Changes between Version 3 and Version 4 of TracPlugins


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Timestamp:
05/02/14 01:33:04 (7 minutes ago)
Author:
trac
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  • TracPlugins

    v3 v4  
    1 = Trac Plugins = 
     1= Trac plugins = 
    22[[TracGuideToc]] 
    33 
    4 Since version 0.9, Trac supports [PluginList plugins] that extend the built-in functionality. The plugin functionality is based on the [trac:TracDev/ComponentArchitecture component architecture]. 
    5  
    6 == Requirements == 
    7  
    8 To use egg based plugins in Trac, you need to have [http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/setuptools setuptools] (version 0.6) installed. 
     4From version 0.9 onwards, Trac is extensible with [trac:PluginList plugins]. Plugin functionality is based on the [trac:TracDev/ComponentArchitecture component architecture], with peculiarities described in the [TracDev/PluginDevelopment plugin development] page. 
     5 
     6== Plugin discovery == 
     7 
     8From the user's point of view, a plugin is either a standalone .py file or an .egg package. Trac looks for plugins in the global shared plugins directory (see [TracIni#GlobalConfiguration Global Configuration]) and in the `plugins` directory of the local TracEnvironment. Components defined in globally-installed plugins should be explicitly enabled in the [[TracIni#components-section| [components] ]] section of the trac.ini file. 
     9 
     10== Requirements for Trac eggs == 
     11 
     12To use egg-based plugins in Trac, you need to have [http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/setuptools setuptools] (version 0.6) installed. 
    913 
    1014To install `setuptools`, download the bootstrap module [http://peak.telecommunity.com/dist/ez_setup.py ez_setup.py] and execute it as follows: 
     15 
    1116{{{ 
    1217$ python ez_setup.py 
     
