## AnjutaPlugin AnjutaPlugin — Anjuta plugin base class from which all plugins are derived. |

## Stability Level

Unstable, unless otherwise indicated

## Synopsis

    #include <libanjuta/anjuta-plugin.h>

    #define             ANJUTA_PLUGIN_ADD_INTERFACE         (prefix,
                                                             interface_type)
    #define             ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BEGIN                 (class_name,
                                                             prefix)
    #define             ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BOILERPLATE           (class_name,
                                                             prefix)
    #define             ANJUTA_PLUGIN_END
    typedef             AnjutaGluePlugin;
    struct              AnjutaPlugin;
    struct              AnjutaPluginClass;
    void                (*AnjutaPluginValueAdded)           (AnjutaPlugin *plugin,
                                                             const char *name,
                                                             const GValue *value,
                                                             gpointer user_data);
    void                (*AnjutaPluginValueRemoved)         (AnjutaPlugin *plugin,
                                                             const char *name,
                                                             gpointer user_data);
    gboolean            anjuta_plugin_activate              (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);
    guint               anjuta_plugin_add_watch             (AnjutaPlugin *plugin,
                                                             const gchar *name,
                                                             AnjutaPluginValueAdded added,
                                                             AnjutaPluginValueRemoved removed,
                                                             gpointer user_data);
    gboolean            anjuta_plugin_deactivate            (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);
    AnjutaShell *       anjuta_plugin_get_shell             (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);
    gboolean            anjuta_plugin_is_active             (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);
    void                anjuta_plugin_remove_watch          (AnjutaPlugin *plugin,
                                                             guint id,
                                                             gboolean send_remove);

## Object Hierarchy

      GObject
       +----AnjutaPlugin

## Properties

      "shell"                    AnjutaShell*          : Read / Write / Construct

## Signals

      "activated"                                      : Run First
      "deactivated"                                    : Run First

## Description

Anjuta plugins are components which are loaded in Anjuta IDE shell either on startup or on demand to perform various subtasks. Plugins are specialized in doing only a very specific task and can let other plugins interract with it using interfaces.

A plugin class is derived from AnjutaPlugin class and will be used by shell to instanciate any number of plugin objects.

When a plugin class is derived from AnjutaPlugin, the virtual mehtods activate and deactivate must be implemented. The activate method is used to activate the plugin. Note that plugin activation is different from plugin instance initialization. Instance initialization is use to do internal initialization, while activate method is used to setup the plugin in shell, UI and preferences. Other plugins can also be queried in activate method.

Following things should be done in activate method.

1. Register UI Actions: Use `anjuta_ui_add_action_group_entries()` or `anjuta_ui_add_toggle_action_group_entries()` to add your action groups.

2. Merge UI definition file: Use `anjuta_ui_merge()` to merge a UI file. See AnjutaUI for more detail.

3. Add widgets to Anjuta Shell: If the plugin has one or more widgets as its User Interface, they can be added with `anjuta_shell_add_widget()`.

4. Setup value watches with `anjuta_plugin_add_watch()`.

deactivate method undos all the above. That is, it removes widgets from the shell, unmerges UI and removes the action groups.

Plugins interact with each other using interfaces. A plugin can expose an interface which will let other plugins find it. Any number of interfaces can be exposed by a plugin. These exposed interfaces are called Primary interfaces of the plugin. The condition for the interfaces to be primary is that they should be independent (i.e. an external entity requesting to use a primary interface should not require other primary interfaces). For example, an editor plugin can implement IAnjutaEditor, IAnjutaStream and IAnjutaFile interfaces and expose them as primary interfaces, because they are independent. Primary interfaces exposed by a plugin are exported in its plugin meta-data file, so that plugin manager could register them.

Any other interfaces implemented by the plugin are called Secondary interfaces and they generally depend on one or more primary interfaces. For example, IAnjutaEditor is the primary interface of anjuta-editor plugin, but it also implements secondary interfaces IAnjutaEditorGutter and IAnjutaEditorBuffer. Notice that secondary interfaces IAnjutaEditorGutter and IAnjutaEditorBuffer depend on IAnjutaEditor interface.

