Developing Plug-Ins 

A Support Platform plug-in is composed of a Java class and an XML file, packaged in a JAR file and deployed to the Support Platform. Use the NetWeaver Developer Studio to build plug-ins.

The following are the steps in developing a Support Platform plug-in:

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       1.      Install the NetWeaver Developer Studio plug-in for the Support Platform, as described in Installing the NetWeaver Developer Studio Plug-in.

       2.      Create a Support Platform plug-in project and plug-in class in NetWeaver Developer Studio, as described in Creating a Support Platform Plug-In.

You can either deploy a plug-in JAR file when you develop it, or you can package it and give it to an administrator to deploy via the administration UI, as described in Deploying a New Plug-in.

Support Platform Objects

The following are the main Java classes and interfaces for developing plug-ins:

Class/Interface	Description
IPluginAnalyzer	A non-configurable plug-in implements this interface.
IPluginAnalyzerConfigurable	A configurable plug-in implements this interface. Users can configure plug-in properties in the Support Platform user interface before running the plug-in. A plug-in property is defined by the PluginProperty class. Administrators configure properties for a plug-in by clicking Plug-in Properties Editor on the Main work area. For more information, see Running Plug-Ins.
IPluginAction	An object that provides methods for creating results for the current plug-in. An IPluginAction object is passed into the plug-in’s analyze() method.
IResult	Represents a single plug-in result. Also provides constants for indicating the status of a result.
PluginProperty	Represents a plug-in property for a configurable plug-in. For example, if you want the administrator to set a PCD address, you can create a PluginProperty for the PCD address and supply this in the PluginProperty[] array of the getSPProperties() method for a configurable plug-in.

All classes and interfaces are contained in the package com.sap.jpe.engine.

 

Project File Structure

The following is the basic file structure for a plug-in project:

The project contains a java folder. This folder contains the following:

●      Java Plug-In Classes: Includes your plug-in classes, plus example files that are imported automatically when you create a new plug-in project with the NetWeaver Developer Studio plug‑in for the Support Platform.

●      META-INF Folder: Contains a plugins.xml file. The XML file defines the name of the plug-in – which determines where the plug-in is displayed in the plug-ins tree in the Support Platform user interface – and any dependencies.