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Plugin System Overview

MCA Editor has a plugin architecture that lets you extend the editor with custom functionality. Plugins can add panels, menu items, and interact with the editor and Maya through a clean Python API.

How Plugins Work

A plugin is a Python package (folder) containing:

  • plugin.json — Metadata and configuration
  • __init__.py — Entry point with your plugin class

Your plugin class subclasses MCAPlugin and implements two methods: activate() and deactivate(). When activated, you receive an API object that gives you access to the editor's functionality.

What Plugins Can Do

Through the MCAPluginAPI, plugins can:

  • Add UI panels to the editor's right sidebar
  • Add menu items under the Plugins menu
  • Read and write files on disk and in the editor
  • Execute code in Maya or locally
  • Access editor state — cursor position, open files, project info
  • Show notifications in the status bar
  • Store settings that persist across sessions

Plugin Locations

Location Purpose
mca_core/plugins/ Bundled plugins (ship with MCA Editor)
~/Documents/mca_preferences/plugins/ User plugins (your custom plugins)

Bundled plugins load first, then user plugins. Both follow the same structure.

Plugin Lifecycle

Discovery → Load Manifest → Import Module → activate(api) → ... → deactivate()
  1. Discovery — Plugin Manager scans plugin directories for plugin.json files
  2. Manifest — Reads metadata (ID, name, version, etc.)
  3. Import — Dynamically imports the entry point module
  4. Activate — Calls plugin.activate(api) with the API wrapper
  5. Deactivate — Calls plugin.deactivate() on shutdown or when disabled

Plugins can be enabled/disabled from the Plugins menu without restarting.

Next Steps