    1520If the `ez_setup.py` script fails to install the setuptools release, you can download it from [http://www.python.org/pypi/setuptools PyPI] and install it manually. 
    1621 
    17 Plugins can also consist of a single `.py` file dropped into either the environment or global `plugins` directory ''(since [milestone:0.10])''. See TracIni#GlobalConfiguration . 
    18  
    19 == Installing a Trac Plugin == 
    20  
    21 === For a Single Project === 
    22  
    23 Plugins are packaged as [http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/PythonEggs Python eggs]. That means they are ZIP archives with the file extension `.egg`.  
    24  
    25 If you have downloaded a source distribution of a plugin, and want to build the `.egg` file, follow this instruction: 
    26  * Unpack the source. It should provide a setup.py.  
     22Plugins can also consist of a single `.py` file dropped directly into either the project's or the shared `plugins` directory. 
     23 
     24== Installing a Trac plugin == 
     25 
     26=== For a single project === 
     27 
     28Plugins are typically packaged as [http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/PythonEggs Python eggs]. That means they are .zip archives with the file extension `.egg`. 
     29 
     30If you have downloaded a source distribution of a plugin, and want to build the `.egg` file: 
     31 
     32 * Unpack the source. It should provide `setup.py`. 
    2733 * Run: 
     34 
    2835{{{ 
    2936$ python setup.py bdist_egg 
    3037}}} 
    3138 
    32 Then you will have a *.egg file. Examine the output of running python to find where this was created. 
    33  
    34 Once you have the plugin archive, you need to copy it into the `plugins` directory of the [wiki:TracEnvironment project environment]. Also, make sure that the web server has sufficient permissions to read the plugin egg. 
    35  
    36 To uninstall a plugin installed this way, remove the egg from `plugins` directory and restart web server. 
    37  
    38 Note that the Python version that the egg is built with must 
    39 match the Python version with which Trac is run.  If for 
    40 instance you are running Trac under Python 2.3, but have 
    41 upgraded your standalone Python to 2.4, the eggs won't be 
    42 recognized. 
    43  
    44 Note also that in a multi-project setup, a pool of Python interpreter instances will be dynamically allocated to projects based on need, and since plugins occupy a place in Python's module system, the first version of any given plugin to be loaded will be used for all the projects. In other words, you cannot use different versions of a single plugin in two projects of a multi-project setup. It may be safer to install plugins for all projects (see below) and then enable them selectively on a project-by-project basis. 
    45  
    46 === For All Projects === 
     39You should have a *.egg file. Examine the output of running python to find where this was created. 
     40 
     41Once you have the plugin archive, copy it into the `plugins` directory of the [wiki:TracEnvironment project environment]. Also, make sure that the web server has sufficient permissions to read the plugin egg. Then restart the web server. If you are running as a [wiki:TracStandalone "tracd" standalone server], restart tracd (kill and run again). 
     42 
     43To uninstall a plugin installed this way, remove the egg from the `plugins` directory and restart the web server. 
     44 
     45Note: the Python version that the egg is built with ''must'' match the Python version with which Trac is run. For example, if you're running Trac under Python 2.5, but have upgraded your standalone Python to 2.6, the eggs won't be recognized. 
     46 
     47Note also: in a multi-project setup, a pool of Python interpreter instances will be dynamically allocated to projects based on need; since plugins occupy a place in Python's module system, the first version of any given plugin to be loaded will be used for all projects. In other words, you cannot use different versions of a single plugin in two projects of a multi-project setup. It may be safer to install plugins for all projects (see below), and then enable them selectively on a project-by-project basis. 
     48 
     49=== For all projects === 
    4750 
    4851==== With an .egg file ==== 
    4952 
    50 Some plugins (such as [trac:SpamFilter SpamFilter]) are downloadable as a `.egg` file which can be installed with the `easy_install` program: 
     53Some plugins (such as [trac:SpamFilter SpamFilter]) are downloadable as an `.egg` file that can be installed with the `easy_install` program: 
    5154{{{ 
    5255easy_install TracSpamFilter 
    5356}}} 
    5457 
    55 If `easy_install` is not on your system see the Requirements section above to install it.  Windows users will need to add the `Scripts` directory of their Python installation (for example, `C:\Python23\Scripts`) to their `PATH` environment variable (see [http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/EasyInstall#windows-notes easy_install Windows notes] for more information). 
    56  
    57 If Trac reports permission errors after installing a zipped egg and you would rather not bother providing a egg cache directory writable by the web server, you can get around it by simply unzipping the egg. Just pass `--always-unzip` to `easy_install`: 
    58 {{{ 
    59 easy_install --always-unzip TracSpamFilter-0.2.1dev_r5943-py2.4.egg 
     58If `easy_install` is not on your system, see the Requirements section above to install it. Windows users will need to add the `Scripts` directory of their Python installation (for example, `C:\Python24\Scripts`) to their `PATH` environment variable (see [http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/EasyInstall#windows-notes easy_install Windows notes] for more information). 
     59 
     60If Trac reports permission errors after installing a zipped egg, and you would rather not bother providing a egg cache directory writable by the web server, you can get around it by simply unzipping the egg. Just pass `--always-unzip` to `easy_install`: 
     61{{{ 
     62easy_install --always-unzip TracSpamFilter-0.4.1_r10106-py2.6.egg 
    6063}}} 
    6164You should end up with a directory having the same name as the zipped egg (complete with `.egg` extension) and containing its uncompressed contents. 
    6265 
    63 Trac also searches for globally installed plugins ''(since 0.10)'', see TracIni#GlobalConfiguration. 
     66Trac also searches for plugins installed in the shared plugins directory ''(since 0.10)''; see TracIni#GlobalConfiguration. This is a convenient way to share the installation of plugins across several, but not all, environments. 
    6467 
    6568==== From source ==== 
     
