Fix Broken Anki Add-ons for latest Anki by Shige

Hello! I’m developer Shige. I’m repairing broken add-ons on the latest Anki. So far I fixed about 50+ add-ons for free. If you have any broken add-ons in the latest Anki feel free to contact me so I can look into it.

Q & A

Fix Broken Anki Add-ons for latest Anki by Shige
- Q & A

Q. Are you an official Anki?

I’m not related to official Anki, just an Anki geek.

Q. Doesn’t official Anki fix add-ons?

Official Anki does not support add-ons. Basically add-ons are developed by individual volunteers.

Q. What does broken add-ons mean?

It means that the add-on has an error and cannot be used.

Q. Can you fix anything?

I can only minimally fix add-ons that don’t work with the latest Anki. I cannot fix known problems or add new features.

Q. Do I need to pay to request a fix?

No, basically I repair all broken add-ons for free.

Q. Why is it free?

I develop as a hobby and I develop with the support by patrons. If you want to support my volunteer development, you can support me on Patreon.

Q. If I support you on Patreon what are the benefits?

If you support me, you will get exclusive add-ons for patreon. I’m developing a variety of add-ons for gamification of learning.

Q. What is the purpose of the repair?

Basically to learn how to develop. I collect add-ons as a hobby and use the code and ideas as a reference for my development. In the long run I expect that more challenging add-ons will be repairable or developable.

Q. Can you fix the add-on I’m using?

I don’t know until I look into it. Please send me the name or URL of the add-ons.

Q. How can I contact you?

You can contact me through Reddit, AnkiForums, Github, Patreon, this youtube, etc. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Q. Do you have the information needed for the repair?

If you have these please send them to me:

Debug info
Device name (Win, Mac, Lunux)
Anki version

Q. How long does it take to repair?

I don’t know until I try to repair it. If it is easy, it can be repaired in a day, but if it is difficult sometimes it can take up to 6 months.

Q. Why can’t you fix it in a day?

Many add-ons are very simple code, if so I can often fix them quickly.

Q. Why does it sometimes take six months?

To fix it, I need to understand how add-on works. If it is very complicated it will take months to read the code little by little.

Q. What can be fixed?

Basically, I fix add-ons whose development has been abandoned.

Q. What are the add-ons that cannot be fixed?

Here are the cases that cannot be fixed:

too difficult to fix
the original author is active
paid add-ons

Q. What do you mean by too difficult?

The problem is too complicated add-ons cannot be fixed. For example an add-on that only supports V2 scheduler can be made to support V3. It may be possible in the future.

Q. Why not fix it if the author is active?

If the original author is active they should fix it. So please contact the original author for known problems or new function requests.

Q. What if the original developer couldn’t fix it?

In many case, problems that have not been solved by active developers are either too difficult or too time consuming, so I can’t fix it either.

Q. Why not fix the paid add-ons?

Technically possible, but if we make them free their revenue will decrease and there will be fewer long term developers. So I think it is not very good for Anki’s sustainable ecosystem.

Q. Can you add new features?

Basically I do not accept the development of new features because it is too difficult, but popular add-ons may be added.

Q. Why do add-ons break?

Anki for desktop is actively developed and new versions are released about every few months. Sometimes there are compatibility issues with add-ons, so add-ons need to be maintained regularly.

Q. Then if I don’t update Anki won’t add-ons be broken?

Yes, but the latest version of Anki adds many useful features, so many users and developers always prefer to use the new Anki.

Q. Why don’t developers update add-ons?

In many cases learners develop add-ons to make their learning more efficient. When they are busy with exams or work, they are not able to develop add-ons.

Q. Why don’t other developers solve simple problems?

When the author is inactive, the add-on cannot be updated and needs to be re-uploaded, so even if the repair is easy, it takes time to re-upload the add-ons.

Q. Why don’t any developers cooperate to fix add-ons?

Anki developers are cooperating to develop Anki for desktop or AnkiDroid. The add-ons are not important because the number of users is relatively very small.

Q. Can we fix other people’s add-ons without their permission?

Yes, developers are free to use Anki’s add-ons under the license and Anki’s Terms of Use. (Open Source, AGPL). But must comply with the license and give credit

That’s all about repairs. If you have any broken add-ons feel free to contact me. Thank you!