All you need for creating a Plugin is:
- NoteCase Pro as the IDE (integrated development environment) - no external editors, compilers or debugging tools needed!
- Recommended: The "Plugin Developer Tools" Plugin (that Plugin also contains detailed tutorials for Plugin creation)
- some basic programming skills
As an exercise: Convert the embedded script "timestamp" from the Lua script file tutorial or Embedded Scripting Tutorial into a function of a Plugin:
- Use the "Plugin Developer Tools" Plugin to create a (free or commercial) Plugin template
- Copy the example script into the generated template's "Sample Script" note, replacing its original contents
- Rename the "Sample Script" note to "Timestamp", also rename it's clone in the "Menu" branch to "Timestamp"
- Fill in the necessary meta information for the Plugin, according to the instructions given in the tutorial for Plugin development in the help of the "Plugin Developer Tools" Plugin
- Add a valid license to the Plugin (Note: Interface > Help > License)
- Save the Plugin file (Hint: Whie your Plugin document is relatively small, you may want to choose the .ncz file format for saving. Compared to .ncd, it saves space. When your Plugin document grows much larger and load/save takes noticebable time, you may want to convert the file into .ncdb format, which is optimized for access speed.)
- Register the Plugin in NoteCase Pro using the Plugin Manager
More info:
- The Plugin File Specification can be found in NoteCase Pro's help, under
Automation, Scripts and Plugins > Plugins > How to develop a Plugin > NoteCase Pro Plugin File Specification