Quick Reference

Essential reference tables and checklists for plugin development.

Plugin Lifecycle Methods

Method	Phase	Purpose
onInitialize()	Startup	Register listeners, set up monitoring
onActivate()	Activation	Create windows, start services
onDeactivate()	Deactivation	Hide windows, pause services
onDispose()	Shutdown	Release all resources

Template Comparison

Template	Bundle Size	Best For
HTML/CSS/JS	~60 KB	Simple plugins, rapid prototyping
React	~200 KB	Medium complexity, component reusability
Angular	~350 KB	Complex applications, enterprise requirements

Download Context Types

Type	Use Case
PluginDownloadContextType.CDN	HTTPS ZIP archive from a CDN endpoint
PluginDownloadContextType.LOCAL	Local filesystem ZIP (development and enterprise)
PluginDownloadContextType.NPM	npm package registry (public or private)

IPC Channel Naming Convention

All plugin IPC channels should be prefixed with the plugin's unique identifier to prevent collisions:

plugin-name::channel-action

Common IPC Patterns

// Main → Renderer (one-way push)
window.webContents.send("my-plugin::update", data);

// Renderer → Main (fire-and-forget)
ipcRenderer.send("my-plugin::notify", data);

// Renderer → Main (request/response)
const result = await ipcRenderer.invoke("my-plugin::action", data);

// Main process handler
ipcMain.handle("my-plugin::action", async (event, data) => {
  return { result: "response" };
});

Distribution Checklist

• manifest.json present and valid
• main field references a compiled bundle
• All IPC handlers removed in onDispose()
• Settings validated before persistence
• No raw Node.js APIs exposed to the renderer process
• contextIsolation enabled and not overridden
• Build artifacts packaged as build.zip
• Semantic version follows MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

Essential Files Reference

File	Purpose	Required
manifest.json	Plugin identity and entry point declaration	Yes
index.ts	Main process entry point	Yes
package.json	npm package configuration	Yes
webpack.config.js	Build pipeline configuration	Yes
tsconfig.json	TypeScript compiler configuration	Yes
preload.ts	Main-to-renderer IPC bridge	If using a window
ui/index.html	Renderer process UI document	If using a window

Additional Resources

• Electron Documentation
• TypeScript Handbook
• Webpack Documentation
• Akita State Management
• GitHub Issues
• Discussions