Overview of dynamic plugins

About dynamic plugins

A dynamic plugin allows you to add custom pages and other extensions to your interface at runtime. The ConsolePlugin custom resource registers plugins with the console, and a cluster administrator enables plugins in the console-operator configuration.

Key features

A dynamic plugin allows you to make the following customizations to the OKD experience:

• Add custom pages.

• Add perspectives beyond administrator and developer.

• Add navigation items.

• Add tabs and actions to resource pages.

General guidelines

When creating your plugin, follow these general guidelines:

• Node.js and yarn are required to build and run your plugin.

• Prefix your CSS class names with your plugin name to avoid collisions. For example, my-plugin__heading and my-plugin_\_icon.

• Maintain a consistent look, feel, and behavior with other console pages.

• Follow react-i18next localization guidelines when creating your plugin. You can use the useTranslation hook like the one in the following example:

  conster Header: React.FC = () => {
    const { t } = useTranslation('plugin__console-demo-plugin');
    return <h1>{t('Hello, World!')}</h1>;
  };

• Avoid selectors that could affect markup outside of your plugins components, such as element selectors. These are not APIs and are subject to change. Using them might break your plugin. Avoid selectors like element selectors that could affect markup outside of your plugins components.

PatternFly 4 guidelines

When creating your plugin, follow these guidelines for using PatternFly:

• Use PatternFly4 components and PatternFly CSS variables. Core PatternFly components are available through the SDK. Using PatternFly components and variables help your plugin look consistent in future console versions.

• Make your plugin accessible by following PatternFly’s accessibility fundamentals.

• Avoid using other CSS libraries such as Bootstrap or Tailwind. They can conflict with PatternFly and will not match the console look and feel.