Plugins

A vsgen plugin defines additional objects that can be instantiated by vsgen during normal operations.

Entry Points

An entry point is a setuptools’ packaging mechanism that makes Python objects discoverable to other packages.

The syntax of the entry point has various components and vsgen uses multiple context groups to organise the various objects a plugin can define. Each group is prefixed with the vsgen name and follows the following model:

'vsgen.<group>': [
    '<key> = <module>:<class>'
],

group

The object class. One of Projects or Suites.

key

The public identifier of the object within the context group.

module

The module import path containing the object.

class

The object name within the module.

A Python package can define multiple entry points, however, vsgen expect the key value to be unique within the Python session. If different Python packages register classes under the same key one will override the other.

Plugin Example: ExamplePlugin

An Exmaple plugin EP exposes two entrypoints in its setup.py file:

'vsgen.suites': [
    'ep = vsgenep.suite:EPSuite'
],
'vsgen.projects': [
    'ep = vsgenep.project:EPProject'
]

The first registers the EPSuite class in the vsgenep.suite module with the ep key. The entry point makes the EPSuite discoverable by vsgen when it queries the current Python environment for all vsgen.suite.VSGSuite implementing classes.

The second registers the EPProject class in the vsgenep.project module with the ep key. The entry point makes the EPProject discoverable by vsgen when it queries the current Python environment for all vsgen.project.VSGProject implementing classes.