How can I make my application support plugins?

Question

Hi again, i'm work in an aplication that need be capable of support plugins, but i dont know how this work. Anyone can help me?

Answer 1

You need to design your application's API in such a way that plugins can be created, and you need to add the necessary plugin management interfaces and supporting code to invoke the plugins. There is no catch-all way of managing plugins.

Answer 2

See http://stackoverflow.com/questions/177140/design-pattern-for-implementing-plugins-in-your-application
The answers tend to get very platform specific. It also depends on how much control of your core app data and logic the plugin must have.

The C++ QT4 book has a good description of adding a file-type plugin to it's architecture, there area also a bunch of modeling apps (openscenegraph, blender, povray ) that have good documentation for their plugin architectures.

Answer 3

Take a look at the open source application called Rawr (c#). Each addin is a seperate .dll and the main app uses reflection to access the code. Very nicely done.

www.codeplex.com/Rawr