Plugin System

DiKAS has a modular plugin system. Feature modules are developed as separate DLLs and loaded at runtime.

Overview

DiKAS Core (dikascore.exe)
    ├── Core POS (POS, Articles, Customers, Staff, ...)
    └── plugins/
        ├── Dikas.Features.Disco.dll        ← Disco module
        ├── Dikas.Features.Licensing.dll    ← Licensing module
        └── Dikas.Features.Warehouse.dll    ← Warehouse module

The core functions without plugins. Plugins extend the system with additional entities, API endpoints, and frontend pages.

For Administrators: Installing Plugins

Install a DLL

1. Obtain the plugin DLL from the provider
2. Copy it into the plugins/ folder
3. Restart DiKAS
4. The plugin is automatically active

Install a .feature Package

.feature files are ZIP archives containing a backend DLL and frontend code:

1. Copy the .feature file into the features/ folder
2. Restart DiKAS
3. The package is automatically extracted and loaded

Disable a Plugin

1. Remove the DLL from the plugins/ folder
2. Restart DiKAS
3. The plugin data remains in the database (can be reactivated later)

For Developers: Creating a Plugin

A detailed developer guide is available in the Plugin Developer Guide.

Quick Overview

1. Create a new .NET project (Dikas.Features.MyPlugin)
2. Implement IFeatureModule (entry point)
3. Define entities (domain models)
4. Write CQRS handlers (commands & queries)
5. Create controllers (API endpoints)
6. Register frontend extension (Angular)

Architecture

Dikas.Api.Domain          ← Entities, Interfaces
    ↑
Dikas.Api.Application     ← CQRS Handlers, Services
    ↑
Dikas.Api.Contracts       ← DTOs (no domain dependency!)
    ↑
Dikas.Api.Infrastructure  ← Database, external services
    ↑
Dikas.Features.MyPlugin   ← Your plugin

Reference Implementations

Plugin	Complexity	Characteristics
Disco	Simple	3 entities, standard CRUD
Licensing	Complex	PKI, rate limiting, legacy API

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Next Step

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