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====== Plug In Actions ======

You can develop custom [[:Actions|Macro Actions]] using a facility known as _Plug In Actions_.  After you install a _Plug In Action_ in your local Keyboard Maestro Support folder, you can use them like the built-in Actions.

===== Third Party Plug In Actions =====

You can download Plug In Actions developed by others from these sources:
  - [[https://www.stairways.com/action/linkthru?thirdpartyactions|Keyboard Maestro Web Site]]
  - [[https://forum.keyboardmaestro.com/c/plugin|Keyboard Maestro Forum]]

===== How to Install =====

Plug In Action Install Files are `.zip` Archive Files
  - **Initial Install:** Drop on the Keyboard Maestro app Dock icon
    * This will create a Plug In Action sub-folder by the same name as the `.zip` file
    * Do _not_ unzip the file
  - **To Update** An Existing Plug In Action
    - First Manually Delete or Move the Plug In Action Sub-Folder from:\\ FILE{{{~/Library/Application Support/Keyboard Maestro/Keyboard Maestro Actions/}}} folder
    - Then Drop the `.zip` file onto the Dock Icon

===== How To Use a Plug In Action =====

_Plug In Actions_ are used just like the built-in Keyboard Maestro [[:Actions|Actions]].

After you have installed a Plug In Action, you may need to restart both the Keyboard Maestro Editor and Engine in order for the new Plug In Action to be recognized by Keyboard Maestro.
  - In the Keyboard Maestro Editor, goto _File > Quit Engine_.
  - Quit and re-launch the Keyboard Maestro Editor.  This will also start the _Engine_.

To insert a Plug In Action into your Macro, use any of the normal methods to insert Actions:
  - Display the _Actions Panel_ from the menu or with the shortcut ⌘K, and select the _Third Party Plugins_ folder:
    * {{:manual:plugin-folder-in-action-panel.png?nolink|}} 
  - Menu _Edit > Actions > Third Party Plugins_
  - _Insert Action by Name_, using shortcut ⌘⌃A.
Enter the Plug In Action form fields (parameters) that are shown on the action form.

===== Building a Plug In Action =====

==== How to Create a Plug In Action ====

There is no easy way to create a _Plug In Action_.  There is no one editor (except maybe BBEdit) that can be used to create all of the files that are needed.  Probably the best way to get started is to examine an existing Plug In Action, like this one:
  * [Fixed Wait for Safari to Finish Loading Plug In Action ](https://forum.keyboardmaestro.com/t/fixed-wait-for-safari-to-finish-loading-plug-in-action/13343) by @PeterNLewis.

**Steps to Create a Plug In Action**
  - **Folder:**  Create a folder on your local drive, using the same name that you will use for the Plug In Action, put the following files in this folder.
  - **Plist:**  Create a file named FILE{{{Keyboard Maestro Action.plist}}}, which is a standard [Cocoa Property list](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/General/Conceptual/DevPedia-CocoaCore/PropertyList.html) file that defines the Plug In Action form.
    * See [[Plug_In_Actions#Plug_In_Action_PList|Plug In Action Plist Definition]] below.
    * The Plug In Action Plist is an XML which defines the Action form you see in the Keyboard Maestro Editor, and identifies the name of the script file that will be run when the Plug In Action is executed in a triggered macro.
  - **Script:**  Create a script file named FILE{{{Action.scpt}}}, or other suitable name (like the name of your Plug In Action), which can be an AppleScript, JXA, or Shell Script, to process the data from the Plug In Action form.
  - **Icon:**  Create FILE{{{icon.png}}} which is the icon that will be displayed in the Keyboard Maestro Editor.  This file is optional.
  - **Zip Install File:** When you are finished with all of these files, create a `.zip` archive from the Plug In Action Folder.

==== Plug In Action Folder ====


**A _Plug In Action_ is Contained in a Folder**, **Whose Name:**
  - Should generally closely match the action name
  - Must be made up of only ASCII alphanumerics, underscores and spaces.
  - Must be unique among all plug in actions.
  - Is stored in the Keyboard Maestro Macros.plist to reference the plugin action.

**The Plug In Action folder contains a set of files, including:**
  - Keyboard Maestro Action.plist – an XML file describing the action.
  - A script file 
    * whose name must be made up of only ASCII alphanumerics or underscores, plus an ASCII alphanumeric extension.
    * It may be a shell script or an AppleScript.
    * If it is a shell script, it will be made executable automatically.
  - Icon File: 64x64 png icon (optional).

