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Plug-in Guide

This guide tells you how to develop plug-ins that extend Netscape Communicator with a wide range of interactive and multimedia capabilities.

January 1998 -- Communicator 4.0

What's New?

The Plug-in Guide has been updated and expanded for Communicator 4.0. This page is a quick reference to new Plug-in API features and document changes.

About This Guide

The Plug-in Guide is your introduction to using Netscape's Plug-in Application Programming Interface (API) to develop plug-ins for Communicator 4.0.

Who Should Read This Guide?

What's in This Guide

Conventions Used in This Guide

The Plug-in Software Development Kit

Where to Find Developer Information

Chapter 1 Plug-in Basics

This chapter provides basic information you'll need as you develop C/C++ plug-ins.

How You Can Use Plug-ins

When to Use Plug-ins

Plug-ins and LiveConnect

Plug-ins and Helper Applications

How Plug-ins Work

Understanding the Runtime Model

How Communicator Finds Plug-ins

Overview of Plug-in Structure

Understanding the Plug-in API

Plug-ins and Platform Independence

Windowed and Windowless Plug-ins

Using HTML to Display Plug-ins

Plug-in Display Modes

HTML Tags for Plug-in Display

Chapter 2 Development Overview

This chapter is an introduction to the issues and processes that you will need to know about as you write plug-ins. It outlines the steps in writing and implementing a plug-in code module for Communicator.

Sending and Receiving Streams

Working with URLs

Getting Version and UI Information

Displaying Messages on the Status Line

Communicating with Java

Building Plug-ins

Building a Win32 Plug-in

Building a Mac OS Plug-in

Installing Plug-ins

Starting to Use the Plug-in

JAR Installation Manager

Chapter 3 Initialization and Destruction

This chapter describes the methods that provide the basic processes of initialization, instance creation and destruction, and shutdown.

Initialize and Shutdown Example

Chapter 4 Drawing and Event Handling

This chapter tells how to determine whether a plug-in is windowed or windowless, how to draw and redraw plug-ins, and how to handle plug-in events.

The NPWindow Structure

Event Handling for Windowed Plug-ins

Windowless Plug-ins

Specifying That a Plug-in Is Windowless

Invalidating the Drawing Area

Forcing a Paint Message

Making a Plug-in Opaque

Making a Plug-in Transparent

Creating Pop-up Menus and Dialog Boxes

Event Handling for Windowless Plug-ins

Chapter 5 Streams

This chapter describes using Plug-in API functions to receive and send streams.

Receiving a Stream

Telling the Plug-in When a Stream Is Created

Telling the Plug-in When a Stream Is Deleted

Finding Out How Much Data the Plug-in Can Accept

Writing the Stream to the Plug-in

Sending the Stream in Random-Access Mode

Sending the Stream in File Mode

Sending a Stream

Creating a Stream

Pushing Data into the Stream

Deleting the Stream

Example of Sending a Stream

Chapter 6 URLs

This chapter describes retrieving URLs and displaying them on specified target pages, posting data to an HTTP server, uploading files to an FTP server, and sending mail.

Getting URLs

Getting the URL and Displaying the Page

Posting URLs

Posting Data to an HTTP Server

Uploading Files to an FTP Server

Sending Mail

Chapter 7 Memory

This chapter describes the Plug-in API functions that allocate and free memory as needed by the plug-in.

Allocating and Freeing Memory

Flushing Memory (Mac OS only)

Chapter 8 Version, UI, and Status Information

This chapter describes the functions that allow a plug-in to display a message on the status line, get agent information, and check on the current version of the Plug-in API and Communicator.

Displaying a Status Line Message

Getting Agent Information

Getting the Current Version

Finding Out if a Feature Exists

Reloading a Plug-in

Chapter 9 Plug-in API Reference

To help you familiarize yourself with the Plug-in API as quickly as possible, this reference is organized into sections by task and parallels the organization of Chapters 3 through 8.

Functions

API Organization: Netscape and Plug-in Methods

Plug-in Method Summary

Netscape Method Summary

Plug-in API Methods: Functional Subgroups

Plug-in Methods: Functional Subgroups

Netscape Methods: Functional Subgroups

Reference to Functions by Functional Group

Quick Reference to Functional Groups

Initialization and Destruction Methods

Drawing Methods

Stream Methods