Assets Server plug-in configuration files

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

Each plug-in contains a configuration file which defines the plug-in type and its functionality.

This article describes the structure of the configuration file and provides details on the settings.

Structure

The structure of a plug-in configuration file can be divided into the following sections:

• General plug-in information. This is specified between the <info> </info> tags.

• Generic settings for each type of plug-in:
• For Scheduled plug-ins, the settings are specified between the <schedule> </schedule> tags
• For Action plug-ins, the settings are specified between the <action> </action> tags
• For Panel plug-ins, the settings are specified between the <panel> </panel> tags

• Specific settings for the plug-in. These are specified between the <config> </config> tags.

The following example shows the structure for a Scheduled plug-in:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<plugin>
    <info>
        
    </info>

    <schedule>
        
    </schedule>

    <config>
        
    </config>
</plugin>

Each segment is described in more detail below.

General plug-in information

This section describes the basic information of a plug-in such as its version number and documentation info. It is typically provided by the developer of the plug-in.

<info>
	<version>
 		<pluginVersion>...</pluginVersion>
		<requiresAtLeast>...</requiresAtLeast>
		<testedUpTo>...</testedUpTo>
	</version>
    
	<description>...</description>
	<documentationUrl>...</documentationUrl>
	<basePluginPath>...</basePluginPath>
</info>

• pluginVersion (Optional) Version number of the plug-in. This can be any string value. The sample plug-ins use a [major].[minor] format, starting with 1.0.
• requiresAtLeast (Optional) Minimum server version required to run the plug-in. When the current version does not meet this requirement, a warning will appear on the plug-in page in the Management Console; the plug-in will not be disabled. The Assets Server version number needs to be fully specified in the following format [major].[minor].[revision].[build], for example: 6.1.0.110.
• testedUpTo (Optional) Specifies up to which version the plug-in is tested. When the current version is greater than the value specified, a warning will appear on the plug-in page in the Management Console; the plug-in will not be disabled. The Assets Server version number needs to be fully specified in the following format [major].[minor].[revision].[build], for example: 6.1.0.110.
• description (Optional) Brief and functional plug-in description.
• documentationUrl (Optional) URL to the plug-in documentation.
• basePluginPath (Optional) Path to the base plug-in, relative to <Config>/plugin_base. Several sample plug-ins have most of their logic defined in the plug-in_base. This is convenient for upgrading sample plug-ins and it prevents code duplication when multiple instances of the same plug-in in use.

Generic settings for each type of plug-in

<schedule>
        
</schedule>

<action>
        
</action>

<panel>
        
</panel>

Scheduled plug-ins, Action plug-ins and Panel plug-ins each have their own set of generic settings. For more information, see the following articles:

• For Scheduled plug-ins: Assets Server Schedule plug-ins - configuration
• For Action plug-ins: Assets Server action plug-ins - configuration
• For Panel plug-ins: Adding custom functionality to Assets by using Panel plug-ins

Specific settings for the plug-in

This section contains optional plug-in specific configuration settings. These are specified by the developer, while the values are set by the system administrator.

<config>
	<property name="...">
		<description>...</description>
		<value>...</value>
	</property>
</config>

• name (Required) Name of the property. It must be unique for the plug-in. A valid name may contain characters _, a-z, A-Z and 0-9 but may not begin with 0-9.
• description (Optional) Short property description, typically a single sentence. In case longer descriptions are needed, add these to the plug-in documentation.
• value (Required) The value of the property.