**The Plug In Action Folder must be stored as a `.zip` archive file for installation.**

==== Plug In Action PList ====

The format of the Keyboard Maestro Action.plist is a [Cocoa Property list](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/General/Conceptual/DevPedia-CocoaCore/PropertyList.html) containing a dictionary with the following keys and values:

^ Key ^ Description ^
^ Name | **Name of the action**.\\ (which appears in the Category/Actions list) |
^ Script | **Name of the script file** which will be run when the Plug In Action is executed.\\  The name can only use ASCII alphanumerics or underscores, plus an ASCII alphanumeric extension |
^ Parameters | **An array of parameters to the script**<WRAP>
  * Each entry is a dictionary [[Plug_In_Actions#Plist_Parameters|as described below]].
  * These parameters will appear as form fields in the Plug In Action in the Keyboard Maestro Editor.
  * They allow the user of the Plug In Action to enter the data to be processed by the script.
  *  **Optional**
</WRAP> |
^ Icon | **Name of the icon png file**, made up of only ASCII alphanumerics or underscores plus .png \\ **Optional** |
^ Title | **The title displayed on the action**<WRAP>
  * Which can include %Param%XYZ% tokens.
  * It should usually not include other tokens.
  * If it is missing, the Name will be used.
  * **Optional**
</WRAP> |
^ Timeout | **The default timeout in seconds**<WRAP>
  * Entered as a _number_
  * Set it to 0 if the action needs no timeout
  * The default is 99 hours
  * Like all Actions, Timeout can be changed in the _Editor_
  * **Optional**
</WRAP> |
^ Author | The author of this action \\ **Optional** |
^ URL | URL for the author or this action \\ **Optional** |
^ Help | A short (Tool Tip) explanation of this action \\ **Optional** |
^ HelpURL | A URL for the Help link for the action (v11.0+) \\ **Optional** |
^ Results | **What to do with the output of the script if any**.\\ Possible Values:<WRAP>
  * None
  * Window
  * Briefly
  * Large
  * Typing
  * Pasting
  * Variable
  * AppendVar
  * Clipboard
  * File
  * Asynchronously
</WRAP> Multiple values can be used, separated by a bar (%%|%%), the first specified value is the default. If output is going to a clipboard or a file, the results can be an image. \\ **Optional** |

==== Plist Parameters ====

^ Parameter Key ^ Description ^
^ Label | **Name of the parameter**.<WRAP>
  * The same rules as Keyboard Maestro Variable Names apply.
  * The label is displayed to the user and used to pass the parameter to the script.
  * Obviously, the label must be unique amongst all parameters 
</WRAP> |
^ Type | **Type of the parameter**.\\ Must be one of the following:\\ _(Text in italics is info, and not part of the Type)_<WRAP>
  * String _(single line)_
  * TokenString
  * Calculation
  * Text _(multi-line)_
  * TokenText
  * Checkbox _(0 or 1)_
  * PopupMenu
  * Hidden
</WRAP>  The Type specifies how the value is displayed to the user and what processing is applied before it is passed to the script.\\ Hidden types are text token processed, but are not displayed in the editor |
^ Menu | Values of the popup menu, separated by %%|%%\\ **Optional** unless Type is _PopupMenu_. |
^ Default | Default value of the Parameter  when the Plug In Action is inserted in the Macro.\\ **Optional** |

Each parameter in the Parameters array is a dictionary with the following keys:


Warning: Keys are case sensitive.


==== Retrieving Parameters in a Script ====


_Parameters_ are passed to the script via _environment variables_ with names starting with KMPARAM‗, similar to how variables are passed to shell scripts with the Execute Script action.

So a parameter named "My Text" would be in an environment variable KMPARAM‗My‗Text. Note that `spaces` in the variable names _must_ be replaced with `underscores` in your script.  


**Methods To Retrieve Parameters Using AppleScript**

<code applescript>
--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--»	1.  Use AppleScript "system attribute"
--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- This method is "not safe for international characters" (and emoji)

set myText to system attribute "KMPARAM_My_Text"

--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--»	2.  Use Shell Script with "echo"
--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- This method works with emoji and international characters 
-- but multi-line text (as from a TokenText form field) 
-- will be flattened into a single line

set myText to do shell script "echo $KMPARAM_My_Text"


--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--»	3.  Use Shell Script with "printenv"
--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- This works with emoji, international characters and multi-line text
-- however printenv returns an error if KMPARAM_My_Text doesn't exist.
-- You can catch this error with a try command.

try
  set myText to do shell script "printenv KMPARAM_My_Text"
on error -- Parameter does NOT exist
  set myText to ""
end try
</code>

==== Reload to Use Updated Plug In Actions ====


In normal use, once a plug in action is read, it will stay in memory and changes will not be noticed (although the script will be executed each time, so changes to that will be noticed).  To cause the editor and/or engine to notice changes to the plug while in development, use AppleScript to reload the macros:

<code applescript>
tell application "Keyboard Maestro" to reload
tell application "Keyboard Maestro Engine" to reload
</code>

==== Plug In Action Failure ====

If the Plug In script fails, the action will fail, potentially aborting the macro.
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