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Plugins

Plugins provide a method of adding functionality to DrPython.

To Install:

Note: 

Plugins are not loaded on Install.
Some plugins cannot be indexed.  They can only be loaded at
program startup.

You have two options for installing a plugin.

1.  Use the Wizard.

Select Install Plugin from the Configure Plugins Menu (Under Options).
You can either download from a mirror, or select a downloaded
plugin to install from local media.

When installing, you will be asked to select which plugins are:
Loaded By Default:
    (These plugins will be loaded at startup.
    They are placed in the default index [default.idx].)
Load From Index:
    (If supported (only supported plugins will be listed here),
    these plugins are indexed.  You can then select them from
    the options submenu "Load Plugin(s) From Index".)

2.  Install From Py.

If you are making your own plugin, or have the plugin
files availible in unzipped format, simply locate the
main plugin file (<PluginName>.py), and DrPython
will do the rest.

To Configure:

You can (Via Options:Configure Plugins):

Edit the Plugin Source,
Create/Edit/Delete Index Files, which are simply lists of plugins
    to load when activated.

You can edit Plugin Preferences via the Plugin Preferences menu.

You can edit shortcuts or add items to the pop up menu or toolbar
via the standard dialogs, for all plugins which support each feature.

All changes to a plugin's source take effect the next time
DrPython loads.  Shortcuts, Preferences, etc are either immediate,
or effective upon reload depending on the plugin.

If a plugin is not loaded, you can still edit shortcuts and the pop up menu,
but you will be unable to access the plugin functions unless the plugin
is loaded.


To UnInstall:

Simply fire up the Uninstall Wizard.

To Create Your Own:

NOTE:  If you write your own plugin, please note that
you can access the entire DrPython application (via the DrFrame instance).
This means a plugin can make stuff not work right, or
can access an internal function that may be changed in
a future release.  If you are adding a new component
(such as a new menu item, and a new dialog), you should
be fine.

Naming Convention:
    If you want to distribute your plugin named <PluginName>, make sure that:
    1.  All needed files are in a zip file: <PluginName>-<Version>.zip
    2.  The main plugin file is named:  <PluginName>.py
    3.  The install script, if any, is named:  <PluginName>.py.install
    4.  The index file, if any, is named:  <PluginName>.idx

the first thing you need to do is import the relevant wxWidgets modules
(usually just "wx"):

import wx

Next, you need to define the "Plugin" function:

def Plugin(DrFrame):

DrFrame is the variable for the DrFrame in the DrPython program.
It is the same variable as in DrScript.

Now you can add something to the interface simply by using the underlying code in DrPython.
To bind a function to an event, there are two ways.  Let's take a look at the following code:

#Example Plugin

import wx

def Plugin(DrFrame):
    idum = DrFrame.GetNewId()

    DrFrame.viewmenu.Append(idum, "Lookit!"," I said Lookit!")
   
    def exampleFunction(event):
        DrFrame.ShowPrompt()
        DrFrame.txtPrompt.SetText("I'm looking.... Now what?")

    DrFrame.Bind(wx.EVT_MENU, exampleFunction, id=idum)

    DrFrame.AddToPopUpMenu("Lookit!", exampleFunction, 0)

  
DrFrame.AddSeparatorToPopUpMenu(1)

Now what this code does is the following:
It adds an item to the viewmenu (you can grab the menu names by looking
in the DrPython source:  drpython.py).
DrFrame.GetNewId() makes sure a unique id number is returned.
(You only need an id number if the wx Component you are adding requires one.
You need one for menus).

Now the second step to adding a menu is to use the DrFrame function.
There are two necessary steps.
The first is to define a function.  Now if this function is going to access DrFrame,
it must be defined within the Plugin function(which is only called once, when the plugin
is loaded).

The function you add must take one argument,
"event".  You can name them whatever you want
For example, "(MenuEvent)".
the second will hold the wx Menu Event.

Next, you must use the wxPython method Bind() to bind that function to the
component you want.  Consult the wxPython documentation for usage.
Here is a brief summary of Bind()

wxPythonWidget.Bind(wx.EVT_EVENTTYPE, Function, id=IdNumber).
The idNumber argument is optional (recommended if the eventtype in question
allows it, check the wxWidgets documentation for that info).
wx.EVT_EVENTTYPE is the event type (wxWidgets Documentation for a list).
Function is the function you are binding to the widget.

*****************************************

To Tell DrPython to let a user acess a function from
keyboard shortcuts, the pop up menu, or the toolbar, you have several options.
You can specify each separately (or choose only one or two methods),
or you can specify all at once:

DrFrame.AddPluginFunction(NameOfTheCurrentPlugin, FunctionLabel, FunctionYouWantToAdd)

Here is a brief code example:

DrFrame.AddPluginShortcutFunction("SearchInFiles", "Find In Files", OnFindInFiles)

This will let the user add the function OnFindInFiles to keyboard shortcuts, the pop up menu,
or the toolbar.

For more info on what this means for each method, see below.

