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Setup Plug in CARE

This document explains how to set up and integrate backend and frontend plugins with the CARE system.

Backend Plugin Configuration​

Follow these steps to configure a backend plugin in your local CARE development environment:

Step 1: Clone the Plugin Repository​

Navigate to the root directory of your CARE project and clone your plugin repository:

cd care
git clone <your-plugin-repository-url>

Step 2: Add Plugin Configuration​

Update plug_config.py to include your plugin configuration:

from plugs.manager import Plug

my_plugin = Plug(
    name="your_plugin_name",            # Django app name in the plugin
    package_name="/app/your_plugin_folder",  # Must be /app/ + plugin folder name
    version="",                         # Keep empty for local development
    configs={},                         # Additional plugin configurations (if any)
)

plugs = [my_plugin]  # Add your plugin to the plugs list

Step 3: Install Plugin in Editable Mode​

Edit the installation command in plugs/manager.py to enable editable installation mode for all packages:

subprocess.check_call(
    [sys.executable, "-m", "pip", "install", *["-e", pkg for pkg in packages]]  # Include '-e' for editable mode
)

Step 4: Rebuild Docker Image and Run Server​

Execute the following commands to apply changes:

make re-build
make up

Your backend plugin should now be running locally along with CARE.

Frontend Plugin Configuration​

Frontend plugins integrate additional functionality into CARE's frontend UI. Follow these steps for local setup:

Step 1: Clone the Repositories​

Clone both CARE frontend and the plugin repositories:

git clone <care-frontend-repository-url>
git clone <your-plugin-frontend-repository-url>

Step 2: Setup Plugin Frontend​

Navigate into your frontend plugin directory, install dependencies, and run the server:

cd your_plugin_frontend
npm install
npm run start

Step 3: Configure CARE Frontend​

Navigate to the CARE frontend directory:

cd ../care_fe

Update the environment variable REACT_ENABLED_APPS to point to your running plugin server:

REACT_ENABLED_APPS="your-plugin-repository-name@localhost:5173"

Ensure localhost:5173 matches your plugin frontend's running port.

Step 4: Setup and Run CARE Frontend​

Complete CARE frontend setup and start the development server:

npm run setup
npm install
npm run dev

Your frontend plugin is now integrated and running with CARE.

You have successfully set up backend and frontend plugins in your local CARE development environment.