Files
shopdb-flask/docs/CONTRACT-STABILITY.md
cproudlock 593dd46525 Show the kiosk label prefix, and let a plugin declare the settings it owns
Three defects, all found on printedparts_label_prefix, all one root cause:
nothing in the framework knew that setting existed.

The parts kiosk runs logged out. An unauthenticated read of a setting is
limited to an allowlist, the key was not on it, so the kiosk got a 404 and
fell back to no prefix. An admin previewing the same page while logged in saw
the prefix, which is why it looked like it worked.

The same setting also looked like it would not save. The row did not exist on
a site that installed the plugin before the setting was added, so the first
save created it - under the placeholder category the settings API uses for
keys it does not recognise, where the plugin's settings page, which lists by
category, could no longer see it. The value was in the database the whole
time.

And the row was missing in the first place because seeding ran from
on_install / on_enable, which fire only on a state transition. Neither runs
again on an upgrade, so a setting added in a later plugin version never
reached a site that installed an earlier one. The comment claiming enable ran
every upgrade cycle was simply wrong.

A plugin now declares the settings it owns in get_settings_defaults(): key,
default, type, category, description, and whether a logged-out page may read
it. The framework seeds declared keys at install, at enable, and on every
flask plugin upgrade-all; files a first-time write under the declared
category; re-homes any row left in the placeholder category, value untouched;
and answers an anonymous read for keys marked public. Core carries no list of
any plugin's keys.

Contract 0.16.0 (additive optional hook). printedparts and printers move to
the hook and floor their core_version at 0.16.0. The dev database had two rows
in the misfiled state (printedparts_alert_email, employee_db_host); the first
repairs itself on the next upgrade pass.
2026-08-06 18:17:49 -04:00