The purpose of distinguishing between primary and secondary interfaces is only at plugin level. At code level, they behave just the same and there is no difference. So, a natural sequence for a plugin to communicate with another plugin is:

1. Query the shell for a plugin implemeting the primary interface using `anjuta_shell_get_interface()`. It will return an implemetation of the interface (or NULL if not found). Do not save this object for longer use, because the implementor plugin can change anytime and a different plugin implementing the same primary interface may be activated.

       GError *err = NULL;
       IAnjutaDocumentManager *docman;
       IAnjutaEditor *editor;

       docman = anjuta_shell_get_interface (ANJUTA_PLUGIN(plugin)->shell,
                                            IAnjutaDocumentManager, &err);
       if (err)
       {
       	g_warning ("Error encountered: %s", err->message);
       	g_error_free (err);
       	return;
       }

       editor = ianjuta_document_manager_get_current_editor (docman, &err);
       if (err)
       {
       	g_warning ("Error encountered: %s", err->message);
       	g_error_free (err);
       	return;
       }

       ianjuta_editor_goto_line (editor, 200);
       ...

2. A primary interface of a plugin can be directly used, but to use a secondary interface, make sure to check if the plugin object implements it. For example, to check if editor plugin implements IAnjutaEditorGutter interface, do something like:

       if (IANJUTA_IS_EDITOR_GUTTER(editor))
       {
       	ianjuta_editor_gutter_set_marker(IANJUTA_EDITOR_GUTTER (editor),
       	                                 ANJUTA_EDITOR_MARKER_1,
       	                                 line_number, &err);
       }

Plugins can also communicate with outside using Shell's Values System. Values are objects exported by plugins to make them available to other plugins. Read AnjutaShell documentation for more detail on Values System. A plugin can set up watches with `anjuta_plugin_add_watch()` to get notifications for values exported by other plugins.

Values are very unreliable way of passing objects between plugins, but are nevertheless very useful (and quicker to code). It must be used with care. As a rule of thumb, a plugin should only watch values of other trusted plugins. For example, a group of plugins forming a subsystem can comfortably use values to pass objects and notifications. Use `anjuta_plugin_add_watch()` and `anjuta_plugin_remove_watch()` to add or remove value watches.

## Details

### ANJUTA_PLUGIN_ADD_INTERFACE()

    #define             ANJUTA_PLUGIN_ADD_INTERFACE(prefix,interface_type)

This is a convienient macro defined to make it easy to add interfaces to a plugin type. `prefix` _iface_init should be statically defined before using this macro. This macro should be called between `ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BEGIN()` and `ANJUTA_PLUGIN_END()` macros.

`prefix` : | prefix of member function names.
`interface_type` : | Interface type. e.g. IANJUTA_TYPE_EDITOR

### ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BEGIN()

    #define             ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BEGIN(class_name, prefix)

This is a convienient macro defined to make it easy to write plugin classes . This macro begins the class type definition. member function `prefix` _class_init and `prefix` _instance_init should be statically defined before using this macro.

The class type definition is finished with `ANJUTA_PLUGIN_END()` macro. In between which any number of interface definitions could be added with `ANJUTA_PLUGIN_ADD_INTERFACE()` macro.

`class_name` : | Name of the class. e.g. EditorPlugin
`prefix` : | prefix of member function names. e.g. editor_plugin

### ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BOILERPLATE()

    #define             ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BOILERPLATE(class_name, prefix)

This macro is similar to using `ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BEGIN()` and then immediately using `ANJUTA_PLUGIN_END()`. It is basically a plugin type definition macro that does not have any interface implementation.

`class_name` : | Name of the class. e.g EditorPlugin
`prefix` : | prefix of member function names. e.g. editor_plugin

### ANJUTA_PLUGIN_END

    #define             ANJUTA_PLUGIN_END

Ends the plugin class type definition started with `ANJUTA_PLUGIN_BEGIN()`

### AnjutaGluePlugin

    typedef GTypeModule AnjutaGluePlugin;

### struct AnjutaPlugin

    struct AnjutaPlugin;

### struct AnjutaPluginClass

    struct AnjutaPluginClass {
    	GObjectClass parent_class;

    	/* Signals  */
    	void (*activated) (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);
    	void (*deactivated) (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);

    	/* Virtual functions */
    	gboolean (*activate) (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);
    	gboolean (*deactivate) (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);
    };

### AnjutaPluginValueAdded ()

    void                (*AnjutaPluginValueAdded)           (AnjutaPlugin *plugin,
                                                             const char *name,
                                                             const GValue *value,
                                                             gpointer user_data);

The callback to pass to `anjuta_plugin_add_watch()`. When a `name` value is added to shell by another plugin, this callback will be called.

