Scriptics.com - The Script Archive

Tuesday, January 06th, 2009

Software Plugins

 

Plugin: extending functionality of software.

As software plugin is a computer program extending another program. It resides within the host application, adding additional functionality the outer software.

There are several exemplary fields of application:

  • Browsers using plugins for specific additional functionality, f.i. presenting video and graphics
  • Email programs let plugins cipher and decipher encoded mails
  • Media players are extended to support additonal media types and file extensions
  • Development environments are customized to different programming languages through plugins
  • Sound processing devices are extended through plugins with effects or other sound sources
  • Graphic programs are extended with plugins to support additonal image formats
  • Word processors uses plugins to export or import files from other word processing systems

Usually the hosting application offers a API or protocol for the plugin to use, and a way to register itself to the application, so the application knows about the presence of the plugin.
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