scopy-plugin-patterns

Scopy Plugin Patterns

Plugin Class Structure

class MyPlugin : public QObject, PluginBase {
    SCOPY_PLUGIN
    Q_OBJECT
    Q_PLUGIN_METADATA(IID "org.adi.Scopy.PluginBase")
    Q_INTERFACES(scopy::PluginBase)

public:
    bool compatible(QString m_param, QString category) override;
    void loadToolList() override;
    bool loadIcon() override;
    void initMetadata() override;
    bool onConnect() override;
    bool onDisconnect() override;

private:
    IIOWidgetGroup *m_widgetGroup = nullptr;
};

Plugin Lifecycle

• compatible(): Device detection using iio_context_find_device(conn->context(), "name")
• onConnect(): Create IIOWidgetGroup, create tools, set tool on m_toolList
• onDisconnect(): Delete tools, delete widget group, ConnectionProvider::close(m_param)
• initMetadata(): JSON with priority, category, exclude

Tool Constructor Signature

explicit MyTool(iio_context *ctx, IIOWidgetGroup *group, QWidget *parent = nullptr);

ToolTemplate + Refresh Button

m_tool = new ToolTemplate(this);
m_refreshButton = new AnimatedRefreshBtn(false, this);
m_tool->addWidgetToTopContainerHelper(m_refreshButton, TTA_RIGHT);

Refresh button triggers readRequested() via QtConcurrent::run.

Scopy Package Structure

scopy/packages/<name>/
├── manifest.json.cmakein
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── emu-xml/
└── plugins/<name>/
    ├── src/                  # Implementation files
    ├── include/<name>/       # Header files
    ├── test/                 # Unit tests
    └── CMakeLists.txt

Function Mapping (from legacy iio-oscilloscope)

iio-oscilloscope	Scopy	Purpose
identify()	compatible()	Device detection
init()	onConnect()	Create tools on connection
destroy()	onDisconnect()	Cleanup on disconnect
iio_widget helpers	IIOWidget / IIOWidgetBuilder	Attribute binding
Glade XML	Programmatic Qt code	UI definition

Advanced Tool Pattern (for plugins with adi,* debug attributes)

• QStackedWidget + sidebar navigation buttons
• Each sub-tab is its own widget class
• Sub-tabs use IIOWidgetBuilder for widget creation
• Use MenuSectionCollapseWidget for collapsible sections in sub-tabs

Architecture Decision Tree

Has debug/advanced attributes (adi,*)?
├── YES → Basic tool + Advanced tool (QStackedWidget + sub-tabs)
└── NO → Single tool only

Shares devices with another plugin?
├── YES → Multiple tool variants (detect in onConnect)
└── NO → Single tool (most common)

Section Widget Creation

QWidget *section = new QWidget(parent);
Style::setBackgroundColor(section, json::theme::background_primary);
Style::setStyle(section, style::properties::widget::border_interactive);
QLabel *title = new QLabel("Section Title", section);
Style::setStyle(title, style::properties::label::menuBig);

Logging Categories

// Header
Q_DECLARE_LOGGING_CATEGORY(CAT_MYPLUGIN)

// Source
Q_LOGGING_CATEGORY(CAT_MYPLUGIN, "MyPlugin")

// Usage
qDebug(CAT_MYPLUGIN) << "Message";

Full Reference

See reference.md in this directory for complete lifecycle code templates.