*****************************************

To add a keyboard shortcut, you have two options.
You can simply use "AddKeyEvent".
It takes the following arguments:
DrFrame.AddKeyEvent(FunctionYouWantToAdd, Keycode, Control, Shift, Alt, Meta)

The default for all modifier keys (Control, Shift, Alt, Meta) is 0 (do not use).

    Keycodes can be tricky.  For both lowercase and uppercase, use the python
function "ord()" plus the uppercase letter.  Add Shift=1 if you want to use
uppercase:

Target: Uppercase 'A'
DrFrame.AddKeyEvent(FunctionYouWantToAdd, ord('A'), 0, 1)
Target: Lowercase 'a'
DrFrame.AddKeyEvent(FunctionYouWantToAdd, ord('A'))

This will make the shortcut set in stone.

If you want to let the user configure the shortcut:
DrFrame.AddPluginShortcutFunction(NameOfTheCurrentPlugin, FunctionLabel, FunctionYouWantToAdd)

For example:

#Example Plugin
#This file is called "examplenumber2.py"

import wx

def Plugin(DrFrame):
    idum = DrFrame.GetNewId()

    DrFrame.viewmenu.Append(idum, "Lookit!"," I said Lookit!")
   
    def exampleFunction(event):
        DrFrame.ShowMessage("I'm Looking Already!", "Result:")

    DrFrame.Bind(wx.EVT_MENU, exampleFunction, id=idum)

   DrFrame.AddPluginShortcutFunction("examplenumber2", "Example Function", exampleFunction)

Now, you can open the customize shortcuts dialog, and select the "examplenumber2" plugin,
to set the shortcut for the function "exampleFunction" you just added.

Note the use of the ShowMessage function.

Show message calls the drScrolledMessageDialog.
DrFrameShowMessage(message, title)
The drScrolledMessageDialog automatically displays a traceback if one exists.


*****************************************

To allow the user to add  to the pop up menu, use "AddPluginPopUpMenuFunction"

AddPluginPopUpMenuFunction(NameOfTheCurrentPlugin, FunctionLabel, FunctionYouWantToAdd)

The NameOfTheCurrentPlugin is straightforward.

This will allow the user to, via the PopUpMenu Dialog, add a Plugin Function
to the PopUpMenu (with the label "FunctionLabel").

Notes:  If you uninstall the plugin, you have to manually remove the item
from the PopUpMenu list via the PopUpMenu Dialog.

Each Plugin Item on the PopUpMenu is only loaded if that plugin is loaded.
So if the plugin is loaded via index, when you load the plugin, the relevant
item will show up on the PopUpMenu.  Even if the plugin is not loaded,
the item is on the PopUpMenu List.


*****************************************

To allow the user to add  to the ToolBar, use "AddPluginToolBarFunction"

AddPluginToolBarFunction(FunctionLabel, FunctionYouWantToAdd)

This will allow the user to, via the Customize ToolBar Dialog, add a Plugin Function
to the ToolBar (with the label "FunctionLabel").

Notes:  If you uninstall the plugin, you have to manually remove the item
from the ToolBar list via the ToolBar Dialog.

Each Plugin Item on the ToolBar will be loaded no matter what, so be
sure to remove the entry if you remove the plugin (if not, nothing will
happen when you click the button.)

To set icons, you have two options.  One is to write an install script
that installs the icons onto the user's harddrive, and then adds
entries for each icon into the custom icon data file in
the user's drpython preferences directory.

The other is to let the user set the icons manually.

To add entries, you can either do so manually,
or use the following built in functions:

AddPluginIcon(Label, LocationOf16x16File, LocationOf24x24File)

RemovePluginIcon(Label)

Here is an example:

plugindir = DrFrame.GetPluginDirectory()
DrFrame.AddPluginIcon("Find In Files", "", plugindir + "/bitmaps/24/Find In Files.png")

Assuming you have copied the icon file to the proper location
(In this case, in the plugin directory:  plugindir/bitmaps/24/)
This will add an entry into the user's custom icon data file,
so that if they have their toolbar set to 24x24, and they add
the Find In Files item, it will display the "Find In Files.png" icon.
This function is best called in a ".install" script.

RemovePluginIcon is best called in the "Uninstall" function,
and removes the entry in question from the custom icon data file.

DrFrame.RemovePluginIcon("Find In Files")

Note:
AddPluginIcon will overwrite any entries in the custom icon
data file with the same label.

*****************************************

If the you want to set and load preferences in your plugin,
all you have to do to edit those preferences is define a function:

def OnPreferences(DrFrame):

This function will be called (with DrFrame as the argument)
from the Options Menu.  You can make your own Preferences
Dialog, and have it launched from this function.

*****************************************

If the you want to have an about dialog,
or a help dialog, use:

def OnAbout(DrFrame):

def OnHelp(DrFrame):

This function will be called (with DrFrame as the argument)
from the Help Menu.  You can make your own Dialog,
and have it launched from this function.


*****************************************

Adding to Panels:

Want to write a panel to access from the main window?

