Trait Plugin 

pub trait Plugin: Send {
    // Required methods
    fn id(&self) -> &str;
    fn name(&self) -> &str;
    fn init(&mut self, ctx: &mut PluginContext) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>>;

    // Provided methods
    fn handle_key(&mut self, _key: KeyEvent) -> bool { ... }
    fn handle_mouse(&mut self, _event: &MouseEvent) -> bool { ... }
    fn render(&self, _f: &mut Frame<'_>, _area: Rect) { ... }
    fn tick(&mut self) { ... }
    fn on_focus(&mut self) { ... }
    fn on_blur(&mut self) { ... }
    fn on_theme_change(&mut self, _theme: &Theme) { ... }
    fn on_user_update(&mut self, _user: Option<&User>) { ... }
    fn status_hints(&self) -> Vec<(String, String)> { ... }
    fn commands(&self) -> Vec<PluginCmdItem> { ... }
    fn handle_palette_command(&mut self, _index: usize) { ... }
    fn on_plugin_message(&mut self, _from: &str, _action: &str, _data: &str) { ... }
    fn shutdown(&mut self) { ... }
    fn binary_path(&self) -> Option<&Path> { ... }
    fn is_alive(&self) -> bool { ... }
    fn is_ready(&self) -> bool { ... }
    fn has_dim_overlay(&self) -> bool { ... }
    fn can_background(&self) -> bool { ... }
    fn set_capabilities(&mut self, _caps: Vec<String>) { ... }
    fn persistent(&self) -> bool { ... }
    fn set_persistent(&mut self, _persistent: bool) { ... }
    fn take_pending_esc_result(&mut self) -> Option<bool> { ... }
    fn process_pending_requests(
        &mut self,
        _db: &mut dyn DbAccess,
        _auth: Option<&Arc<dyn AuthHandle>>,
    ) { ... }
    fn drain_pending_launch(&mut self) -> Option<(String, String)> { ... }
}

Required Methods

fn id(&self) -> &str

fn name(&self) -> &str

fn init(&mut self, ctx: &mut PluginContext) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>>

Provided Methods

fn handle_key(&mut self, _key: KeyEvent) -> bool

fn handle_mouse(&mut self, _event: &MouseEvent) -> bool

fn render(&self, _f: &mut Frame<'_>, _area: Rect)

fn tick(&mut self)

fn on_focus(&mut self)

fn on_blur(&mut self)

fn on_theme_change(&mut self, _theme: &Theme)

fn on_user_update(&mut self, _user: Option<&User>)

fn status_hints(&self) -> Vec<(String, String)>

fn commands(&self) -> Vec<PluginCmdItem>

Palette commands that this plugin registers (category, label).

fn handle_palette_command(&mut self, _index: usize)

Called when a palette command from this plugin is selected. index is the position in commands().

fn on_plugin_message(&mut self, _from: &str, _action: &str, _data: &str)

Called when a plugin-to-plugin message arrives.

fn shutdown(&mut self)

Called before the plugin is unloaded (hot-reload or app exit). The plugin should flush state, close handles, and prepare to be dropped. For IPC plugins this sends Shutdown (non-blocking) — the child process is killed later in Drop/kill() when the channel senders are dropped.

fn binary_path(&self) -> Option<&Path>

Return the filesystem path to this plugin’s binary, if it runs as an external process. None for in-process plugins. Used by the hot-reload mechanism to detect when the binary has been updated on disk.

fn is_alive(&self) -> bool

Whether the plugin process is still running. Returns true for in-process plugins. IPC plugins override this to check the child process.

fn is_ready(&self) -> bool

Whether the plugin has completed initialization and is ready to render. In-process plugins are ready immediately. IPC plugins become ready once the child process responds to the Init message.

fn has_dim_overlay(&self) -> bool

Whether the plugin’s last render included a dim overlay (search palette, dialog, etc.). The host uses this to extend the dim to the status bar.

fn can_background(&self) -> bool

Whether the plugin supports running in the background when the user presses Esc (e.g., audio players that should keep playing). Default is false. Override to return true for background-capable plugins.

fn set_capabilities(&mut self, _caps: Vec<String>)

Set runtime capabilities (e.g. "background") declared in the plugin manifest. Default is no-op; IPC plugins override this to store the value.

fn persistent(&self) -> bool

Whether this plugin should stay loaded when the user presses Esc. Persistent plugins are blurred but not shut down, keeping their palette entries and background processes alive. Default is false. Override to return true for plugins that must not be unloaded (e.g., the registry plugin).

fn set_persistent(&mut self, _persistent: bool)

Mark this plugin as persistent. Default is no-op; IPC plugins override this to store the value.

fn take_pending_esc_result(&mut self) -> Option<bool>

Check if a pending Esc key response has been resolved. Returns Some(consumed) if resolved, None if still pending or no Esc was sent. IPC plugins override this; in-process plugins don’t need it.

fn process_pending_requests( &mut self, _db: &mut dyn DbAccess, _auth: Option<&Arc<dyn AuthHandle>>, )

Process any pending requests from the plugin (e.g. DB read/write, authentication). Called once per main loop iteration. The default implementation is a no-op. IPC plugins override this to forward PluginRequest variants to the host.

fn drain_pending_launch(&mut self) -> Option<(String, String)>

Drain any pending launch request from this plugin. Returns Some((id, name)) if a launch was requested, None otherwise.

Dyn Compatibility

This trait is dyn compatible.

In older versions of Rust, dyn compatibility was called "object safety".

Implementors