diff --git a/contrib/hugin.lua b/contrib/hugin.lua
index 9008b15..c8106eb 100644
--- a/contrib/hugin.lua
+++ b/contrib/hugin.lua
@@ -28,7 +28,9 @@ ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE NEEDED FOR THIS SCRIPT
 * hugin
 
 USAGE
-* require this file from your main luarc config file.
+* require this file from your main luarc config file
+* set the hugin tool paths (on some platforms)
+* if hugin gui mode is used, save the final result in the tmp directory with the first file name and _pano as suffix for the image to be automatically imported to DT afterwards
 
 This plugin will add a new storage option and calls hugin after export.
 ]]
@@ -38,35 +40,54 @@ local df = require "lib/dtutils.file"
 require "official/yield"
 local gettext = dt.gettext
 
+local namespace = 'module_hugin'
+local user_pref_str = 'prefer_gui'
+local user_prefer_gui = dt.preferences.read(namespace, user_pref_str, "bool")
+local hugin_widget = nil
+local exec_widget = nil
+local executable_table = {"hugin", "hugin_executor", "pto_gen"}
+
 -- works with darktable API version from 2.0.0 to 5.0.0
-dt.configuration.check_version(...,{2,0,0},{3,0,0},{4,0,0},{5,0,0})
+dt.configuration.check_version(...,{5,0,0})
 
 -- Tell gettext where to find the .mo file translating messages for a particular domain
 gettext.bindtextdomain("hugin",dt.configuration.config_dir.."/lua/locale/")
 
 local function _(msgid)
-    return gettext.dgettext("hugin", msgid)
+  return gettext.dgettext("hugin", msgid)
+end
+
+local function user_preference_changed(widget)
+  user_prefer_gui = widget.value
+  dt.preferences.write(namespace, user_pref_str, "bool", user_prefer_gui)
 end
 
 local function show_status(storage, image, format, filename,
   number, total, high_quality, extra_data)
-  dt.print("Export to Hugin "..tostring(number).."/"..tostring(total))
+  dt.print("exporting to hugin: "..tostring(number).."/"..tostring(total))
 end
 
 local function create_panorama(storage, image_table, extra_data) --finalize
-  if not df.check_if_bin_exists("hugin") then
-    dt.print_error(_("hugin not found"))
-    return
-  end
-
 -- Since Hugin 2015.0.0 hugin provides a command line tool to start the assistant
 -- http://wiki.panotools.org/Hugin_executor
 -- We need pto_gen to create pto file for hugin_executor
 -- http://hugin.sourceforge.net/docs/manual/Pto_gen.html
 
-  local hugin_executor = false
-  if (df.check_if_bin_exists("hugin_executor") and df.check_if_bin_exists("pto_gen")) then
-    hugin_executor = true
+  local hugin = df.check_if_bin_exists("hugin")
+  local hugin_executor = df.check_if_bin_exists("hugin_executor")
+  local pto_gen = df.check_if_bin_exists("pto_gen")
+
+  local gui_available = false
+  if hugin then
+    gui_available = true
+  else
+    dt.print(_("hugin is not found, did you set the path?"))
+    return
+  end
+
+  local cmd_line_available = false
+  if hugin_executor and pto_gen then
+    cmd_line_available = true
   end
 
   -- list of exported images
@@ -76,58 +97,94 @@ local function create_panorama(storage, image_table, extra_data) --finalize
   -- reset and create image list
   img_list = ""
   for k,v in pairs(image_table) do
-    img_list = img_list ..v.. " "
-	table.insert(img_set, k)
+    img_list = img_list..v..' '
+    table.insert(img_set, k)
   end
 
-  -- use first file as basename
+  -- use first file as basename for output file
   table.sort(img_set, function(a,b) return a.filename<b.filename end);
   local first_file
   for _, k in ipairs(img_set) do
-	first_file = k break
+    first_file = k break
   end
 
