NTp14o4OT0mRtCb2Aqtck+dfq0I9pjg5Ows+lrkAkRyF+GTivvJ4dOx6eTHQPQeyKFtkdxFOPflAjVUfToTIVUFWNTrXNihHqu7g/eq4R563wFA7e+/ANxF7B10ekxMwCaEULZITr2R7KCJPRcKpZJIvZVchQuFbQtR5AN9h2l6cfujGwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==”
}

#2

@paidcritic,

Welcome to the forum - great to have you here! Awesome idea to add Just Color Picker to the External Tools Menu. I modified your JSON file, and got it working just fine:

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However, I don’t have the expertise that @samaguire does to automate the install with Powershell, so you will need to modify the pathnames for the .exe and .txt files manually within the attached JSON file.

I hope this is helpful.

1 Like
#3

Thanks Brian. And for the excellent video on configuring the external tools.

2 Likes
#4

Spooky. I was looking at this app the other day.

I should be able to whip something up for that. :+1:

#5

Thanks! – that would be awesome. This app is just a huge convenience and timesaver when dealing with hex codes and color themes. I’ve actually done a couple of videos focused on this app, and am amazed it never occurred to me to put it on the External Tools menu until @paidcritic’s initial post.

BTW - thanks again for the most recent version of the PracticeDataset external tool. I literally use that thing every day.

  • Brian
#6

Hi Brian

Try this:

Thanks! (Regarding the dataset.) It was an opportunity to do something a bit different and practice PowerShell.

2 Likes
#7

@samaguire,

Thanks! As always, this is great.

What would be your recommended resources for someone who wants to learn to do these types of things in PowerShell?

— Brian

#8

Great to see other elements that can be added in to the External Tools area, but could someone enlighten me as to how to get this installed?

I simply do not have the knowledge and background to do this.

David

#9

@David,

Sorry - I should have been clearer about that. For the Just Color Picker tool, go to @samaguire’s GitHub link above and download the top 2 files listed:

image
image889×672 42.2 KB

Close PBI and copy these to the following directory (you will need Administrator privileges to your machine):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Power BI Desktop\External Tools

(Note: I install the 64-bit version of PBI manually. If you install the 32-bit version or install via the Windows store, this directory may change - the key is to search for the External Tools folder).

When you reopen PBI, the tool should be installled.

To help you make the most of the External Tools menu and get your toolbar looking like this:

image
image1354×189 42.8 KB

check out the recent video I did on YouTube:

I hope this is helpful.

  • Brian
1 Like
#10

Brian,

Many thanks for your reply and I have got this loaded now. Just need to get the practise data done now (one for the New Year though!)

I had looked at your videos get the M Formatter & Reference tools!

image

Many thanks

David

1 Like
#11

@David,

:+1:. The Practice Dataset used to be kind of a pain to install, but @samaguire’s revision makes it super simple – it’s exactly the same process now as installing Just Color Picker.

Here’s the link:

Also, I would really encourage you to give Analyst Hub a go if you’re not already using it. @sam.mckay and his development team have really built a fantastic productivity app, which gets even better with every new release. There’s currently a free month-long trial period where you can test the full functionality of the app. That’s definitely one of the ones on my External Tools menu I use the most frequently.

  • Brian
1 Like
#12

Hi Brian

I just Google, especially for some of the more technical stuff. But I’ve always been deep into writing Excel macros and T-SQL scripts. So picked things up quickly from a logic point of view.

MS Learn now has some free learning which looks like a good intro.

Introduction to PowerShell - Learn | Microsoft Docs

1 Like
#13

Hi @BrianJ & everyone else.

I talked to the app creator and got a clean version of the app icon without the white background. I’ve included this in a new release.

#14

@samaguire,

Very cool. Was he surprised that you’d turned this into an external tool, and how many fans of JCP there are in this forum? I wondered if s/he saw a spike in his downloaded numbers and wondered what was going on?

Thanks!

  • Brian
#16

She I believe (Anny). They didn’t enquire or say anything. But were very quick to help. So i’m taing that as a positive.

I did provide a link back to the forum and a snip of the tool in Power BI Desktop.

Haven’t heard back as yet.

:grin:

#17

Wow. Thank-you both - this is way more than I expected and is appreciated.

2 Likes
#18

Hi All (@BrianJ)

Anny’s put out a new version of Just Color Picker. This was specifically to address the saving of spaces in the colour codes when saving the code list. This means you don’t need to remove the spaces in the colour codes when grabbing them from the saved colour code list!

A big thank you to Anny who made that change specifically for us!

I’ve made a new version of the extension. So, jump onto GitHub and grab the new files. https://github.com/samaguire/PBIdesktop-JustColorPicker/releases/latest

Stephen

1 Like
#19

@samaguire,

That’s awesome! I just dropped Anny a note to thank her for making that change as well. I’ll be sure to let you know when I hear back from her.

Thanks so much for making the change to the external tool. This whole story totally made my day.

  • Brian
2 Likes
#20

@samaguire,

FYI – just to close the loop, I got a super nice message back from Anny earlier:

image
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3 Likes
#21

I made some changes. The bin file is no longer required as the script will grab the app directly from Anny’s site when it isn’t found locally, or an updated version is detected.

Enjoy! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

1 Like