ShadowPluginLoader.WinUI

Plugin Packaging ​

Once your plugin is ready, package it as a .sdow file for the app to install.

Check Tools.Config.props: set IsPlugin and AutoPluginPackage to true, and IsPluginLoader to false. Then build the project as usual.

Find the package ​

After building, open the project's Packages folder. The default filenames are:

  • Release: $(TargetName)-$(Version).sdow.
  • Debug: $(TargetName)-$(Version)-Debug.sdow.

For example, an Emoji debug package could be named ShadowExample.Plugin.Emoji-1.1.0-Debug.sdow.

A .sdow file is a ZIP archive containing the build output: DLLs, plugin metadata, and resources. The main layout looks like this, alongside generated PRI files and dependencies:

text
ShadowExample.Plugin.Emoji.dll
ShadowExample.Plugin.Emoji/
  plugin.json
  Themes/
    ResourceDictionary1.xaml
  Assets/
    th.jpg

Keep plugin.json in the assembly-named subfolder, with the DLL one level above it. Using the generated package saves you from arranging these files yourself.

Leave out files you don't need ​

Create Plugin.Build.exclude in the project directory. Put one name or wildcard pattern on each line:

Plugin.Build.exclude
text
*.pdb
hello.*
Fluent

This excludes .pdb files, files matching hello.*, and directories named Fluent.

* matches any characters, and ? matches one character. Matching ignores case and uses only the file or directory name, so write Fluent, not Fluent/*.

Your list replaces the default list, so include any shared dependencies you still want excluded. Packaging deletes matches from the build output directory before creating the archive. Rebuild if you need to use that output for another deployment.

See Custom Packaging to change the output location or filename. Once you have a package, install and try it.