Custom Plugins - Refresh

Custom Plugins - Refresh looks for custom plugins on the Ubersmith server that are not installed yet. It installs each new plugin that it finds. Use it after you copy a custom plugin to the server.

Note: If you upload a plugin with Custom Plugins - Manage, you do not need to use Custom Plugins - Refresh. An upload installs the plugin immediately. For more information, see Custom Plugins - Manage.

Before you start

To be found, a custom plugin must meet these conditions:

The plugin has its own folder in the custom plugins directory. On a standard installation, this directory is /usr/local/ubersmith/app/custom/plugins/.
The folder contains a bootstrap.php file and a manifest.json file.
The manifest.json file contains values for sdk_version, identifier, name, namespace, and version.
The identifier is not used by a different plugin.

Ubersmith loads new plugin folders when its containers start. After you copy a new plugin folder to the server, recreate the Ubersmith containers:

# cd /usr/local/ubersmith
# docker compose rm -sf
# ./ubersmith_start.sh

For more information, see Ubersmith and Docker.

Find and install new custom plugins

Go to Settings > Global Settings > Customization > Plugins.
Click Custom Plugins - Refresh.

Plugins page with the Custom Plugins - Refresh button

Ubersmith looks for new plugins, then shows the Plugins page again with a message:

Message	Meaning
N new plugin(s) found and installed.	Ubersmith installed the new plugins. They show in the Custom Plugins table.
No new plugins found.	Ubersmith did not find a new plugin that it can install.
An error message	Ubersmith found a plugin that it cannot install. Usually, there is a problem in the `manifest.json` file of the plugin. The message tells you which fields are missing or not valid.

Plugins page with the No new plugins found message

Note: If a plugin folder has a bootstrap.php file but no manifest.json file, Ubersmith does not show an error on the page. It writes the error to the Plugin Logger only. If a plugin that you expect does not show, look in the Plugin Logger. For more information, see Managing the Plugin Logger.

After you install a plugin

A new plugin is disabled when it is installed. To start to use it:

In the Custom Plugins table, click the name of the plugin.
Enable the plugin and configure it.

For more information, see Using Plugins.

What Custom Plugins - Refresh does not do

It does not update installed plugins. Ubersmith reads the name, version, and description of a plugin from its manifest.json file. If you change the files of an installed plugin, the change shows immediately.
It does not remove plugins. If you delete the folder of a plugin, the plugin does not show in the Custom Plugins table. Its settings stay in Ubersmith.
It installs plugins for the current brand only. The code of a custom plugin is shared by all brands. When you open the Plugins page in a different brand, the plugin shows there as disabled.

Permissions

To use Custom Plugins - Refresh, your role must have the View permission for Plugins (Admin Portal > Settings > Global Settings > Plugins). To enable or configure a plugin, your role must have the Update permission for Plugins.