# class Plugin

###

Module | kparts
Namespace | KParts
Class | Plugin
Inherits | QObject,KXMLGUIClient

A plugin is the way to add actions to an existing KParts application, or to a Part.

The XML of those plugins looks exactly like of the shell or parts, with one small difference: The document tag should have an additional attribute, named "library", and contain the name of the library implementing the plugin.

If you want this plugin to be used by a part, you need to install the rc file under the directory "data" (KDEDIR/share/apps usually)+"/instancename/kpartplugins/" where instancename is the name of the part's instance.

You should also install a "plugin info" .desktop file with the same name.

See also KPluginInfo

For a tutorial on how to write plugins, see http://developer.kde.org/documentation/tutorials/developing-a-plugin-structure/index.html#developing_plugins

### methods

- Plugin (parent)

  returns ctor

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  parent | QObject | 0

- loadPlugin (parent, libname)

  returns KParts.Plugin
  static

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  parent | QObject |
  libname | char |

  Internal Returns The plugin created from the library libname

- loadPlugins (parent, instance)

  returns Nothing
  static

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  parent | QObject |
  instance | KComponentData |

  Load the plugin libraries from the directories appropriate to instance and make the Plugin objects children of parent.

  It is recommended to use the last loadPlugins method instead, to support enabling and disabling of plugins.

- loadPlugins (parent, pluginInfos)

  returns Nothing
  static

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  parent | QObject |
  pluginInfos | QList<KParts::Plugin::PluginInfo> |

  Load the plugin libraries specified by the list docs and make the Plugin objects children of parent .

  It is recommended to use the last loadPlugins method instead, to support enabling and disabling of plugins.

- loadPlugins (parent, pluginInfos, instance)

  returns Nothing
  static

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  parent | QObject |
  pluginInfos | QList<KParts::Plugin::PluginInfo> |
  instance | KComponentData |

  Load the plugin libraries specified by the list pluginInfos, make the Plugin objects children of parent, and use the given instance.

  It is recommended to use the last loadPlugins method instead, to support enabling and disabling of plugins.

- loadPlugins (parent, parentGUIClient, instance, enableNewPluginsByDefault, interfaceVersionRequired)

  returns Nothing
  static

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  parent | QObject |
  parentGUIClient | KXMLGUIClient |
  instance | KComponentData |
  enableNewPluginsByDefault | bool | 1
  interfaceVersionRequired | int | 0

  Load the plugin libraries for the given instance, make the Plugin objects children of parent, and insert the plugin as a child GUI client of parentGUIClient.

  This method uses the KConfig object of the given instance, to find out which plugins are enabled and which are disabled. What happens by default (i.e. for new plugins that are not in that config file) is controlled by enableNewPluginsByDefault. It can be overridden by the plugin if it sets the X-KDE-PluginInfo-EnabledByDefault key in the .desktop file (with the same name as the .rc file)

  If a disabled plugin is already loaded it will be removed from the GUI factory and deleted.

  If you change the binary interface offered by your part, you can avoid crashes from old plugins lying around by setting X-KDE-InterfaceVersion=2 in the .desktop files of the plugins, and passing 2 to interfaceVersionRequired, so that the old plugins are not loaded. Increase both numbers every time a binary incompatible change in the application's plugin interface is made.

  This method is automatically called by KParts.Part and by KParts.MainWindow.

  See also PartBase.setPluginLoadingMode, PartBase.setPluginInterfaceVersion

  If you call this method in an already constructed GUI (like when the user has changed which plugins are enabled) you need to add the new plugins to the KXMLGUIFactory:

      if( factory() )
      {
      const QList<KParts.Plugin *> plugins = KParts.Plugin.pluginObjects( this );
      foreach ( KParts.Plugin * plugin, plugins )
      factory()->addClient( plugin );
      }

- localXMLFile ( )

  returns QString

  Reimplemented for internal reasons

- pluginInfos (instance)

  returns QList<KParts::Plugin::PluginInfo>
  static

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  instance | KComponentData |

  Look for plugins in the instance's "data" directory (+"/kpartplugins")

  Returns A list of QDomDocument s, containing the parsed xml documents returned by plugins.

- pluginObjects (parent)

  returns QList<KParts::Plugin
  static

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  parent | QObject |

  Returns a list of plugin objects loaded for parent. This functions basically calls the queryList method of QObject to retrieve the list of child objects inheriting KParts.Plugin .

- setComponentData (instance)

  returns Nothing

  Argument | Type | Default
  --- | --- | ---
  instance | KComponentData |

- xmlFile ( )

  returns QString

  Reimplemented for internal reasons