Chapter 2. PLESK SDK Structure

As it is known, SDK for any product is a toolkit for developing applications for this product, which usually includes heading files, libraries, documentation, examples, and various auxiliary utilities. Sometimes all these components can be a part of the development environment at once.
In our case, Plesk 7 SDK represents the description of opportunities and methods of using all existing in Plesk ways to expand its functionality, integrate it with third-party applications and to adjust it.

At present, by ways of integration and adjustment the following Plesk functionalities are meant: Event Manager, Skin Templates, Application Vault, Custom Buttons, Command Line Interface, Backup Utilities, Language Packs, Plesk RPC API, and Plesk Modules.

The Documentation block of each subitem includes the description of this part purpose, the description of functionalities, ways and borders of usage, and work mechanism. Also all agreements on used formats, patterns and methods of definition should be described here.

The API block provides the description of headings of functions of the basic product, libraries and modules which can be used during the development of third-party applications. For example, for Application Vault these are headings of the functions used at processing and preservation of configuration parameters, etc. It is necessary for a developer to know precisely what types of parameters are transferred in the function, and what value it returns.

The Examples block contains examples, illustrating both the use of separate functions, and examples of completely ready applications which show the work of the described technology. Also examples of configuration files, files of definitions and patterns are necessary.

The Utilities block can include various auxiliary utilities. For example, the utility for checking the agreement on names of packages, for searching typing errors and mistakes in names of catalogues and configuration files.