+  if first_file == nil then
+    dt.print("no file selected")
+    return
+  end
+
+  local pto_path = dt.configuration.tmp_dir..'/project.pto'
   local filepath = df.split_filepath(first_file.filename)
-  local output_file = filepath['basename'].."_pano.tif"
-  local output_path = first_file.path.."/"..output_file
-  local pto_path = '"'..dt.configuration.tmp_dir..'/project.pto"'
+  local tmp_filename = filepath['basename'].."_pano.tif"
+-- some versions of hugin_executor don't seem to output the result
+-- to the --prefix location, so assume we are working in the tmp
+-- directory and then move the file to the original file location afterwards
+  local src_path = dt.configuration.tmp_dir.."/"..tmp_filename
+  local dst_path = first_file.path..'/'..tmp_filename
 
-  if df.check_if_file_exists(output_path) then
-	output_path = df.create_unique_filename(output_path)
+  if df.check_if_file_exists(dst_path) then
+    dst_path = df.create_unique_filename(dst_path)
   end
 
-  dt.print(_("Will try to stitch now"))
-  local huginStartCommand
-  if (hugin_executor) then
-    huginStartCommand = "pto_gen "..img_list.." -o "..pto_path
-	dt.print(_("Creating pto file"))
-	dt.control.execute( huginStartCommand)
+  dt.print(_("will try to stitch now"))
+  local huginStartCommand = nil
+  if (cmd_line_available and not user_prefer_gui) then
+    huginStartCommand = pto_gen.." "..img_list.." -o "..pto_path
+    dt.print(_("creating pto file"))
+    dt.control.execute(huginStartCommand)
 
-	dt.print(_("Running Assistent"))
-	huginStartCommand = "hugin_executor --assistant "..pto_path
-	dt.control.execute( huginStartCommand)
+    dt.print(_("running assistent"))
+    huginStartCommand = hugin_executor.." --assistant "..pto_path
+    dt.control.execute(huginStartCommand)
 
-	huginStartCommand = 'hugin_executor --stitching --prefix="'..output_path..'" '..pto_path
+    huginStartCommand = hugin_executor..' --stitching --prefix='..src_path..' '..pto_path
+  elseif gui_available then
+    if (user_prefer_gui) then
+      dt.print(_("launching hugin"))
+    else
+      dt.print(_("unable to find command line tools, launching hugin"))
+    end
+    huginStartCommand = hugin..' '..img_list
   else
-	huginStartCommand = "hugin "..img_list
+    dt.print(_("hugin isn't available."))
   end
 
-  --dt.print_error(huginStartCommand)
-
-  if not dt.control.execute(huginStartCommand) then
-	dt.print(_("Command hugin failed ..."))
-  else
-	dt.database.import(output_path)
+  if not (huginStartCommand==nil) then
+    if not dt.control.execute(huginStartCommand) then
+      dt.print(_("hugin failed ..."))
+    else
+      if df.check_if_file_exists(src_path) then
+        df.file_move(src_path, dst_path)
+        dt.print(_("importing file "..dst_path))
+        dt.database.import(dst_path)
+      end
+    end
   end
 
   -- cleanup the temp files
   for k,v in pairs(image_table) do
-	os.remove(v)
+    os.remove(v)
   end
 end
 
 -- Register
-dt.register_storage("module_hugin", _("Hugin Panorama"), show_status, create_panorama)
+if dt.configuration.running_os ~= "linux" then
+  exec_widget = df.executable_path_widget(executable_table)
+end
+
+hugin_widget = dt.new_widget("box") {
+  orientation = "vertical",
+  dt.new_widget("check_button")
+  {
+    label = _("  launch hugin gui"),
+    value = user_prefer_gui,
+    tooltip = _('launch hugin in gui mode'),
+    clicked_callback = user_preference_changed
+  },
+  exec_widget
+}
+
+dt.register_storage(namespace, _("hugin panorama"), show_status, create_panorama, nil, nil, hugin_widget)
 
 --
--- vim: shiftwidth=2 expandtab tabstop=2 cindent syntax=lua
+-- vim: shiftwidth=2 expandtab tabstop=2 cindent syntax=lua
\ No newline at end of file