What is a plug-in?

Plug-in is a program written according to a certain standard application program interface. It can only run on the system platform specified by the program (it may support multiple platforms at the same time), and cannot run independently from the specified platform.

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 10 system, Dell G3 computer.

Plug-in (Plug-in, also known as addin, add-in, addon or add-on, also translated as plug-in) is a program written according to a certain standard application program interface. It can only run under the system platform specified by the program (it may support multiple platforms at the same time), and cannot run independently from the specified platform. Because the plug-in needs to call the function library or data provided by the original pure system. Many software have plug-ins, and there are countless types of plug-ins. For example, in IE, after installing the relevant plug-in, the WEB browser can directly call the plug-in program to process specific types of files.

The emergence of plug-ins can be traced back to the mid-1970s. When the EDT text editor was running the UnisysVS/9 operating system on the Univac90/60 series mainframe, it provided a function that the editor could run a program. , and allows this program to enter the editor's buffer, allowing external programs to access the editing task in memory. The plug-in program enables the editor to edit text on a buffer, and this buffer is shared by the editor and the plug-in. The Waterloo Fortran compiler uses these features to make internally compiled Fortran programs editable with EDT.

Benefits of plug-in technology

Using plug-in technology can bring benefits in many aspects such as analysis, design, development, project planning, collaborative production and product expansion:

(1) The structure is clear and easy to understand. Since it draws on the structure of the hardware bus and each plug-in is independent of each other, the structure is very clear and easier to understand.

(2) Easy to modify and maintainable. Since the plug-in and the host program are connected through an interface, just like a hardware plug-in card, it can be deleted, inserted and modified at any time, so the structure is very flexible, easy to modify, and convenient for software upgrades and maintenance.

(3) Strong portability and great reuse. Because the plug-in itself is composed of a series of small functional structures and provides its own services to the outside through the interface, it is more reusable and more convenient to transplant.

(4) The structure is easy to adjust. The increase or decrease of system functions only requires the corresponding addition or deletion of plug-ins without affecting the entire system structure, so structural adjustment can be easily realized. :

(5) The coupling between plug-ins is low. Since plug-ins communicate with plug-ins and between plug-ins and host programs by communicating with the host program, the coupling between plug-ins is lower.

(6) The application can be modified during the software development process. Due to the plug-in structure, plug-ins can be modified at any time during the software development process, or plug-ins can be added or deleted in the form of patch packages after the application is released. In this way, the purpose of modifying the application can be achieved.

(7) Flexible and changeable software development methods. The development method can be adjusted according to the actual situation of resources. If the resources are sufficient, all plug-ins can be developed. If the resources are not sufficient, you can choose to develop some plug-ins. You can also ask third-party manufacturers to develop them. Users can also develop according to their own needs.

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