---
title: Developing Plugins
---

## How to Develop a Plugin

A short introductory guide for plugin beginners.

### Should it be a plugin?
First of all figure out what your plugin / code should do.
If you want to change how InvenTree base mechanics and business logic work, a plugin will not be sufficient. Maybe fork the project or better [start a discussion](https://github.com/inventree/InvenTree/discussions) on GitHub. There might be an easier / established way to do what you want.

If you want to remove parts of the user interface -> remove the permissions for those objects / actions and the users will not see them.

If you add a lot of code (over ~1000 LOC) maybe split it into multiple plugins to make upgrading and testing simpler.

### It will be a plugin!
Great. Now please read the [plugin documentation](./plugins.md) to get an overview of the architecture. It is rather short as a the (builtin) mixins come with extensive docstrings.

### Pick your building blocks
Consider the usecase for your plugin and define the exact function of the plugin, maybe write it down in a short readme. Then pick the mixins you need (they help reduce custom code and keep the system reliable if internal calls change).

- Is it just a simple REST-endpoint that runs a function ([ActionMixin](./plugins/action.md)) or a parser for a custom barcode format ([BarcodeMixin](./plugins/barcode.md))?
- How does the user interact with the plugin? Is it a UI separate from the main InvenTree UI ([UrlsMixin](./plugins/urls.md)), does it need multiple pages with navigation-links ([NavigationMixin](./plugins/navigation.md)).
- Do you need to extend reporting functionality? Check out the [ReportMixin](./plugins/report.md).
- Will it make calls to external APIs ([APICallMixin](./plugins/api.md) helps there)?
- Do you need to run in the background ([ScheduleMixin](./plugins/schedule.md)) or when things in InvenTree change ([EventMixin](./plugins/event.md))?
- Does the plugin need configuration that should be user changeable ([SettingsMixin](./plugins/settings.md)) or static (just use a yaml in the config dir)?
- You want to receive webhooks? Do not code your own untested function, use the WebhookEndpoint model as a base and override the perform_action method.
- Do you need the full power of Django with custom models and all the complexity that comes with that – welcome to the danger zone and [AppMixin](./plugins/app.md). The plugin will be treated as a app by django and can maybe rack the whole instance.

### Define the metadata
Do not forget to [declare the metadata](./plugins.md#plugin-options) for your plugin, those will be used in the settings. At least provide a weblink so users can file issues / reach you.

### Development guidelines
If you want to make your life easier, try to follow these guidelines; break where it makes sense for your use case.

- keep it simple - more that 1000 LOC are normally to much for a plugin
- use mixins where possible - we try to keep coverage high for them so they are not likely to break
- do not use internal functions - if a functions name starts with `_` it is internal and might change at any time
- keep you imports clean - the APIs for plugins and mixins are young and evolving (see [here](plugins.md#imports)). Use
```
from plugin import InvenTreePlugin, registry
from plugin.mixins import APICallMixin, SettingsMixin, ScheduleMixin, BarcodeMixin
```
- deliver as a package (see [below](#packaging))
- if you need to use a private infrastructure, use the 'Releases' functions in GitHub or Gitlab. Point to the 'latest' release endpoint when installing to make sure the update function works
- tag your GitHub repo with `inventree` and `inventreeplugins` to make discovery easier. A discovery mechanism using these tags is on the roadmap.
- use GitHub actions to test your plugin regularly (you can [schedule actions](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/learn-github-actions/events-that-trigger-workflows#schedule)) against the 'latest' [docker-build](https://hub.docker.com/r/inventree/inventree) of InvenTree
- if you use the AppMixin pin your plugin against the stable branch of InvenTree, your migrations might get messed up otherwise

### Packaging


!!! tip "Package-Discovery can be tricky"
    Most problems with packaging stem from problems with discovery. [This guide](https://setuptools.pypa.io/en/latest/userguide/package_discovery.html#automatic-discovery) by the PyPA contains a lot of information about discovery during packaging. These mechanisms generally apply to most discovery processes in InvenTree and the wider Django ecosystem.

The recommended way of distribution is as a [PEP 561](https://peps.python.org/pep-0561/) compliant package. If you can use the official Package Index (PyPi - [official website](https://pypi.org/)) as a registry.
Please follow PyPAs official [packaging guide](https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/tutorials/packaging-projects/) to ensure your package installs correctly suing InvenTrees install mechanisms.

Your package must expose you plugin class as an [entrypoint](https://setuptools.pypa.io/en/latest/userguide/entry_point.html) with the name `inventree_plugins` to work with InvenTree.

```setup.cfg
# Example setup.cfg
[options.entry_points]
inventree_plugins =
        ShopifyIntegrationPlugin = path.to.source:ShopifyIntegrationPluginClass
```

```setup.py
# Example setup.py

import setuptools

# ...

setuptools.setup(
    name='ShopifyIntegrationPlugin'
    .# ..

    entry_points={"inventree_plugins": ["ShopifyIntegrationPlugin = path.to.source:ShopifyIntegrationPluginClass"]}
```


### A simple example
This example adds a new action under `/api/action/sample` using the ActionMixin.
``` py
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
"""sample implementation for ActionPlugin"""
from plugin import InvenTreePlugin
from plugin.mixins import ActionMixin


class SampleActionPlugin(ActionMixin, InvenTreePlugin):
    """
    Use docstrings for everything... pls
    """

    NAME = "SampleActionPlugin"
    ACTION_NAME = "sample"

    # metadata
    AUTHOR = "Sample Author"
    DESCRIPTION = "A very basic plugin with one mixin"
    PUBLISH_DATE = "22.02.2222"
    VERSION = "1.2.3"  # We recommend semver and increase the major version with each new major release of InvenTree
    WEBSITE = "https://example.com/"
    LICENSE = "MIT"  # use what you want - OSI approved is &hearts;

    # Everything form here is for the ActionMixin
    def perform_action(self):
        print("Action plugin in action!")

    def get_info(self):
        return {
            "user": self.user.username,
            "hello": "world",
        }

    def get_result(self):
        return True  # This is returned to the client
```