`plugin` : | The AnjutaPlugin based plugin
`name` : | name of value being added.
`value` : | value of value being added.
`user_data` : | User data set during `anjuta_plugin_add_watch()`

### AnjutaPluginValueRemoved ()

    void                (*AnjutaPluginValueRemoved)         (AnjutaPlugin *plugin,
                                                             const char *name,
                                                             gpointer user_data);

The callback to pass to `anjuta_plugin_add_watch()`. When the `name` value is removed from the shell (by the plugin exporting this value), this callback will be called.

`plugin` : | The AnjutaPlugin based plugin
`name` : | name of value being added.
`user_data` : | User data set during `anjuta_plugin_add_watch()`

### anjuta_plugin_activate ()

    gboolean            anjuta_plugin_activate              (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);

Activates the plugin by calling `activate()` virtual method. All plugins should derive their classes from this virtual class and implement this method. If the plugin implements IAnjutaPreferences, it is prompted to install it's preferences.

`plugin` : | a AnjutaPlugin derived class object.
Returns : | TRUE if sucessfully activated, FALSE otherwise.

### anjuta_plugin_add_watch ()

    guint               anjuta_plugin_add_watch             (AnjutaPlugin *plugin,
                                                             const gchar *name,
                                                             AnjutaPluginValueAdded added,
                                                             AnjutaPluginValueRemoved removed,
                                                             gpointer user_data);

Adds a watch for `name` value. When the value is added in shell, the `added` callback will be called and when it is removed, the `removed` callback will be called. The returned ID is used to remove the watch later.

`plugin` : | a AnjutaPlugin derived class object.
`name` : | Name of the value to watch.
`added` : | Callback to call when the value is added. [closure user_data][scope call]
`removed` : | Callback to call when the value is removed. [closure user_data][scope call]
`user_data` : | User data to pass to callbacks.
Returns : | Watch ID.

### anjuta_plugin_deactivate ()

    gboolean            anjuta_plugin_deactivate            (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);

Deactivates the plugin by calling `deactivate()` virtual method. All plugins should derive their classes from this virtual class and implement this method.

`plugin` : | a AnjutaPlugin derived class object.
Returns : | TRUE if sucessfully activated, FALSE otherwise.

### anjuta_plugin_get_shell ()

    AnjutaShell *       anjuta_plugin_get_shell             (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);

`plugin` : | a AnjutaPlugin
Returns : | The AnjutaShell object associated with this plugin

### anjuta_plugin_is_active ()

    gboolean            anjuta_plugin_is_active             (AnjutaPlugin *plugin);

Returns TRUE if the plugin has been activated.

`plugin` : | a AnjutaPlugin derived class object.
Returns : | TRUE if activated, FALSE otherwise.

### anjuta_plugin_remove_watch ()

    void                anjuta_plugin_remove_watch          (AnjutaPlugin *plugin,
                                                             guint id,
                                                             gboolean send_remove);

Removes the watch represented by `id` (which was returned by `anjuta_plugin_add_watch()`).

`plugin` : | a AnjutaPlugin derived class object.
`id` : | Watch id to remove.
`send_remove` : | If true, calls value_removed callback.

## Property Details

### The `"shell"` property

      "shell"                    AnjutaShell*          : Read / Write / Construct

The AnjutaShell object associated with this plugin

## Signal Details

### The `"activated"` signal

    void                user_function                      (AnjutaPlugin *anjutaplugin,
                                                            gpointer      user_data)         : Run First

`anjutaplugin` : | the object which received the signal.
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.

### The `"deactivated"` signal

    void                user_function                      (AnjutaPlugin *anjutaplugin,
                                                            gpointer      user_data)         : Run First

`anjutaplugin` : | the object which received the signal.
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.

## See Also

AnjutaPluginManager, AnjutaProfileManager