Plugin system

Plugins are ordinary NuGet packages that participate in the Carbon runtime and optionally ship a matching npm package. A plugin can register generated bridge commands, read configuration, use DI, observe lifecycle events, emit events, declare permissions and supported platforms, and release resources during shutdown.

Add a first-party plugin

carbon add plugin Store

For catalog plugins, Carbon adds the NuGet and npm packages, registers the C# plugin, and updates the main capability file. Review any scope warning printed by the command.

Add a third-party plugin

carbon add plugin Acme.DotCarbon.Camera \
  --class CameraPlugin \
  --using Acme.DotCarbon.Camera \
  --namespace camera \
  --npm acme/dotcarbon-camera \
  '--command=camera:*'

The npm package is optional. Without one, call the plugin through invoke('camera:command', payload).

Register manually

CarbonApp.Create(config)
    .UseDesktop()
    .UsePlugin<StorePlugin>()
    .Run();

UsePlugin<T>() and WithPlugin<T>() resolve the plugin through dependency injection. Use WithWindowPlugin for desktop plugins that need the native window used by a specific webview.

First-party catalog

Plugin	Platforms	Purpose
Clipboard	Desktop	Read and write text clipboard content
Deep Link	Desktop	Receive registered application URLs
Dialog	Desktop	Native file and message dialogs
File System	Desktop, Android, IOS	Scoped text file operations
Global Shortcut	Desktop	Register system-wide keyboard shortcuts
HTTP	Desktop, Android, IOS	Scoped backend HTTP requests
Notification	Desktop	Native notifications
Opener	Desktop	Open and reveal approved paths and URLs
OS	Desktop, Android, IOS	Platform and host information
Shell	Desktop	Scoped process execution
Single Instance	Desktop	Keep one process and forward launch arguments
Store	Desktop, Android, IOS	Persistent JSON key/value settings
Updater	Desktop	Signed update check, download, and install
Window	Desktop	Control labeled windows from TypeScript