    6770`easy_install` makes installing from source a snap. Just give it the URL to either a Subversion repository or a tarball/zip of the source: 
    6871{{{ 
    69 easy_install http://svn.edgewall.com/repos/trac/sandbox/spam-filter 
     72easy_install http://svn.edgewall.com/repos/trac/plugins/0.12/spam-filter-captcha 
    7073}}} 
    7174 
    7275==== Enabling the plugin ==== 
    73 Unlike plugins installed per-environment, you'll have to explicitly enable globally installed plugins via [wiki:TracIni trac.ini]. This is done in the `[components]` section of the configuration file, for example: 
     76 
     77Unlike plugins installed per-environment, you'll have to explicitly enable globally installed plugins via [wiki:TracIni trac.ini]. This also applies to plugins installed in the shared plugins directory, i.e. the path specified in the `[inherit] plugins_dir` configuration option.  
     78 
     79This is done in the `[components]` section of the configuration file. For example: 
    7480{{{ 
    7581[components] 
     
    7783}}} 
    7884 
    79 The name of the option is the Python package of the plugin. This should be specified in the documentation of the plugin, but can also be easily discovered by looking at the source (look for a top-level directory that contains a file named `__init__.py`.) 
    80  
    81 Note: After installing the plugin, you need to restart your web server. 
     85The name of the option is the Python package of the plugin. This should be specified in the documentation of the plugin, but can also be easily discovered by looking at the source (look for a top-level directory that contains a file named `__init__.py`). 
     86 
     87Note: After installing the plugin, you must restart your web server. 
    8288 
    8389==== Uninstalling ==== 
    8490 
    85 `easy_install` or `python setup.py` does not have an uninstall feature. Hower, it is usually quite trivial to remove a globally installed egg and reference: 
     91`easy_install` or `python setup.py` does not have an uninstall feature. Hower, it is usually quite trivial to remove a globally-installed egg and reference: 
     92 
    8693 1. Do `easy_install -m [plugin name]` to remove references from `$PYTHONLIB/site-packages/easy-install.pth` when the plugin installed by setuptools. 
    87  1. Delete executables from `/usr/bin`, `/usr/local/bin` or `C:\\Python*\Scripts`. For search what executables are there, you may refer to `[console-script]` section of `setup.py`. 
    88  1. Delete the .egg file or folder from where it is installed, usually inside `$PYTHONLIB/site-packages/`. 
    89  1. Restart web server. 
    90  
    91 If you are uncertain about the location of the egg, here is a small tip to help locate an egg (or any package) - replace `myplugin` with whatever namespace the plugin uses (as used when enabling the plugin): 
     94 1. Delete executables from `/usr/bin`, `/usr/local/bin`, or `C:\\Python*\Scripts`. To find what executables are involved, refer to the `[console-script]` section of `setup.py`. 
     95 1. Delete the .egg file or folder from where it's installed (usually inside `$PYTHONLIB/site-packages/`). 
     96 1. Restart the web server. 
     97 
     98If you are uncertain about the location of the egg, here's a small tip to help locate an egg (or any package). Just replace `myplugin` with whatever namespace the plugin uses (as used when enabling the plugin): 
    9299{{{ 
    93100>>> import myplugin 
     
    96103}}} 
    97104 
    98 == Setting up the Plugin Cache == 
    99  
    100 Some plugins will need to be extracted by the Python eggs runtime (`pkg_resources`), so that their contents are actual files on the file system. The directory in which they are extracted defaults to the home directory of the current user, which may or may not be a problem. You can however override the default location using the `PYTHON_EGG_CACHE` environment variable. 
    101  
    102 To do this from the Apache configuration, use the `SetEnv` directive as follows: 
     105== Setting up the plugin cache == 
     106 
     107Some plugins will need to be extracted by the Python eggs runtime (`pkg_resources`), so that their contents are actual files on the file system. The directory in which they are extracted defaults to `.python-eggs` in the home directory of the current user, which may or may not be a problem. You can, however, override the default location using the `PYTHON_EGG_CACHE` environment variable. 
     108 
     109To do this from the Apache configuration, use the `SetEnv` directive: 
    103110{{{ 
    104111SetEnv PYTHON_EGG_CACHE /path/to/dir 
    105112}}} 
    106113 
    107 This works whether you are using the [wiki:TracCgi CGI] or the [wiki:TracModPython mod_python] front-end. Put this directive next to where you set the path to the [wiki:TracEnvironment Trac environment], i.e. in the same `<Location>` block. 
     114This works whether you're using the [wiki:TracCgi CGI] or the [wiki:TracModPython mod_python] front-end. Put this directive next to where you set the path to the [wiki:TracEnvironment Trac environment], i.e. in the same `<Location>` block. 
    108115 
    109116For example (for CGI): 
     
