Dead-Simple Python Plugins

Introducing Simple Python Plugins

With a project that could truly benefit from a plugin system, it's a shame that existing solutions are esoteric and have an unworthy amount of overhead for something so simple.

That changes now.

Getting Started

# Import the PluginManager, and Plugin class!
from simpleplugins import Plugin, PluginManager

# Create your Plugin Manager!
plugin_manager = PluginManager()

# Create your very first plugin!
class MyPlugin(Plugin):
    def __init__(self):
        # Required call to Plugin
        super(MyPlugin, self).__init__()
        # Define your plugins name
        self.name = "MyPlugin"
        # Define your plugins version (Optional, default is 1.0.0
        self.version = "1.0.0"
        # Define your plugins description (Optional, default is "No Description Available"
        self.description = "Super awesome example plugin!"

    def activate(self):
        # Define operations to perform when your plugin is activated!
        print("%s has been activated!" % self.name)

    def deactivate(self):
        # Define operations to perform when your plugin is deactivated
        print("%s has been deactivated!" % self.name)

    def perform(self, **kwargs):
        # Define the operations that will be executed when "performing" the plugin.
        # This is where the main functionality of the plugin will reside.

        print("Preparing to perform an extremely complex task with '%s'" % self.name)
        # ....
        print("Complex Operation Complete!")

# Create an instance of your plugin!
plugin = MyPlugin()

# Register the plugin!
plugin_manager.register(plugin)

# Now retrieve, and perform!
plugin_manager.get_plugin("MyPlugin").perform()

Advanced Example

While the above example is basic, and very straight-forward, it takes very little effort to get some extreme power from this library.

To view an example displaying all advanced features, click here.

Here's a quick preview of what's possible.

Scan a directory for modules containing plugins, and register them.

# The code below should assure the absolute path of 
# "plugins_dir", as opposed to simply passing the
# folder name. For sake of simplicity this is 
# excluded in the example

plugin_manager.register(directory="plugins_dir")

Register plugins through the path of an individual module.

plugin_manager.register(plugin_file="myplugin.py")

Skip the registration of plugins matching a specific type

# The code below should assure the absolute path of 
# "plugins_dir", as opposed to simply passing the
# folder name. For sake of simplicity this is 
# excluded in the example

from .plugins import MyOtherPlugin

plugin_manager.register(directory="plugins", skip_types=[MyOtherPlugin])

Delay activation of plugins until you choose to activate them

plugin_manager.register(directory="plugins",activate=False)