Plugin IDs

Introduction

Every plugin contains a unique identifier to prevent duplicate plugin loading and conflicts. This, which will be called a plugin ID from here on, must follow a specific format. This format categorizes a plugin and makes duplicate IDs unlikely.

Format

The basic format of a plugin ID is as follows:

type-username-pluginname

The type indicator specifies the type of plugin. This must be one of the following:

The username must be a unique identifier for that person. It should be your SourceForge ID. Do not leave this field blank.

The pluginname is the name of your plugin. It can be whatever you like, though it's common to keep it all lowercase. Do not use spaces! If you want a space, use a '-'. Please do not put a version indicator in the ID. The PurplePlugin structure already has a field for this.

Plugin Database

Although it doesn't exist yet, in time there will be a plugin database on the Pidgin website, where users can download and install new plugins. Plugins will be accessed by your plugin ID, which is one reason why it must be unique.