    115122}}} 
    116123 
    117 or (for mod_python): 
     124Or (for mod_python): 
    118125{{{ 
    119126 <Location /trac> 
     
    124131}}} 
    125132 
    126  ''Note: this requires the `mod_env` module'' 
     133 ''Note: !SetEnv requires the `mod_env` module which needs to be activated for Apache. In this case the !SetEnv directive can also be used in the `mod_python` Location block.'' 
    127134 
    128135For [wiki:TracFastCgi FastCGI], you'll need to `-initial-env` option, or whatever is provided by your web server for setting environment variables.  
    129136 
    130  ''Note: that if you already use -initial-env to set the project directory for either a single project or parent you will need to add atleast one environment variable inside trac.fcgi as expressed in the example on [wiki:TracFastCgi TracFastCgi]. 
     137 ''Note: that if you already use -initial-env to set the project directory for either a single project or parent you will need to add an additional -initial-env directive to the !FastCgiConfig directive. I.e. 
     138 
     139{{{ 
     140FastCgiConfig -initial-env TRAC_ENV=/var/lib/trac -initial-env PYTHON_EGG_CACHE=/var/lib/trac/plugin-cache 
     141}}} 
    131142 
    132143=== About hook scripts === 
    133144 
    134 If you have set up some subversion hook scripts that call the Trac engine - such as the post-commit hook script provided in the `/contrib` directory - make sure you define the `PYTHON_EGG_CACHE` environment variable within these scripts as well. 
     145If you've set up some subversion hook scripts that call the Trac engine, such as the post-commit hook script provided in the `/contrib` directory, make sure you define the `PYTHON_EGG_CACHE` environment variable within these scripts as well. 
    135146 
    136147== Troubleshooting == 
     
    147158=== Did you get the correct version of the Python egg? === 
    148159 
    149 Python eggs have the Python version encoded in their filename. For example, `MyPlugin-1.0-py2.4.egg` is an egg for Python 2.4, and will '''not''' be loaded if you're running a different Python version (such as 2.3 or 2.5). 
    150  
    151 Also, verify that the egg file you downloaded is indeed a ZIP archive. If you downloaded it from a Trac site, chances are you downloaded the HTML preview page instead. 
     160Python eggs have the Python version encoded in their filename. For example, `MyPlugin-1.0-py2.5.egg` is an egg for Python 2.5, and will '''not''' be loaded if you're running a different Python version (such as 2.4 or 2.6). 
     161 
     162Also, verify that the egg file you downloaded is indeed a .zip archive. If you downloaded it from a Trac site, chances are you downloaded the HTML preview page instead. 
    152163 
    153164=== Is the plugin enabled? === 
    154165 
    155 If you install a plugin globally (i.e. ''not'' inside the `plugins` directory of the Trac project environment) you will have to explicitly enable it in [TracIni trac.ini]. Make sure that: 
    156  * you actually added the necessary line(s) to the `[components]` section 
    157  * the package/module names are correct 
    158  * the value is “enabled", not e.g. “enable” 
    159  
    160 === Check the permissions on the egg file === 
    161  
    162 Trac must be able to read the file.  
     166If you install a plugin globally (i.e., ''not'' inside the `plugins` directory of the Trac project environment), you must explicitly enable it in [TracIni trac.ini]. Make sure that: 
     167 
     168 * ...you actually added the necessary line(s) to the `[components]` section. 
     169 * ...the package/module names are correct. 
     170 * ...the value is "enabled", not "enable" or "Enable". 
     171 
     172=== Check the permissions on the .egg file === 
     173 
     174Trac must be able to read the .egg file.  
    163175 
    164176=== Check the log files === 
     
