Implement Plugin System Architecture

[toymak3r]

Overview

Design and implement a comprehensive plugin system for Goethe that allows third-party developers to extend the dialog system with custom functionality.

Background

A plugin system will enable the Goethe ecosystem to grow organically by allowing developers to add custom features, export formats, condition systems, and other extensions without modifying the core codebase.

Requirements

Plugin Architecture Design

• Plugin Interface Definition
  • Define plugin API and interfaces
  • Create plugin lifecycle management
  • Implement plugin discovery and loading
  • Design plugin communication protocols
• Plugin Types Support
  • Export Plugins: Custom export formats
  • Condition Plugins: Advanced condition systems
  • Analytics Plugins: Custom analytics and reporting
  • UI Plugins: GUI extensions and custom views
  • Processing Plugins: Dialog processing and transformation

Core Implementation

• Plugin Manager
  • Implement PluginManager class in src/engine/core/plugin/plugin_manager.cpp
  • Add corresponding header in include/goethe/plugin_manager.hpp
  • Create plugin loading and unloading system
  • Implement plugin dependency resolution
• Plugin API
  • Define base plugin interface
  • Create plugin-specific interfaces
  • Implement plugin versioning system
  • Add plugin metadata support

Plugin Development Tools

• Plugin SDK
  • Create plugin development kit
  • Provide plugin templates and examples
  • Add plugin debugging tools
  • Create plugin testing framework
• Plugin Marketplace Infrastructure
  • Design plugin distribution system
  • Implement plugin discovery service
  • Add plugin rating and review system
  • Create plugin update mechanism

Integration Points

• GUI Integration
  • Plugin management interface in GUI
  • Plugin configuration dialogs
  • Plugin status monitoring
  • Plugin marketplace integration
• Command-Line Integration
  • Plugin management commands
  • Plugin installation/uninstallation
  • Plugin configuration tools
  • Plugin development utilities

Security and Safety

• Plugin Sandboxing
  • Implement plugin isolation
  • Add resource usage limits
  • Create security validation system
  • Add plugin signature verification
• Error Handling
  • Graceful plugin failure handling
  • Plugin crash recovery
  • Error reporting and logging
  • Plugin compatibility checking

Technical Details

Plugin Architecture

// Base plugin interface
class Plugin {
public:
    virtual ~Plugin() = default;
    virtual std::string get_name() const = 0;
    virtual std::string get_version() const = 0;
    virtual std::string get_description() const = 0;
    virtual bool initialize() = 0;
    virtual void shutdown() = 0;
    virtual PluginType get_type() const = 0;
};

// Plugin manager
class PluginManager {
public:
    static PluginManager& instance();
    
    bool load_plugin(const std::string& path);
    bool unload_plugin(const std::string& name);
    std::vector<std::string> list_plugins() const;
    Plugin* get_plugin(const std::string& name);
    
    template<typename T>
    std::vector<T*> get_plugins_of_type() const;
    
private:
    std::map<std::string, std::unique_ptr<Plugin>> plugins_;
    std::map<PluginType, std::vector<Plugin*>> plugins_by_type_;
};

// Plugin types
enum class PluginType {
    EXPORT,
    CONDITION,
    ANALYTICS,
    UI,
    PROCESSING
};

Plugin Development Example

// Example export plugin
class CustomExportPlugin : public ExportPlugin {
public:
    std::string get_name() const override { return "CustomExport"; }
    std::string get_version() const override { return "1.0.0"; }
    std::string get_description() const override { return "Custom export format"; }
    PluginType get_type() const override { return PluginType::EXPORT; }
    
    bool initialize() override {
        // Initialize plugin
        return true;
    }
    
    void shutdown() override {
        // Cleanup plugin
    }
    
    bool export_dialog(const Dialogue& dialogue, const std::string& path) override {
        // Custom export logic
        return true;
    }
};

// Plugin registration
extern "C" Plugin* create_plugin() {
    return new CustomExportPlugin();
}

Plugin Metadata Format

# plugin.yaml
name: "Custom Export Plugin"
version: "1.0.0"
description: "Exports dialogs to custom format"
author: "Plugin Author"
type: "export"
dependencies:
  - "goethe-core >= 1.0.0"
  - "some-library >= 2.0.0"
entry_point: "create_plugin"

Acceptance Criteria

• Plugin system compiles and links successfully
• Basic plugins can be loaded and unloaded
• Plugin API is well-documented and usable
• Plugin development SDK is functional
• Security measures are implemented
• GUI integration works correctly
• Plugin marketplace infrastructure is designed

Priority

High - This is part of the medium-term roadmap and essential for ecosystem growth.

Labels

• enhancement
• plugin-system
• architecture
• ecosystem
• medium-term
• high-priority

Estimated Effort

• Core Architecture: 4-5 weeks
• Plugin SDK: 3-4 weeks
• GUI Integration: 2-3 weeks
• Documentation: 2-3 weeks

Future Enhancements

• Plugin Marketplace: Online plugin repository
• Plugin Analytics: Usage statistics and performance monitoring
• Plugin Collaboration: Multi-plugin communication protocols
• Plugin Templates: Pre-built plugin templates for common use cases