# Description
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Windows traditionally limits many file operations to `MAX_PATH` (260
characters). Deeply nested plugin packages can exceed this limit during
`.whl` extraction, leaving files missing and causing the plugin to fail
to load.
This change adds a shared extended_path helper that prepares paths for
Windows file operations using the extended-length prefixes `\\?\` or
`\\?\UNC\`. The helper is used for ZIP archive I/O and extraction
destinations, including plugin wheel extraction. This avoids relying on
the Windows long-path setting, which changes machine-wide settings.
Paths remain unprefixed outside file operations. Code that bypasses the
shared ZIP helpers may still require separate long-path handling.
See [Microsoft's documentation on path length
limitation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/fileio/maximum-file-path-limitation?tabs=registry)
# Screenshots/Recordings/Graphs
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## Tests
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changes made in this PR.
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Tested on Windows 11 by using a portable installation of OrcaSlicer and
placing it in some really long filepath length e.g.
`C:/somename/<240 characters long folder path>/OrcaSlicer` and then
running and trying to install any plugin locally or on OrcaCloud.
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Ian Chua
cefdd9b609