Planning

Step 1. Install all the necessary packages and programs

• ONLYOFFICE DocSpace on-premises.

  Both Enterprise and Community versions are available.

• @onlyoffice/docspace-plugin-sdk npm package

  To install the @onlyoffice/docspace-plugin-sdk npm package globally, use the following command:

  npm i -g @onlyoffice/docspace-plugin-sdk
  

Step 2. Design the way your plugin will work

1. Choose the service that allows you to add the necessary functionality to your DocSpace.

   For example, in our plugin samples, we use:

   • AssemblyAI to convert speech from audio and video files into text;
   • ConvertAPI to convert documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms into pdf;
   • Draw.io to create, edit, and insert professional-looking diagrams.
   Please make sure that the service documentation is available, check its license, availability of API methods, etc. For some services, the user must obtain an API key to start using the plugin.

2. Think about where to implement the plugin, what the plugin's structure will be, how the user will interact with the plugin's components, etc. Make a list of the required plugin types and items depending on this information. For more information, read the Plugin types and Plugin items sections of the Plugins SDK documentation.

   For example, for the speech-to-text plugin, we use the following plugin interfaces:

   • IPlugin. Required for each plugin. It contains the plugin status (PluginStatus) variable, used to embed the plugin into the DocSpace.
   • IApiPlugin. Required as we implement a third-party service.
   • ISettingsPlugin and ISettings. Used to add settings block for plugin's configuration. The users will access this block from Settings -> Integration -> Plugins to adjust the plugin's parameters.
   • IContextMenuPlugin and IContextMenuItem. Used to implement a context menu action. In the speech-to-text plugin, it will be available for video and audio files allowing users to convert content into text.

   The list of interfaces may be longer. For example, in the draw.io plugin:

   • IMainButtonPlugin and IMainButtonItem. Used to implement the main button action. In the draw.io plugin, we use the Action button -> More menu elements in the My documents section or in the selected room to create draw.io diagrams.
   • IFilePlugin and IFileItem. Used to interact with the specified file types. In this case, with the .drawio files.

3. Come up with the plugin's structure. All the required files are described here. Everything else can be organized as you wish. For example, in the draw.io plugin, we put the code for each plugin type in separate folders, while in the speech-to-text plugin, this code is placed in the src folder.

   
4. Choose a name for your plugin and write a description for it.