Plug-ins User Guide
From BlogBridge Wiki
Contents |
What is a BlogBridge plug-in?
A BlogBridge plug-in is an extension to the main application (Read: BlogBridge RSS feed reader for info junkies). A BlogBridge plug-in is not usually bundled with the application, but can be downloaded from the Net and installed additionally. BlogBridge plug-ins are usually packaged in either .jar or .zip files.
What can a BlogBridge plug-in do?
Currently BlogBridge plug-ins can:
- Add new themes
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Customize command names (right, it's just like internationalization support; only through plug-ins)
- Add SmartFeeds (simple XML-only and complex code-based)
- Customize functionality with additional code
- (to be continued...)
Where to find BlogBridge plug-ins?
As of now, we actively work on the repository of BlogBridge extensions. Once we build it, it will become a centralized collection of BlogBridge plug-ins available for download and installation. Later, it may become integrated with BlogBridge Client (Read: This BlogBridge plug-in is not needed anymore).
How to install / uninstall a BlogBridge plug-in?
BlogBridge plug-ins became available since version 5.1 of the application. To install / uninstall, enable / disable plug-ins you need to use Plug-in Manager (see BlogBridge Menu bar / Tools Menu / Plug-in Manager...).
To install a BlogBridge plug-in you need to download it first to your local disk drive. After that, you open the Plug-in Manager dialog and click "Install...". The opened dialog expects you to point to the plug-in package (.jar or .zip files only) you wish to install. Once you selected a package, it's copied to the plug-ins directory inside the BlogBridge application working directory.
See the Troubleshooting section below for the possible reasons of installation failures.
To uninstall a BlogBridge plug-in you select it in the list and press "Uninstall" button. The plug-in isn't disabled and removed immediately. The action takes effect only after the application restart.
How to enable / disable a BlogBridge plug-in?
After the installation BlogBridge plug-ins aren't enabled (!) by default. To enable a BlogBridge plug-in you tick the check box near it in the Plug-in Manager list of installed plug-ins. To disable remove the tick mark consequentially. After all the adjustments it's important to restart the BlogBridge application to let it load newly selected extensions and unload no longer needed.
Troubleshooting BlogBridge plug-ins
The installation can fail for one of the following reasons:
- There's another BlogBridge plug-in package sharing the same name installed. Every BlogBridge plug-in package has a name (that you see in your installed plug-ins list). This name should be unique. If the plug-in you are trying to install is reported to be installed and you are sure it's not, check the duplicates in the list and possibly change the name in the package (or contact the developer to point out the problem).
- The package selected isn't a BlogBridge plug-in. Not every .zip and .jar file can be installed. In order to be installed the package should contain a valid plug-in descriptor (package.xml) and all the necessary resources.
