Plugins

How to install and manage plugins that add features to the editor, and the developer page for building and uploading plugins. For using plugins inside the editor, see the "Editor plugins" article.

Plugins tab

The Plugins tab on the dashboard manages the plugins you have installed; new plugins are found in the gallery.

• My plugins — the plugins you have installed. Each shows its name, version, developer and the permissions it uses, with an on/off switch and a Remove button (trash can) on the right.
• Gallery › Plugins — cards for plugins that passed review and are published. Open it with the Browse plugins link at the top right of the tab or Gallery in the header (anyone can look, no sign-in needed). The plugins themselves are all free for now, but installing them needs a paid plan (Starter or Pro). On the Free plan the Install button in the details window is dimmed and a plan notice is shown. When your plan ends, installed plugins are no longer loaded in the editor; they stay in your list and come back as soon as you upgrade to a paid plan. Cards you have already installed show Installed.

Installing doesn't download a file; it links the plugin to your account. Plugins you have installed and switched on are loaded every time the editor opens, so you have the same plugins on any computer you sign in from. They don't appear in an editor that is already open — refresh the tab or reopen the layout.

Related questions

• Where do I get plugins?
• Can I add extensions or add-ons to the editor?
• Do plugins cost money?

Installing a plugin

1. In Gallery › Plugins, click a card. The details window opens.
2. Check Developer, Version, Requires editor, Price and the What this plugin can do list.
3. Click Install. For a plugin that connects to an external server the button is Agree and install (see "Plugins that connect to external servers" below).
4. When it appears under My plugins, you're done. The plugin is there the next time you open the editor.

A plugin with Requires editor is loaded only in that editor version or later. If the editor version your account uses is lower, choose a newer one in Layout Settings (see "Editor version" in the "Dashboard" article).

Related questions

• I installed a plugin but it's not in the editor
• How do I install a plug-in?
• What does "Required editor" mean?

Permissions

A plugin can only do what the permissions in its details window allow. The permissions are:

• Read layout — reads the pages, objects and text of the open layout.
• Edit layout — creates, changes or deletes objects, text, images and pages. Every change can be undone and is saved as usual.
• Selection — knows which objects are selected and changes the selection.
• Interface — adds tool buttons, menus, panels and dialogs to the editor.
• Save settings — saves that plugin's settings to your account (up to 64 KB).
• External server connection — the permission name is followed by a server address. The plugin can exchange data with that server.

Plugins run in an isolated place apart from the editor (a sandbox). They can't reach your sign-in details, your other layouts or the editor screen, and a plugin without an external server permission can't connect to the internet at all. Panels and windows a plugin opens are also drawn only inside their own isolated window.

Related questions

• Can a plugin read my layouts without asking?
• What do the plugin permissions mean?
• Can a plugin steal my login or account data?

Plugins that connect to external servers

A plugin with an external server permission (for example, one that fetches data from a product information service to fill a layout) shows a warning in its details window: under "This plugin can send layout contents to the following servers:" you see the server addresses and a link to the developer's Privacy policy.

• It can connect only to the servers listed and can't send anything to other addresses.
• Connecting may send layout contents to that server, so read the address and the privacy policy and click Agree and install only if you trust them.

Related questions

• Is a plugin with network access safe?
• Does this plugin send my data to the internet?
• What is "Agree and install"?

Turning plugins on and off, and removing them

• Turn the switch off and the plugin is no longer loaded from the next time you open the editor. Turn it on again to load it again.
• Click Remove and confirm to remove it from My plugins. Objects made with that plugin stay in your layouts and still display and print exactly as saved (see "Plugin objects" in the "Editor plugins" article).
• A plugin marked Blocked by admin was blocked by an administrator: it can't be turned on and isn't loaded in the editor. No usable version means no version is currently published.

Related questions

• How do I disable a plugin for a while?
• What happens to objects if I uninstall a plugin?
• It says the plugin was blocked by an admin

Upgrading a plugin

An installed plugin keeps using the version you installed. When the developer uploads a new version and it passes review, your plugin doesn't switch on its own — you use the new version only after you upgrade.

1. When a new version comes out, a notice with the new version number appears under that plugin in My plugins. If the new version uses more permissions than the current one, the notice says new permissions are needed. The editor's Plugins menu also gets an item saying you can upgrade.
2. Click Upgrade. The Upgrade plugin window shows the current and new version numbers and any new permissions.
3. Click Upgrade. The new version is loaded from the next time you open the editor.

If you don't upgrade, the editor keeps loading the version you use now. If that version is withdrawn, the highest lower version is used; only if there is none does the nearest newer version take over.

Related questions

• Do plugins update automatically?
• How do I get a plugin's new version?
• Will the plugin stop working if I don't upgrade?

Plugin developer page

To build and upload your own plugins, go to Developer at the bottom of the left menu in My Account.

1. At first you see the Apply as a developer form. Enter a Display name (the name shown as developer in the store) and Contact (an email or web address), agree to the developer terms and click Apply.
2. An administrator reviews it and you get the result as a notification. If it's rejected, you can correct it and apply again.
3. Once approved, the page shows Getting started. Get the SDK (zip) with Download the SDK. It contains tools, type definitions, examples and the developer guide (README.md), and needs Node 18 or later.
4. Build the plugin on your computer, start the SDK's development server, and open the editor with pluginDev added to the end of its address to try the plugin right away (only with an approved developer account and only from this computer (localhost)). If you start the development server with --open, the editor opens without signing in on a new test layout that saves nothing to the server (the sandbox editor). AI agents can run commands in that editor and get page images back from the terminal. The exact commands are in the steps under Getting started and in the README.md inside the SDK.
5. When it's ready, make a zip with the SDK and upload it with Upload zip in Upload a version (up to 5 MB and 200 files). The uploaded version stays as Draft.
6. Click Request review in the version list and an administrator reviews it. While under review the version can't be changed or deleted. The approval or rejection and the review note arrive as a notification and also show in the version list.
7. Once approved, it is published in Gallery › Plugins. The Show in store switch decides whether it shows in the store.

To make changes, raise the version number, upload it as a new version and have it reviewed again. The plugin API, external server permissions and review criteria are described in the README.md inside the SDK.

Related questions

• Can I write my own plugin?
• Where do I sign up as a plugin developer?
• Where can I download the plugin SDK?
• How do I publish my plugin to the store?