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About plugin libraries¶
Glossary¶
- Lino core¶
A source repository containing core functionality of the Lino framework. Used by every Lino application.
- XL¶
Abbreviation for Lino Extensions Library.
- Lino Extensions Library¶
A plugin library with shared plugins that are maintained by Synodalsoft, considered part of the Lino framework and used by many Lino applications.
- plugin library¶
A collection of plugins grouped into a single source repository, designed to work together and maintained by a given development provider.
Examples of plugin libraries:
lino.modlib,lino_xl.lib,lino_noi.lib,lino_voga.lib,lino_welfare.modlib.
“Core” versus “Extensions” library¶
The plugins of the Lino framework are spread over several Python packages. Some
of them are in lino.modlib and we call them core plugins, others are in lino_xl and we call them the plugins
of the Extension Library. Furthermore, individual applications can
have their own plugin library.
The XL is separate from the Standard Plugin Library because despite our efforts of making it very reusable, it is still just one possible view of the world and you might prefer your own view.
It is a big library, so beginners might not want to dive into all these concepts right now.
Where is the borderline between a standard plugin and an “XL” plugin? The theoretical answer is that the Standard Plugin Library contains “basic features” that remain useful also for people who don’t want the XL.
The borderline is neither very clear nor definitive. For example we have two
plugins printing and excerpts. The former in the core (lino.modlib) while the
latter is in lino_xl.lib. Yes, it remains arbitrary choice.
TODO: move languages and office to the XL? Move excerpts to the
core? And what about vocbook?