    168180=== Verify you have proper permissions === 
    169181 
    170 Some plugins require you have special permissions in order to use them. WebAdmin, for example, requires the user to have TRAC_ADMIN permissions for it to show up on the navigation bar. 
     182Some plugins require you have special permissions in order to use them. [trac:WebAdmin WebAdmin], for example, requires the user to have TRAC_ADMIN permissions for it to show up on the navigation bar. 
    171183 
    172184=== Is the wrong version of the plugin loading? === 
    173185 
    174186If you put your plugins inside plugins directories, and certainly if you have more than one project, you need to make sure that the correct version of the plugin is loading. Here are some basic rules: 
    175  * Only one version of the plugin can be loaded for each running Trac server (ie. each Python process). The Python namespaces and module list will be shared, and it cannot handle duplicates. Whether a plugin is `enabled` or `disabled` makes no difference. 
    176  * A globally installed plugin (typically `setup.py install`) will override any version in global or project plugins directories. A plugin from the global plugins directory will be located before any project plugins directory. 
    177  * If your Trac server hosts more than one project (as with `TRAC_ENV_PARENT_DIR` setups), then having two versions of a plugin in two different projects will give uncertain results. Only one of them will load, and the one loaded will be shared by both projects. Trac will load the first found - basically from the project that receives the first request. 
    178  * Having more than one version listed inside Python site-packages is fine (ie. installed with `setup.py install`) - setuptools will make sure you get the version installed most recently. However, don't store more than one version inside a global or project plugins directory - neither version number nor installed date will matter at all. There is no way to determine which one will be located first when Trac searches the directory for plugins. 
     187 
     188 * Only one version of the plugin can be loaded for each running Trac server (i.e., each Python process). The Python namespaces and module list will be shared, and it cannot handle duplicates. Whether a plugin is `enabled` or `disabled` makes no difference. 
     189 * A globally-installed plugin (typically `setup.py install`) will override any version in the global or project plugins directories. A plugin from the global plugins directory will be located ''before'' any project plugins directory. 
     190 * If your Trac server hosts more than one project (as with `TRAC_ENV_PARENT_DIR` setups), having two versions of a plugin in two different projects will give uncertain results. Only one of them will load, and the one loaded will be shared by both projects. Trac will load the first plugin found, usually from the project that receives the first request. 
     191 * Having more than one version listed inside Python site-packages is fine (i.e., installed with `setup.py install`) -- setuptools will make sure you get the version installed most recently. However, don't store more than one version inside a global or project plugins directory -- neither version number nor installed date will matter at all. There is no way to determine which one will be located first when Trac searches the directory for plugins. 
    179192 
    180193=== If all of the above failed === 
    181194 
    182 OK, so the logs don't mention plugins, the egg is readable, the python version is correct ''and'' the egg has been installed globally (and is enabled in the trac.ini) and it still doesn't work or give any error messages or any other indication as to why? Hop on the IrcChannel and ask away. 
     195Okay, so the logs don't mention plugins, the egg is readable, the Python version is correct, ''and'' the egg has been installed globally (and is enabled in trac.ini)... and it ''still'' doesn't work or give any error messages or any other indication as to why. Hop on the [trac:IrcChannel IrcChannel] and ask away! 
     196 
     197== Web-based plugin administration == 
     198 
     199The WebAdmin plugin (part of the core since 0.11) offers limited support for plugin configuration through the web to users with `TRAC_ADMIN` permission: 
     200 
     201* en/disabling installed plugins 
     202* installing plugins by uploading them as eggs 
     203 
     204You probably want to disable the second function for security reasons: in `trac.ini`, in the `[components]` section, add the line 
     205{{{ 
     206trac.admin.web_ui.PluginAdminPanel = disabled 
     207}}} 
     208This disables the whole panel, so the first function will no longer be available either. 
    183209 
    184210---- 
    185 See also TracGuide, [trac:PluginList plugin list], [trac:TracDev/ComponentArchitecture component architecture] 
     211See also TracGuide, [trac:PluginList plugin list], [trac:TracDev/ComponentArchitecture component architecture].