Installing and managing plug-ins in Elvis 5

The functionality of Elvis 5 Server and its client applications can be extended through the use of plug-ins. This makes it possible to schedule regularly occurring tasks in Elvis Server, or add buttons, menus or panels to the Basic Web client, Pro client and/or the Brand portal.

Using plug-ins in Elvis involves installing them in Elvis Server and subsequently activating them. When they are temporarily not needed anymore, they can be deactivated. This article describes these processes.

Where to get Elvis plug-ins from

Plug-ins contain custom functionality and are typically created whenever the need for that functionality arises. To get you started, various sample plug-ins are available. For more information, see Elvis 5 sample plug-ins.

The plug-in structure

Plug-ins are managed in Elvis Server in the following location:

Elvis Server path > Config > plugins

Notes: This folder and its contents are available after Elvis server is started for the first time after installation. The path to the plug-in folder must be identical on each node in the cluster.

The following structure is used:

Folder	Content
active	All currently active plug-ins.
active/internal	All default internal plug-ins.
disabled	All plug-ins that should be (temporarily) disabled.
plugin_base1	The shared plug-in code base.
samples	Samples for Scheduled and Active plug-ins. 2

¹ Do not make modifications to the plugin_base folder; it is completely overwritten each time Elvis Server starts.

² See Elvis 5 sample plug-ins.

Installation

To install a plug-in, simply place its folder in the following location:

Elvis Server path > Config > plugins > active

Tip: Create subfolders to group or categorize plug-ins.

Note: A valid plug-in folder is one that contains a plug-in configuration file. This configuration file defines the plug-in type. Elvis supports the following types: schedule. For Scheduled plug-ins. For information about the configuration file, see Elvis 5 Schedule plug-ins - configuration. action. For Action plug-ins. For information about the configuration file, see Elvis 5 Action plug-ins - configuration settings.

Activation

After installation, a plug-in needs to be activated. This is done in the Desktop client via System > Manage plug-ins and subsequently clicking Reload all plug-ins. Check the plug-in details to verify that it is correctly loaded without errors or warnings.

Controlling user access

For those plug-ins in which a requiredRole is defined (such as Action plug-ins), user access to these plug-ins needs to be controlled by setting up the Capabilities for a user or user group.

Deactivation

When a plug-in is not needed anymore, it can be deactivated.

Step 1. Do one of the following:

• Move the plug-in from the 'active' folder to the 'disabled' folder (this makes it possible to easily re-activate it later when needed)
• Completely remove the plug-in from Elvis Server

Step 2. In the Desktop client, go to System > Manage plug-ins and click Reload all plug-ins.

Document history

• 1 October 2018: Renamed from 'Elvis 5 plug-ins introduction - management'.
• 1 October 2018: General re-write.