125 lines
8.8 KiB
Markdown

# Path to contract 1.0
This page is an honest read of how stable the plugin contract is today, for a
sister site deciding how much to build on it. It is derived from the ADRs and
the live code, not aspiration. The authoritative hook reference is
[PLUGIN-HOOKS.md](PLUGIN-HOOKS.md); the versioning rules are in
[ADR-002](adr/ADR-002-plugin-versioning.md).
## Current version
The plugin contract is at **0.16.0**, declared in `shopdb/__init__.py` as
`__contract_version__`. It is pre-1.0, which under semver means any 0.x minor
bump is allowed to break the contract, and this project has used that latitude.
The product release version (`__version__`, currently 0.7.0) is a separate
series with its own bump rules; see [ADR-007](adr/ADR-007-product-versioning-and-releases.md).
Do not pin against it for compatibility - pin against `__contract_version__`.
### 0.x history
Recorded in the comment block in `shopdb/__init__.py`:
| Version | Change | Kind |
|---------|--------|------|
| 0.3.0 | `shopdb.api` expanded to the full plugin import surface (db, cache, model bases, core models, response + pagination helpers, `employee_connection`) so plugins stop importing internal core paths | additive (minor) |
| 0.4.0 | Removed the never-implemented `get_searchable_fields` hook (search is a core concern over the asset model) and wired `get_dashboard_widgets` to a real consumer (`/api/dashboard/widgets`) | pre-1.0 contract reduction |
| 0.6.0 | Added the `get_reports` hook, consumed by `GET /api/reports` to merge plugin report cards into the Reports hub | additive optional hook (minor) |
| 0.7.0 | Added the four ADR-010 frontend-contribution hooks (`get_settings_cards`, `get_asset_panels`, `get_map_overlays`, `get_asset_presentation`), consumed by the `GET /api/pluginui/*` endpoints | additive optional hooks (minor) |
| 0.9.0 | Exposed the dualpath pair-resolution helpers on `shopdb.api` for the machines plugin | additive surface (minor) |
| 0.10.0 | Added the `get_permissions` hook so plugins declare their own RBAC permissions; the catalog is resolved dynamically from core + enabled plugins | additive optional hook (minor) |
| 0.11.0 | Added `service_token_authorized(scope)` to `shopdb.api` so a plugin's unattended endpoints (e.g. the GE-Enforce fetch API) can authorize a scoped managed service token without importing core token internals | additive surface (minor) |
| 0.12.0 | Added the mailer helpers (`send_email`, `send_alert`) to `shopdb.api` | additive surface (minor) |
| 0.13.0 | Added the `User` model to the `shopdb.api` surface | additive surface (minor) |
| 0.14.0 | Added `send_webhook` to the `shopdb.api` surface | additive surface (minor) |
| 0.15.0 | Added `authorized_service_token` / the `SupportTeam` model to the `shopdb.api` surface | additive surface (minor) |
| 0.16.0 | Added the `get_settings_defaults` hook so a plugin declares the Setting rows it owns; the framework seeds them at install, at enable, and on `flask plugin upgrade-all`, files a first-time write under the declared category, and honours `public: True` for pages that render before login | additive optional hook (minor) |
The source comment block documents 0.3.0, 0.4.0, 0.6.0, 0.7.0, 0.9.0, 0.10.0, 0.11.0, and
0.16.0; 0.12.0 through 0.15.0 are recorded in this table only. Earlier points
(0.1.x / 0.2.x) predate that recorded rationale; `PluginMeta`'s fallback
`core_version` default of `>=0.2.0,<1.0.0` is the only remaining trace of the
0.2 baseline.
## Settled surface
These are unlikely to break before 1.0. A plugin can depend on them with
reasonable confidence; a breaking change to any would be a major bump and would
land with a new or amended ADR.
| Surface | What it is |
|---------|-----------|
| `meta` / manifest schema | `PluginMeta` fields and `manifest.json` (ADR-002 single source of truth) |
| `get_blueprint` | Flask Blueprint registration at the manifest `api_prefix` |
| `get_models` | SQLAlchemy model classes the plugin owns |
| `init_app` | Custom init after blueprint + models are known |
| `get_cli_commands` | Click commands added to the Flask CLI |
| `get_services` | Named service classes, consumed by `plugin_manager.get_service` |
| Lifecycle hooks | `on_install`, `on_uninstall`, `on_enable`, `on_disable` |
| `get_navigation_items` | Sidebar menu entries |
| `get_dashboard_widgets` | Dashboard widgets, consumed by `/api/dashboard/widgets` |
| `get_reports` | Report cards, consumed by `/api/reports` (added 0.6.0) |
| `get_permissions` | Plugin RBAC permissions, merged into the catalog for roles and token scopes (added 0.10.0) |
| Frontend-contribution hooks | `get_settings_cards`, `get_asset_panels`, `get_map_overlays`, `get_asset_presentation`, consumed by `/api/pluginui/*` (added 0.7.0, [ADR-010](adr/ADR-010-frontend-plugin-hooks.md)) |
| Collector pair | `get_collector_schema` + `apply_collector_payload` per [ADR-006](adr/ADR-006-collector-contract.md) |
| Settings helpers | `get_setting` / `set_setting`, namespaced to the plugin |
| `get_provisioning_note` | Setup-wizard transparency note for extra tables |
| `get_config_schema` | Setup-wizard config field declarations |
| `shopdb.api` import surface | The only core module plugins may import (plus `shopdb.plugins.base`); adding a name is minor, removing one is major |
The asset model itself - `Asset`, `AssetType`, `AssetStatus`,
`AssetRelationship`, and the shared reference models - is the platform contract
locked in [ADR-001](adr/ADR-001-asset-as-platform-contract.md).
## Expected churn before 1.0
Known-unstable areas. Building on these means expecting rework.
| Area | Status | Reference |
|------|--------|-----------|
| Frontend renderers (residual) | The four data-only hooks and their `/api/pluginui/*` consumers are settled (0.7.0). The generic core renderers are landing incrementally: the settings-cards rail/landing renderer ships with 0.7.0; the asset-panel, map-overlay, and search-presentation renderers are wired opt-in per the ADR adoption plan. Real component-backed panels (bespoke charts, custom overlays) remain deferred to Option C (build-time glob discovery). | [ADR-010](adr/ADR-010-frontend-plugin-hooks.md) (ACCEPTED) |
| Per-plugin migrations | Brand new. The per-plugin Alembic engine exists and every bundled plugin now carries a chain, but the pattern has one release of production mileage, not years. | [ADR-008](adr/ADR-008-plugin-migration-ownership.md) (2026-07-10) |
| Pip distribution | Deferred to v2. External plugins install by clone / submodule / symlink; there is no entry-point discovery and no automatic update path yet. | [ADR-003](adr/ADR-003-plugin-distribution.md) |
## Bump rules
From [ADR-002](adr/ADR-002-plugin-versioning.md), applied to `__contract_version__`:
| Bump | Trigger |
|------|---------|
| major | Breaking change to the `BasePlugin` ABC, the `PluginMeta` schema, or any model in the platform contract (`Asset`, `AssetType`, `AssetStatus`, `AssetRelationship`, `Vendor`, `Location`, `BusinessUnit`, `Model`, `OperatingSystem`). Removing a name from `shopdb.api` is major. |
| minor | Additive change: a new optional hook, a new field on a contract model with a default, a new name added to `shopdb.api`. |
| patch | Bug fix with no change to the contract surface. |
### Deprecation policy
ADR-002 defines the bump classification above but is **silent** on any
deprecation window or notice period for pre-1.0 removals. In practice a removal
is simply a major (or, pre-1.0, a breaking minor) bump: the hook or name is
gone, and the loader fails loud in dev or excludes the mismatched plugin in prod
(see the load-time table in [PLUGIN-EXTERNAL-REPO.md](PLUGIN-EXTERNAL-REPO.md)).
Because the ADR says nothing about a grace period, this document proposes none;
the honest guidance for sister sites is the mitigation that already exists - pin
a tight `core_version` range and re-test before widening it.
## Criteria for declaring 1.0
Provisional. This is the maintainer's working list, not a committed checklist,
and it will move. ADR-002's own open question ("When does the framework declare
1.0.0?") ties 1.0 to the `Machine` retirement from ADR-001 and the framework
being "ready for sister sites"; the items below expand that intent.
- Frontend hook contract defined via its own ADR (asset-detail panels, map
markers, search results), closing the biggest churn item above.
- `Machine` / legacy-model retirement complete per ADR-001, so the asset model
is the only contract.
- At least two external plugins running in production at a second site - the
bar ADR-003 already sets before pip distribution and sister-site readiness
are considered justified.
- The per-plugin migration pattern (ADR-008) proven across real upgrades, not
just fresh installs.
- No contract bump needed for N consecutive product releases (N to be fixed
when the list is firmed up), showing the surface has actually settled.
Until then: pre-1.0, pin tight, re-test on every framework bump.