by JensRichnow >> Tue, 16 Jul 2002 0:24:20 GMT
I wonder what other users are thinking about the ability to create plug-ins for the Jade IDE. Obviously, there are two types of plug-ins:
(i) Just having the option to call a Jade application from a menu in the Jade SDK. This requires no interaction with the SDK as such and has a 'display' function.
(ii) Having the option to change the underlying data structure whereby all changes made in the plug-in feed through to the SDK.
(One might argue that there is the grey area in which certain plug-ins fall).
Option One would be a useful bonus and might extend the functionality of the SDK. An example could be a UML graphing tool displaying all or selected data as class diagrams, sequence diagrams etc. I mean, all the functionality and information for graphing is already there which can be transferred to a graphical representation. At least I find such a plug in useful (I have tried the RoseLink and see enough reasons to write such a plug in for Jade). There are many other examples of plug-ins for this category.
The second option requires a well-defined set of API's allowing updates to the existing data structure. Such a set of API would not expose Jade source code, etc. In many cases, the API's would merely define a public entry point. An example could be a Refactoring Tool (see the thread in this group), or the next step of a UML modeller whereby changes to the UML model feed back to the existing schema (I love this idea).
Many (non-)commercial IDEs for Java, C++, etc., support plug-ins and in doing so add value and functionality to the IDE. It is a step to a closer community-based environment in which both sides benefit a great deal.
Are there any thoughts on this idea?
Cheers
Jens