Plugins in ERPAG

In the modern business landscape, digitizing processes is essential for efficiency. ERPAG provides a powerful way to package your business logic—including custom documents, fields, and reports—into plugins. These add-ons allow you to easily move your configurations between different databases, share them with clients, or deploy them from a developer account to a production environment.

This tutorial will walk you through creating, managing, and deploying plugins (often also called add-ons or extensions), with a special focus on handling project dependencies.

Step 1: Building Your Custom Document

Before creating a plugin, you must have the custom documents or fields you wish to package.

1. Create Custom Documents: For example – in the manufacturing group, define your document (e.g., “Internal Project”) and add necessary tables and fields such as customer names, sales types, or dates.
2. Design Reports: Add a report designer to create custom print views for your documents.
3. Link to Existing Documents: You can link these custom documents to standard ERPAG documents, like Sales Orders, by adding a custom field that references your new project.

Step 2: Creating the Plugins

Once your documents are ready, it is time to package them.

1. Access the Plugin Menu: Navigate to the Plugins section and select “Create the plugin” on the right side.
2. Select Components: Choose the custom documents you want to include.
3. Check Dependencies: This is a critical step. Use the “Check Dependency” button. The system will automatically detect and select any related custom fields, templates, or reports used by your document, ensuring the add-on is complete.
4. Save: Once all dependencies are verified, save and create the plugin.

Step 3: Managing Plugins Versions and Security

To prevent accidental changes by end-users, ERPAG locks plugins by default.

• Unlocking for Edits: If you need to modify a document within a plugin, you must first select “Unlock the Plugin”.
• Security Passwords: You can set an Unlock Password. This ensures that only authorized users can modify the plugin’s structure.
• Creating New Versions: After making changes (such as updating an icon or adding a field), you must “Create a New Version”. The system will automatically increment the version number (e.g., from version 1 to version 2).

Step 4: Deployment Options

ERPAG offers two primary ways to move your add-ons to another database:

Option A: Manual Installation

1. Select “Download the plugin” to save a .sha structure file to your computer.
2. On the target database, go to the Plugins menu and select “Upload from file” to install it.

Option B: The ERPAG Plugin Gallery (Recommended)

1. Publish to Gallery: Select your extension and click “Publish to the gallery”. You must set a password for security to prevent others from overwriting your code.
2. The Gallery ID: Once published, you will receive a unique Gallery ID.
3. Remote Installation: On any other database in the ERPAG ecosystem, you can select “Install from gallery” and enter this ID to deploy your plugin instantly.

Step 5: Handling Complex Project Dependencies

Sometimes, one plugin requires another to function (e.g., we will create a “Master Project” extension that references an “Internal Project”).

1. Required Plugins: When creating a complex add-on, use the “Check Dependency” feature to mark another plugin as Required.
2. Installation Flow: When a user tries to install your new extension from the gallery, ERPAG will notify them if a dependency is missing. The system can then prompt them to install the required plugin first, ensuring the whole system works seamlessly.

Important: Data Safety and Updates

• Data Persistence: If you delete a plugin, the data you entered into those documents is not deleted from the database; it simply becomes hidden. Reinstalling the plugin will make that data visible again.
• Keeping Up to Date: You can use the “Check Updates” or “Update all plugins” buttons to ensure all installed plugins are running the latest version published by the developer.

Conclusion

ERPAG’s system for add-ons is a robust tool for developers and business owners alike. By mastering dependencies and the Plugin Gallery, you can ensure that your custom business logic is secure, easily updateable, and perfectly synchronized across your entire organization.

Related blogs:

Custom documents: https://www.erpag.com/news/custom-documents

Custom fields: https://www.erpag.com/news/custom-fields-upgraded