Here is what the code looks like for the creation of a Panel:

if self.txtDocument.SourceBrowser is None:
    target, i = self.currentpage.GetTargetSashWindow(self.prefs.sourcebrowserpanel)
    self.txtDocument.SourceBrowser = drSourceBrowserPanel(target, -1, self.prefs.sourcebrowserpanel, i)
    self.currentpage.OnSize(event)
else:
    if not self.currentpage.IsVisible(self.txtDocument.SourceBrowser.Position, self.txtDocument.SourceBrowser.Index):
        self.txtDocument.SourceBrowser.Browse()
    self.currentpage.TogglePanel(self.txtDocument.SourceBrowser.Position, self.txtDocument.SourceBrowser.Index)

Now there are several important things to note.
0.  GetTargetSashWindow takes one argument:  The Position:
(0 = Left, 1 = Right, 2 = Top, 3 = Bottom)
1.  GetTargetSashWindow returns the window itself (the parent of the Panel you create),
and the index.  The Index and the Position(Left, Right, Top, Bottom) are how you access
that specific panel.  In this case, the last two arguments to drSourceBrowserPanel.
are the Position and the Index.
2.  You need to call OnSize after newly creating a panel. (OnSize takes one argument,
the event, which can be set to None).
3.  You have two options for toggling a panel:
A.  Simply call TogglePanel(Position, Index)
B.  Call ShowPanel(Position, Index, ShowThePanel).  (ShowThePanel is a boolean).
If you choose B, you can use IsVisible(Position, Index) to determine if the Panel
is showing.  In this case, If the panel is going to be shown, DrPython refreshes
the Source Browser.

Here is the code for destroying the Panel:

def OnbtnClose(self, event):
    self.parent.txtDocument.SourceBrowser = None
    self.panelparent.ClosePanel(self.Position, self.Index)

ClosePanel(Position, Index) will destroy the panel completely,
so any code after it will cause issues.  This makes calling the ClosePanel
from code that gets called more than one (like wx.EVT_SIZE) a bad idea.

Also note that the SourceBrowser variable is set to None here.
Closing a Panel does not automatically do this, so if you are using
the value of variable holding the Panel in your code, be sure to
set it to None before destroying the Panel itself.

The full code can be found in the SourceBrowser code in the DrPython Core.

*****************************************

Install/Uninstall Scripts:

DrPython provides a method for automatic install script execution.

if you have a plugin named "example.py", a file named "example.py.install"
in the same directory will be automatically run on install.

Install Script:

An install script is especially useful if you have files you want
to install to a specific location on the user's hard drive
(eg, bitmaps for the toolbar).

Here is an example:

#Example Plugin Install Script
#This file is called "example.py.install"

import wx, shutil, os, os.path

def Install(DrFrame):
        d = wx.MessageDialog(DrFrame, "This will install some bitmaps for the Example \
plugin.\nAre you sure you want to proceed?", \
"Install Search In Files", wx.YES_NO | wx.ICON_QUESTION)
    answer = d.ShowModal()
    d.Destroy()
    if (answer == wx.ID_YES):
            cwd = os.getcwd()
            plugindir = DrFrame.GetPluginDirectory()
            if not os.path.exists(plugindir + "/bitmaps"):
                os.mkdir(plugindir + "/bitmaps")
            if not os.path.exists(plugindir + "/bitmaps/16"):
                os.mkdir(plugindir + "/bitmaps/16")
            if not os.path.exists(plugindir + "/bitmaps/24"):
                os.mkdir(plugindir + "/bitmaps/24")    
                
            shutil.copyfile(cwd + "/bitmaps/16/Example.png", plugindir + "/bitmaps/16/Example.png")
            shutil.copyfile(cwd + "/bitmaps/24/Example.png", plugindir + "/bitmaps/24/Example.png")

            DrFrame.AddPluginIcon("Example", plugindir + "/bitmaps/16/Example.png", plugindir + \
"/bitmaps/24/Example.png"
)

     return True

Note the return statement.  This determines the behaviour after your
plugin isntall script exits.  If you return True, drpython will continue to
install the plugin.  This is good if you just want to install some bitmaps,
but otherwise want drpython to handle the rest.

Returning False will tell drpython to halt the installation.  This is good if
you want to let the user cancel, or if you want to manually install the plugin
yourself.  Also note GetPluginDirectory().  This returns the user directory
where plugins are stored once they are installed.

UnInstall Script:

If you want specific behaviour on uninstall,
write a method in your plugin file called
"UnInstall"

#Example Plugin

import wx, os, os.path

def UnInstall(DrFrame):
    plugindir = DrFrame.GetPluginDirectory()
    if os.path.exists(plugindir + "/bitmaps/16/Example.png"):
        os.remove(plugindir + "/bitmaps/16/Example.png")
  
if os.path.exists(plugindir + "/bitmaps/24/Example.png"):
        os.remove(plugindir + "/bitmaps/24/Example.png")
   
    DrFrame.RemovePluginIcon("Example")

   return True

def Plugin(DrFrame):
    yadda yadda yadda.....

Again, note the return.  UnInstall must take a DrFrame as the only argument.
If this function returns True, drpython will continue with the rest of the uninstall
process.  If the function returns False, drpython will halt the uninstall.


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