What is a Plugin?
- DATASCOPE WMS
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This is a high-level technical user guide for developers and DSPs to get an overview of how custom plugins can be utilized within the DATASCOPE WMS software. The purpose of this document is to give you a complete overview of how our custom plugin architecture works.
Custom Plugins and the architecture come standard with the software, and no additional modules must be purchased.
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Plugins are code components that add capabilities to an existing program without impacting that program’s core code. Therefore, plugins within the DATASCOPE WMS software encapsulate custom logic. (Encapsulation refers to the bundling of data and/or limiting of direct access to some of that data.)
We allow a user to inject specific pieces of logic into the system in specific areas of the software to enhance default functionality.
There are two types of plugins available:
Server Logic
Client-Side Logic
When these specific pieces of logic are injected into the system, a structured handover happens between the software and the plugin and a hand back. Typically, the core software will call out to the plugin, perform the logic, and hand it back to the core software. A standard handshake happens with structured data that is being passed to the plugin and back to the core software.
Plugins are also hot-swappable (meaning parts of the software can be changed without shutting down or rebooting), and no upgrades are required. It can be pushed directly into a production environment without taking the system down. It is only used at the time it is called from the core software.