shopdb-flask/docs/PLUGIN-QUICKSTART.md

# Plugin Quickstart

Build a working shopdb-flask plugin in 30 minutes. This walks through generating, customizing, installing, and testing a plugin from scratch.

For the full hook reference, see [PLUGIN-HOOKS.md](PLUGIN-HOOKS.md).
For the architectural decisions behind the contract, see [docs/adr/](../docs/adr/).

## Step 1: Generate the skeleton

```bash
flask plugin new cameras --description "Tracks shop-floor surveillance cameras"
```

Output: `plugins/cameras/` with manifest, plugin class, example model, example routes, schemas stub, tests, a README, and a paste-in `frontend-api-snippet.js`. When a `frontend/src/` tree is present, it also writes the frontend starting points: `frontend/src/views/cameras/CamerasList.vue`, `CamerasDetail.vue`, `CamerasForm.vue`, and the auto-discovered route file `frontend/src/router/routes/cameras.js`. (A plugin developed in its own repo, with no frontend tree, gets the backend skeleton plus the snippet only.)

The generated plugin already passes the framework's contract tests. Verify before editing:

```bash
pytest plugins/cameras/tests/
```

## Step 2: Edit the model

Open `plugins/cameras/models/cameras.py`. Replace the `examplefield` placeholder with your domain fields:

```python
class Cameras(BaseModel):
    __tablename__ = 'cameras'

    assetid = db.Column(
        db.Integer,
        db.ForeignKey('assets.assetid', ondelete='CASCADE'),
        primary_key=True,
    )
    streamurl = db.Column(db.String(255), nullable=False)
    resolution = db.Column(db.String(20))
    fps = db.Column(db.Integer)
    poeport = db.Column(db.String(50))
    asset = db.relationship('Asset', backref=db.backref('cameras', uselist=False))

    def to_dict(self):
        return {
            'assetid': self.assetid,
            'streamurl': self.streamurl,
            'resolution': self.resolution,
            'fps': self.fps,
            'poeport': self.poeport,
        }
```

Note the naming convention: lowercase concatenated, no underscores (`streamurl`, not `stream_url`). See [CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md).

## Step 3: Add routes

Open `plugins/cameras/api/routes.py`. The scaffold provides list and detail endpoints. Add CRUD as needed:

```python
@cameras_bp.route('', methods=['POST'])
@jwt_required()
def create_camera():
    data = request.get_json()

    asset = Asset(assetnumber=data['assetnumber'], name=data['name'], ...)
    db.session.add(asset)
    db.session.flush()

    camera = Cameras(
        assetid=asset.assetid,
        streamurl=data['streamurl'],
        resolution=data.get('resolution'),
    )
    db.session.add(camera)
    db.session.commit()

    return success_response(camera.to_dict(), http_code=201)
```

For audit logging, use the public helper:

```python
from shopdb.api import audit_log

audit_log(action='created', entitytype='Camera', entityid=asset.assetid, entityname=asset.name)
```

## Step 4: Install the plugin

```bash
flask plugin install cameras
flask db migrate -m "Add cameras plugin tables"
flask db upgrade
```

`install` runs the plugin's `on_install` hook (which seeds the AssetType row), registers it in the plugin registry, and runs migrations.

## Step 5: Verify it works

```bash
flask plugin list
```

You should see `cameras [Enabled]`.

Run the plugin's tests:

```bash
pytest plugins/cameras/tests/
```

Hit the API:

```bash
curl http://localhost:5001/api/cameras
```

## Step 6: Add hooks (optional)

Override hooks on the plugin class as needed. See [PLUGIN-HOOKS.md](PLUGIN-HOOKS.md) for the full list. Common ones:

| Hook | Adds |
|------|------|
| `get_navigation_items` | Plugin shows up in the sidebar nav |
| `get_dashboard_widgets` | Plugin's dashboard widget appears on the home page |
| `get_reports` | Plugin's report cards appear on the Reports hub |
| `get_collector_schema` + `apply_collector_payload` | Plugin accepts external pushes at `/api/collector/<name>` |

Each hook has a default that does nothing. Override only what your plugin needs.

