Guide to Adding Plugins to Apache Answer

Plugins are like a set of building blocks that you can freely combine to create the functionality you want. Adding plugins is an excellent way to extend Apache Answer's features. This article will provide a detailed guide on the installation steps, helping you easily add plugins and master the process of installing and using them.

Download Plugins​

1. Click here to download the desired plugin from the official Apache Answer plugin repository.
2. Place the Plugin: Move the downloaded plugin files into the ./ui/src/plugins directory of your project.
3. Plugin Type Reference: https://answer.apache.org/docs/development/plugins

Important: The folder should be named "plugins," not "plugin."

Install Standard UI Plugin​

1. In the terminal, run cd ./ui to navigate to the ui directory.
2. Install dependencies: Run pnpm pre-install.
3. Start the project: Run pnpm start to launch the development server.
4. Backend Plugin Setup: In a new terminal window, continue with the backend plugin installation steps.

Install Backend Plugin​

1. Compile Frontend Code:

• Linux/MacOS: Run make ui.
• Windows: Run pnpm install and pnpm build.

2. Import Plugin: In the cmd/answer/main.go file, import the plugin (replace my-plugin with your plugin name):

import (
    answercmd "github.com/apache/incubator-answer/cmd"
    // Import the plugins
    _ "github.com/apache/incubator-answer-plugins/my-plugin"
)

The image below shows examples with the editor-chart, editor-formula, and embed-basic plugins.

3. Update go.mod: Navigate back to the project root directory by running cd ... Use go mod edit to add the plugin to the go.mod file:

go mod edit -replace=github.com/apache/incubator-answer-plugins/my-plugin=./ui/src/plugins/my-plugin

Note: Windows users need to use double quotes, as shown below:

go mod edit -replace="github.com/apache/incubator-answer-plugins/my-plugin"="./ui/src/plugins/my-plugin"

Example with the editor-chart, editor-formula, and embed-basic plugins.

4. Download Dependencies: Run go mod tidy to download and update dependencies.
5. Start the Project: Run go run cmd/answer/main.go run -C ./answer-data.

Open the backend interface URL in your browser. Under the Admin - Installed Plugins section, you'll see the added plugins. Click the ⋮ in the Action column to activate or remove the plugin.

Congratulations, you've successfully added a plugin! Click here to explore more community-built plugins. Additionally, we offer a detailed tutorial on How to Package and Deploy Answer Plugins and a Plugin Development Guide to make your Apache Answer even more powerful.