Plugins

A plugin adds something to Rangefront Waste without changing the core code: a field on a job, a Slack message when a job is done, an extra block on a report, a new page in the console. A plugin is a folder of code, so installing one is a developer's job. Switching it on or off for your business is yours.

You need the plugins.manage permission. Open Admin > Plugins.

What you can do

• See every plugin installed on the server, its version and its status.
• Turn a plugin on or off for your business only.
• Change a plugin's settings while it's on.
• Read the Hooks page, a catalogue of the points where plugins can plug in. It's for developers.

What you can't do

• Install, upload or remove a plugin. There's no upload button, on purpose. A plugin runs as code on the server. On a server shared by several businesses, an uploaded plugin would run with the access of all of them, so only someone with access to the server can add one. Ask your developer or installer.
• Switch a plugin on for another business. A plugin runs only for businesses that turned it on. For everyone else its code is skipped and its routes answer "not found".
• Give a plugin more access than it has. Plugins run inside actions that are already authorised and never bypass your roles.

Statuses

Status	Meaning
Enabled	On for your business
Off	Installed, but off for your business
Not installed	The folder is on the server but the install step hasn't been run. Your developer needs to run it
Needs core X	The plugin was built for another version of Rangefront Waste and isn't loaded. Ask your developer for an update
Failed to load	The plugin has an error. It's logged and skipped, and the rest of the system carries on

Turn one on or off

1. Find the plugin in the list.
2. Choose "Turn on" or "Turn off".

Turning a plugin off keeps its data. Turn it on again and it picks up where it left off. Removing a plugin's data is a separate developer action.

Settings

When a plugin is on and has settings, a settings button appears in its row. Settings can be text, numbers, ticks, choices and secrets. A secret, such as a Slack webhook address, is stored encrypted and never shown again. "Remove saved value" clears it.

Permissions

A plugin can add its own permissions. They show under Plugins in the role editor once the plugin is on. They're given to the Owner role and to the roles the plugin suggests, and you can grant them to other roles. See users and roles.

New pages

A plugin can add items to the main menu and pages under Admin. Those appear for people who hold the permission the plugin names, and only while the plugin is on.

Bundled examples

Plugin	Does
Disposal docket numbers	Records the disposal facility's docket number when a job completes, shows it on the job sheet and prints it on compliance report PDFs. By default a docket number is required to complete a job, in the console and the field app. It adds the permission disposal_dockets.read
Job webhook to Slack	Posts a message to a Slack channel when a job is completed. Needs a Slack incoming webhook address (it must start with https://hooks.slack.com/). It can include the site address

For developers

How to build a plugin, the hook catalogue and the upgrade rules are in extending, plugin fields and upgrading.