## Step 7: Frontend (finish the generated starting points)

The scaffold generates the frontend starting points too: three views, a route file, and a paste-in api-client snippet (see Step 1). They build and run out of the box against the example model, so `npm run build` is green immediately after scaffolding. The list below is what you finish by hand once the views exist. Copy patterns from the closest bundled plugin (`network` is the cleanest) as you flesh them out, and work through these in order:

1. **View files** - the scaffold created `frontend/src/views/cameras/CamerasList.vue`, `CamerasDetail.vue`, `CamerasForm.vue` from the example model. Replace the `examplefield` columns and inputs with your domain fields. Keep the global `.filters` / `.form-control` / `.card` styles; do not invent per-page input styling.

2. **Route file** - the scaffold created `frontend/src/router/routes/cameras.js` exporting a route array. The router auto-discovers every file in `routes/` via `import.meta.glob`, so no registration edit is needed. Every route is already tagged with `meta: { plugin: 'cameras' }` - the ADR-009 guard redirects to the dashboard when the backend plugin is disabled - and the form routes already carry `requiresAuth: true`:

```js
export default [
  {
    path: 'cameras',
    name: 'cameras',
    component: () => import('../../views/cameras/CamerasList.vue'),
    meta: { plugin: 'cameras' }
  },
  {
    path: 'cameras/:id/edit',
    name: 'cameras-edit',
    component: () => import('../../views/cameras/CamerasForm.vue'),
    meta: { requiresAuth: true, plugin: 'cameras' }
  }
]
```

3. **API client** - the scaffolded views ship with an inline `camerasApi` client so they run standalone. To graduate to the shared module, paste the generated `plugins/cameras/frontend-api-snippet.js` block into `frontend/src/api/index.js`, then delete the inline const in each view and `import { camerasApi } from '../../api'` instead. The snippet already matches the existing blocks' shape (`list(params)`, `get(id)`, `create(data)`, `update(id, data)`, `remove(id)`).

4. **Sidebar entry** - implement `get_navigation_items` on the plugin class. No frontend edit: the sidebar builds itself from `/api/dashboard/navigation`.

5. **Report cards** (if any) - implement `get_reports` on the plugin class. No frontend edit: the Reports hub builds itself from `/api/reports`. Use `route` for a dedicated page (add it to your route file), or `endpoint` for inline rendering.

6. **Settings page** (if the plugin has subtypes) - add a route whose path starts with `settings/` (e.g. `settings/cameratypes`) to your route file; the router automatically nests it under the settings shell. Copy a types-list view from `frontend/src/views/settings/`.

7. **Verify** - `npm run build` must pass, then screenshot your pages against the dev servers: `venv/bin/python tools/shot.py /cameras`.

## Common errors

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---------|-------|-----|
| `PluginNotFoundError: manifest.json` | Manifest deleted or moved | Restore `plugins/<name>/manifest.json` |
| `PluginContractError: missing required field` | manifest.json incomplete | Re-add `name`, `version`, `description` |
| `PluginVersionError: requires core_version X but framework is Y` | Framework upgraded past your range | Update `core_version` in manifest |
| `Table 'cameras' is already defined` | Two models declared the same `__tablename__` | Pick a unique table name |
| Index name collision | Two indexes share the same name (SQLite enforces global uniqueness) | Prefix index names with table: `idx_cameras_streamurl` |

## Next steps

- [PLUGIN-GUIDE.md](PLUGIN-GUIDE.md) - the full narrative walkthrough of building the `measuringtools` plugin end to end (models, per-plugin migration baseline, authz, hooks, frontend integration, tests). Read this after the quickstart when you want the exemplar that exercises every framework feature.
- [PLUGIN-HOOKS.md](PLUGIN-HOOKS.md) for the full hook reference
- [CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md) for naming conventions
- [docs/adr/ADR-001-asset-as-platform-contract.md](../docs/adr/ADR-001-asset-as-platform-contract.md) for what your plugin can rely on
- [docs/adr/ADR-006-collector-contract.md](../docs/adr/ADR-006-collector-contract.md) for accepting external collector input

## Distribution

If you are building a plugin for a specific GE Aerospace site (sister-site adoption), ship it as its own git repo. The site running shopdb-flask clones or symlinks your plugin into `<repo>/plugins/<name>/`. See [ADR-003](../docs/adr/ADR-003-plugin-distribution.md).

For the full own-repo workflow (layout, symlink dev loop, CI recipe with `scripts/test-external-plugin.sh`, version pinning), see [PLUGIN-EXTERNAL-REPO.md](PLUGIN-EXTERNAL-REPO.md). For what you can rely on staying stable before contract 1.0, see [CONTRACT-STABILITY.md](CONTRACT-STABILITY.md).