For locating and accessing the extensions directory* hassle-free, the corresponding directory should be shown in the file default location preferences dialog also.
*RB: Sketchup.find_support_file(‘Plugins’)
Having the file default location preferences for the macOS version too seems to be obvious.
I would like to set a default location for where I store downloaded plugins.
First of all, there is (on Windows) a special user “Downloads” folder interface that can be changed to point at any folder. (Open explorer, navigate to your user home folder. Right click the “Downloads” icon, and choose “Properties” from the context-menu. Switch to the “Location” tab. Change the path to some other folder if you wish.)
Most browsers start out using this as their default downloads path after installation, when first run by any particular user account. But can be changed later, …
For extra-SketchUp downloading, this is set in the particular browser’s settings. (And affects all websites, not just EW or SketchUcation.) But you can set a different download folder for Chrome and MSIE, if you desire.
These per browser application settings do not affect the user setting for the special “Downloads” folder path (1st paragraph above.)
From inside SketchUp, the Extension Warehouse uses it’s own local Storage or the TEMP folder, and cleans up later it appears. (Ie, the installed RBZ does not go into the “Downloads” folder set by MSIE settings.)
For the SketchUcation PluginStore, a request would need to be made to TIG.
I already customized my Downloads directory. To specify particular folders, I opted to sprinkled folder shortcuts in useful places as a workaround of choice (r-click on folder > make shortcut > move shortcut link wherever.)
Any workaround still takes a few clicks when I go to Window > Preferences > Extensions > Install Extension.
Oh okay, yes that is bugged (on Windows.) It just goes to the last path used whatever the file extension was, even when it was not “rbz”. It is supposed to use the user’s last MRU saved path for “*.rbz”, but does not.
It used to work (the registry MRU paths,) using Ruby calls for UI::openpanel()
but got broken ~ SU2014 or so.
Anyway, what I did on Win 7 was create a custom folder at:
“C:\Users\Dan\Downloads\INSTALL\SketchUp\SketchUp Plugins Archive\
”
… and then went to my “Libraries” and created a new library that pointed at this folder.
So it always only ~ 2 clicks away in any file browser. The “Libraries” button is on the left (or in the tree in newer versions of Windows dialogs.)
Only the Mac parity afterthought in the OP, has actually been realized.
The main RfE in the title has not, and may never be implemented. The general idea for non-technie end users is that the extensions paths (ie application data) is hidden to most users, and only manipulated by the application and extension code.
This is the whole point behind the extension manager interfaces (SketchUcation PluginStore, Extension Manager/Warehouse, etc.)