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Hello World Plugin Example

A comprehensive example plugin demonstrating Movian API 2 (ECMAScript) features.

Overview

This plugin showcases the fundamental concepts of Movian plugin development using the modern API 2:

  • Service Creation: How to register your plugin in Movian's interface
  • Page Routing: Handling different URLs and navigation
  • Settings Management: Creating user-configurable options
  • Content Management: Adding items to pages
  • Asynchronous Loading: Loading content dynamically

Features Demonstrated

🔧 Plugin Configuration

  • Modern plugin.json with API version 2
  • Proper metadata and categorization
  • Icon and branding setup

🎛️ Settings System

  • Global plugin settings
  • Different setting types (string, boolean, integer)
  • Setting change callbacks
  • User preference persistence
  • Multiple page routes
  • URL parameter handling
  • Page metadata management
  • Hierarchical navigation

📄 Content Management

  • Static content items
  • Dynamic content generation
  • Different item types (directory, video, separator)
  • Item metadata and icons

⚡ Asynchronous Features

  • Async content loading
  • Pagination with asyncPaginator
  • Loading states and progress
  • Dynamic content updates

File Structure

hello-world/
├── plugin.json          # Plugin manifest (API 2)
├── main.js              # Main plugin implementation
├── logo.png             # Plugin icon (optional)
└── README.md            # This documentation

Installation

  1. Copy the entire hello-world directory to your Movian plugins folder:
  2. Linux: ~/.movian/plugins/
  3. Windows: %APPDATA%\Movian\plugins\

  4. macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Movian/plugins/

  5. Restart Movian or reload plugins

  6. The plugin will appear in the main menu as "Hello World"

Code Walkthrough

Plugin Manifest (plugin.json)

{
  "type": "ecmascript",
  "apiversion": 2,
  "id": "hello-world-example",
  "file": "main.js"
}

Key points: - apiversion: 2 enables modern ECMAScript features - type: "ecmascript" specifies JavaScript plugin - id must be unique across all plugins

Module Imports

var page = require('movian/page');
var service = require('movian/service');
var settings = require('movian/settings');

API 2 uses CommonJS-style module imports for better organization.

Service Registration

service.create("Hello World", PLUGIN_PREFIX + ":start", "video", true, "logo.png");

Creates the main entry point in Movian's interface.

Page Routing

new page.Route(PLUGIN_PREFIX + ':start', function(page) {
    page.type = "directory";
    page.metadata.title = "Hello World Plugin";
    // ... page content
});

Modern routing system with clean URL patterns.

Settings Management

settings.createString("username", "Your Name", "Anonymous", function(value) {
    console.log("Username changed to: " + value);
});

Reactive settings with immediate callback execution.

Asynchronous Loading

page.asyncPaginator = loadMoreItems;

Built-in support for infinite scrolling and dynamic content.

Compatibility

  • Movian Version: 5.0+
  • API Version: 2 (ECMAScript)
  • Platforms: All supported Movian platforms

Extending This Example

Adding HTTP Requests

var http = require('movian/http');

var response = http.request('https://api.example.com/data');
var data = JSON.parse(response.toString());

Adding Storage

var store = require('movian/store');
var storage = store.create('my-plugin-data');

storage.myKey = "some value";
var value = storage.myKey;

Adding Custom Views

Create .view files for custom UI layouts:

// In your plugin directory: views/custom.view
widget(container_y, {
    widget(label, {
        caption: "Custom UI Element";
        align: center;
    });
});

Best Practices Demonstrated

  1. Consistent Naming: Use a plugin prefix for all routes
  2. Error Handling: Graceful fallbacks for missing data
  3. User Feedback: Clear titles and descriptions
  4. Performance: Efficient async loading patterns
  5. Modularity: Clean separation of concerns

Troubleshooting

Plugin Not Loading

  • Check plugin.json syntax with a JSON validator
  • Ensure apiversion: 2 is specified
  • Verify file paths are correct

JavaScript Errors

  • Check Movian's log output for error messages
  • Use console.log() for debugging
  • Ensure all required modules are imported

Settings Not Saving

  • Settings are automatically persisted by Movian
  • Check setting names don't conflict with other plugins
  • Verify callback functions are properly defined

License

This example is provided as documentation and may be freely used and modified.