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NetSeller Developer

Create your first NetSeller plugin

A plugin is a CFML package that registers functionality with NetSeller. You need basic CFML/CFC, HTML and SQL knowledge, a development installation, and permission to manage plugins and roles.

Start with the existing Demo Admin Integration plugin. It adds a protected admin page, a navigation entry, an integration entry and a plugin-owned database table.

Download the demo plugin

1. Install the example

Section titled “1. Install the example”

If your installation already lists demo.admin_integration under Settings → Plugins, enable that existing copy. Do not upload another package with the same ID over a locally managed copy.

Otherwise upload the ZIP under Settings → Plugins. A successful upload also enables it. Activation creates its table and registers its permission. Follow Installation and updates if activation reports an error.

The Super Admin role receives the plugin permission automatically. For other roles, assign View demo plugin in the role editor. Open Demo plugin in the navigation. The page displays “The demo plugin route is active.” The integrations area also contains its status entry.

2. Understand the package

Section titled “2. Understand the package”
demo.admin_integration/
  netseller-plugin.json
  db/migrations/V1__create_demo_tables.sql
  src/
    providers/plugin_provider.cfc
    controllers/demo_controller.cfc
    views/demo/index.cfm
File Responsibility
netseller-plugin.json Identifies the package and declares its provider.
plugin_provider.cfc Registers the route, menu entry, permission and integration status.
demo_controller.cfc Returns the admin layout, plugin view and page metadata.
index.cfm Renders the page.
V1__create_demo_tables.sql Creates the plugin settings table and an installation marker.

The table is not used by the static page. Forms and saving data adds a complete editable setting to it.

3. Follow a request

Section titled “3. Follow a request”
  1. The provider registers a named GET route and its permission middleware.
  2. The navigation entry links to that route name.
  3. NetSeller checks authentication and permission, then calls the controller’s index() method.
  4. The returned struct supplies routeConfig to the view and selects the admin layout.

The manifest is:

{
  "id": "demo.admin_integration",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "name": "Demo Admin Integration",
  "description": "Demo admin plugin for the local plugin system.",
  "providers": ["providers.plugin_provider"]
}

The provider’s route points to netseller_plugin_demo_admin_integration.controllers.demo_controller. NetSeller maps that component prefix to this plugin’s src/ directory; you do not configure a separate CFML mapping.

The controller returns:

src/controllers/demo_controller.cfc
component output="false" {
    public struct function index() {
        return {
            'layout' = "../application/admin/views/layouts/app.cfm",
            'view' = "/netseller_plugin_demo_admin_integration/views/demo/index.cfm",
            'pageTitle' = "Demo plugin",
            'pagePretitle' = request.t("admin.plugins.title", "Plugins"),
            'pageHeading' = "Demo plugin",
            'pageDescription' = "Demo admin route provided by a local plugin.",
            'activeNav' = "settings",
            'statusCode' = 200
        };
    }
}

Use the shown layout value for the shared admin shell. The view path uses the plugin mapping. Additional returned fields become routeConfig.<field> in your view. A controller action returns a struct; it does not write the complete document directly.

4. Make your own plugin

Section titled “4. Make your own plugin”

Copy the extracted package to example.hello/, then change these identifiers throughout your copy:

Demo value Your value
Folder and manifest ID demo.admin_integration example.hello
Component/view mapping netseller_plugin_demo_admin_integration netseller_plugin_example_hello
Route and permission prefix plugin.demo.admin_integration. plugin.example.hello.
Route path prefix /plugins/demo.admin_integration /plugins/example.hello
Table/index prefix plg_demo_admin_integration_ plg_example_hello_
Navigation ID plugin_demo_admin_integration plugin_example_hello

Also update the manifest name, description and version, the integration’s id and ownerKey, and its statusResolverKey comparison. The demo uses fallback labels; add your own translation catalogs for localized text.

Rename identifiers before your new plugin’s first installation. Do not edit an already-applied migration in an installed plugin. See Manifest and package for naming rules.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”