[digiKam-users] How to begin develop plugin for digikam 6+

[Gilles Caulier]

Hi, and Merry Christmas,

For the next 6.0.0 release planned for February, there is no plan to change
current API with a plugins interface.

But this will not mean that nothing is planed about plugins support in the
future.

The situation is :

5.9.0 (current stable release) use libkipi and kipi-plugins. This plugins
interface is an older one, shared with other KDE applications and very
limited with the goal of digiKam.
Typically, kipi is limited to handle file from digiKam through album
icon-view. Also the plugins cannot be used in Showfoto.
We need a plugins interface more versatile which can be used everywhere,
and especially in Batch Queue Manager. The idea : you create a queue to
correct images in batch, with plenty of tools, and at end, you must be able
to export files to a web service automatically (for ex). Currently, BQM can
process and generate target file in local disk. In a second time, you need
to run another tool to export file. this one is a plugin of course.

6.0.0 has no plugin interface, BUT, all kipi-plugins have been backported
in digiKam as well using core API. The tools are compiled in libdigikam.so
and shared everywhere :

-Album GUI,
-ImageEditor,
-Light Table,
-Showfoto.

So, the plan for later 6.0.0 (perhaps 6.2.0 or 6.3.0) is to create a new
plugin architecture, not shared with other KDE applications and only used
by digiKam through the core API. No need to export a specific API as
libkipi. The digiKam core API is giant and more powerful and will be
enough...

I written a new basis plugins interface hosted in a dedicated git branch,
but the job is far to be completed. Typically, one plugin was created, can
be loaded in memory through a shared library, and that all. For the moment,
the plugin cannot populate the application menu and be used as well.

For the part to be able to use export tools in BQM (as a plugins or not),
we will have a student planed to work on this project while this summer, if
the student selection pass fine.

Voilà for the technical resume and the future plan.

So the plan is to provide a plugin interface later 6.0.0, for export tool
in priority, plus later for processing tool (Print wizzard, video
slideshow, etc...)
In a second stage write a doc for contributors

In bugzilla, we have few sections about "wish for new tools". This is the
right place to post wishes for future plugins...

Best

Gilles Caulier

Le mar. 25 déc. 2018 à 00:50, Stefan Müller <stefan.mueller.83 at gmail.com> a
écrit :

> Hallo there
> Is there any documentation available for the new plugin model?
> I know that there were two email notification this summer, new plugins
> interface for 6.0.0
> <http://digikam.1695700.n4.nabble.com/new-plugins-interface-for-6-0-0-td4706292.html>,
> but still I cannot find any detailed documentation. The only thing what I
> find is [digikam] How to begin develop plugin for digikam
> <http://digikam.1695700.n4.nabble.com/digikam-How-to-begin-develop-plugin-for-digikam-td4680666.html>
> but this now depreciated due to the change of the interface.
>
> I reckon it is not only me who is wondering what can be done by plugins
> and how deep they can intervene in DK.
> I assume that I could help to solve or facilitate use cases or feature
> request what involves scripted actions what normally would require tio make
> use of a collection of DK tools, database operations or file operations.
> Currently I can think of
>
>    - Multi-user with mysql server
>    <http://digikam.1695700.n4.nabble.com/Multi-user-with-mysql-server-td4693390.html>
>    - [digiKam-users] Multi-user digiKam setup?
>    <http://digikam.1695700.n4.nabble.com/digiKam-users-Multi-user-digiKam-setup-td4707375.html>
>    - [digiKam-users] Use digiKam with a NAS and MariaDB
>    <http://digikam.1695700.n4.nabble.com/digiKam-users-Use-digiKam-with-a-NAS-and-MariaDB-td4707031.html>
>    - [digiKam-users] Move behavior
>    <http://digikam.1695700.n4.nabble.com/digiKam-users-Move-behavior-td4707515.html>
>    - [digiKam-users] 'open with' as a toolbar button
>    <http://digikam.1695700.n4.nabble.com/digiKam-users-open-with-as-a-toolbar-button-td4707364.html>
>    - [digiKam-users] temporary port photos and metadata from
>    MariaDB/network share for editing when offline / being on the move
>    <http://digikam.1695700.n4.nabble.com/digiKam-users-temporary-port-photos-and-metadata-from-MariaDB-network-share-for-editing-when-offlinee-td4707511.html>
>
>
> Would it be possible to open a section for plugins on the digikam
> homepage?
> Its content shall be fed from github to allow the community to contribute
> easily to DK in sense of plugins plus their documentation and developing
> information. I hoping that will grow quickly to something sustainable to
> allow easy familiarization on how develop plugins for digikam.
>
>
> enjoy the rest of the and don't get lost between the years
>
> Stefan
>
>
>
>
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