Plugin Studio

Each plugin has a properties file (.prop) in json format in which all its properties are defined (see Plugin files for more details).

Plugin Studio interface lets you manage plugin properties much more easily than with a text editor.

In addition to managing plugin properties, Plugin Studio lets you :

• Display the plugins' information page.
• Activate/deactivate a plugin.
• Open the plugin's HTML documentation.
• Delete a plugin.
• Transfert a plugin to a client (Plugin Studio server only).
• To encrypt/decrypt a string (useful for passwords).
• Translate a sentence in English (Plugin Studio server only).

Two other commands are accessible through Plugin Studio:

• Create a plugin to create a plugin by entering its information.
• Audit to verify the integrity of the application's plugins.

ServerClient

1. Click on the server node to open the context menu.
2. Click on Edition -> Plugin Studio.

1. Click on the client name to open the context menu.
2. Click on Edition -> Plugin Studio.

Information Page

The information page is generally used as a presentation and user manual for a plugin.

1. On the left, open the list of plugins and click on the relevant plugin.
2. The information page is displayed by default.

Note

If a plugin's documentation is too extensive, we recommend using HTML documentation.

Activate/Deactivate a plugin

1. On the left, open the list of plugins and click on the relevant plugin.
2. The Plugins tab closes. Open the Plugins tab again and click on the plugin a 2nd time to display its contextual menu.
3. Depending on its current status, click on Activate or Desactivate.

HTML Documentation

Some plugins may have documentation that is too extensive to be displayed in the information page.
If the plugin has HTML documentation, the Documentation menu will automatically appear in its context menu.

1. On the left, open the list of plugins and click on the relevant plugin.
2. The Plugins tab closes. Open the Plugins tab again and click on the plugin a 2nd time to display its contextual menu.
3. Click on Documentation.

Delete a plugin

1. On the left, open the list of plugins and click on the relevant plugin.
2. The Plugins tab closes. Open the Plugins tab again and click on the plugin a 2nd time to display its contextual menu.
3. Click on Delete.
4. Click on Delete in the confirmation window.

Danger

Be careful! deleting a plugin is definitive!

Transfert a plugin to a client

1. On the left, open the list of plugins and click on the relevant plugin.
2. The Plugins tab closes. Open the Plugins tab again and click on the plugin a 2nd time to display its contextual menu.
3. Click on Transfert.
4. Select a client from the list of clients.

5. Click on backup copy of... checkbox if you wish to make a backup copy of the plugin.

   Note

   if it exists on the client, the plugin will be saved in the <Client>/app/resources/core/backup-plugins folder.

   A.V.A.T.A.R Client
       ├── resouces
           ├── app
               ├── core
                   ├── backup-plugins
                       ├── <plugin>
                           ├── <DATE\>-<HOUR\>
                               ├── plugin files and folders
   

6. Click on Restart client after transfert if you wish to restart the client to reload it.

Warning

In theory, a plugin created on the server can be copied unchanged to a client without generating startup errors, provided it doesn't use import modules that don't exist on the client.

Check if the methods with different options are modified with the right options (e.g. Avatar.speak()).

Test the plugin once it's been uploaded to make sure it's working properly.

Property management

1. On the left, open the list of plugins and click on the relevant plugin.
2. Click on the Properties tab to display its properties.

The management menu is accessed by left-clicking on each line, as in the example below:

Adding a property

To add a property, click on a line and then use Append or Insert depending on what you want to do:

• Insert: Adds an entry before the selected line.
• Append: Adds an entry after the selected line.

Tip

Choose the right line for the location where you want to add an entry.

A good way to know if you're adding the entry correctly is to collapse or expand the parent object or array by its little arrow (to the left of its name), the new entry should appear or disappear with it.

Then select the type of input you require from the submenu associated with the command.
Table of input types:

Type	Description	Input	Result
String	string	1. Enter a key 2. Enter value	The value appears in green field : By default
Number	Integer or float value	1. Click on String 2. Enter a key 3. Add a value 4. Open the entry submenu and click on Type. 5. Click on Auto	The value appears in red field : 20 field : 20.98
Boolean	boolean (true ou false)	1. Click on String 2. Enter a key 3. Add a value true ou false 4. Open the entry submenu and click on Type 5. Click on Auto	The value appears in orange with a checkbox
Array	[ ] Table of values	1. Click on Array 2. Enter a key 3. Open the entry submenu (new array) and click on Append then select the type of entry to add to the array 4. To add another entry, select the last line created and repeat the operation	The values in the table are coloured according to type
Object	{ } Key/value collection	1. Click on Array 2. Enter a key 3. Open the entry submenu (new object) and click on Append then select the type of entry to add to the object 4. To add another entry, select the last line created and repeat the operation	Object values appear in color according to type

Delete a property

1. Click on the line to be deleted.
2. Open the menu.
3. Click on Remove.

Warning

The action deletes the entry with its contents. If the type is Array or Object, all entries below will be deleted.

Save properties

1. Click in the properties interface to show the contextual menu.
2. Click on Save.

Reload properties

Use this command if you want to reload the properties without restarting A.V.A.T.A.R

1. Click in the properties interface to show the contextual menu.
2. Click on Reload.

Note

When you close Plugin Studio, the application will notice that you've modified the properties and will ask you if you want to restart to reload them. Since you've done this manually, you can then click on Later.

Encrypt/Decrypt a string

This string encryption/decryption interface is useful for saving an encrypted value (such as a password) in the properties file.

1. Click in the properties interface to show the contextual menu.
2. Click on Encrypt/Decrypt.

Encrypt

1. Enter a decrypted value to be encrypted in the Decrypted string field.
2. Click on Encrypt.

3. The encrypted value appears in the Encrypted string field:

   

4. Copy the encrypted value (CTRL-C) and paste it into a plugin property value field:

1. Save properties.

Decrypt

1. Enter a encrypted value to be decrypted in the Encrypted string field.
2. Click on Decrypt.
3. The decrypted value appears in the Decrypted string field.

Translate a sentence

1. Click in the properties interface to show the contextual menu.
2. Click on Translate.

Then copy the translated sentence into a plugin property value field.
If you wish, you can then modify the sentence to add a NLP match.

Getting started