Using Kanzi Engine plugins

Kanzi Engine plugins extend the functionality of Kanzi Engine. Kanzi Engine executes these plugins on the target platforms. Use a Kanzi Engine plugin to:

• Create custom nodes using the Kanzi Engine API, use them in your Kanzi Studio projects, and see in the Kanzi Studio Preview how they work.
• Create custom property types and messages using the Kanzi Engine API, and use them in your Kanzi Studio projects.
• Define the data entry points to your Kanzi application, and form the contract between the Kanzi application designer and developer.

To learn how you can use Kanzi Engine plugins, see:

• Configuring Kanzi Engine plugin custom components for Kanzi Studio
• Tutorial: Get application data from a data source
• Node2D plugin example
• Node3D plugin example

Adding Kanzi Engine plugins to a Kanzi Studio project

To add a Kanzi Engine plugin to a Kanzi Studio project:

1. In the Library right-click Kanzi Engine Plugins and select Import Kanzi Engine Plugin.
   
2. Select the .dll of the plugin you want to import and click Open.
   When you select in the Library > Kanzi Engine Plugins the plugin you imported, in the Properties you can see a list of the content that the plugin brings to the Kanzi Studio project. For example, in the Properties you can see a list of property types, component, data source, render pass, node component, and trigger action types provided by the selected plugin.

3. Make sure that the solution configuration you used in Visual Studio to build your application and plugin projects matches the settings of your Kanzi Studio project.
   For example, if you used the GL_vs2015_Release solution configuration in Visual Studio, in your Kanzi Studio project in the Project > Properties set:

   • Preview OpenGL ES Wrapper to GL (Emulation through desktop OpenGL)
   • Preview Build Configuration to Release
   • Preview Visual Studio Version to 2015
   • Preview Working Directory to ..\Application\bin.

   With these settings set the Kanzi StudioPreview to work with the plugin.
   

4. In the Library > Kanzi Engine Plugins select the plugin and in the Properties make sure that the Is Enabled property is enabled.
   
   TIP

   Use the Is Enabled property to enable or disable any Kanzi Engine plugin in your project.

5. Press F8, or select Project > Start Preview to start the Preview.
   You can now use the content provided by the plugin in your Kanzi Studio project.

Updating Kanzi Engine plugins in a project

When you receive from a developer or create a new version of a Kanzi Engine plugin to take the new version into use you need to update the Kanzi Engine plugin in your Kanzi Studio project.

To update a Kanzi Engine plugin in a Kanzi Studio project:

1. Copy the .dll files of the plugin to the same location where the previous version of the plugin is located.
2. In the Library > Kanzi Engine Plugins right-click the plugin you have updated and select Update Kanzi Engine Plugin.
   When Kanzi Studio loads the new version of the plugin, it shows changes in the properties and classes defined in the plugin.
   

Removing Kanzi Engine plugins from a project

When you remove a Kanzi Engine plugin from a Kanzi Studio project, Kanzi Studio removes the reference to the Kanzi Engine plugin, but does not delete the .dll file of the Kanzi Engine plugin you removed.

To remove a Kanzi Engine plugin from a Kanzi Studio project in the Library > Kanzi Engine Plugins right-click the plugin you want to remove and select Delete.

See also

Creating Kanzi Engine plugins

Kanzi Engine plugins

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