Skip to main content

Enable & Disable

The Enable() and Disable() functions are optional. They allow the plugin to perform tasks when the plugin is enabled or disabled. Examples of why a plugin would need to use these functions:

  • start or stop a background task
  • connect or disconnect with a database or data store

Enable​

The Enable() function handles the setting of the Toolkit so it's available for use in other functions. It's already set in the PluginBase so you don't have to redefine it:

base.go
// Enable is to enable the plugin. Toolkit should be saved.
func (p *PluginBase) Enable(toolkit *Toolkit) error {
    p.Toolkit = toolkit
    return nil
}

If you do need to override it to perform additional plugin initialization, you should call the base function like this. It's recommended to call it like this becuase if the Enable() function happens to change in Ambient, you still get all the benefits it provides in your plugin.

// Enable is to enable the plugin. Toolkit should be saved.
func (p *Plugin) Enable(toolkit *Toolkit) error {
    err := p.PluginBase.Enable(toolkit)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    // Put your additional logic here.
    return nil
}

If the function returns an error, the plugin will not be enabled. Examples of why a plugin would fail to enable:

  • it cannot connect to a database or data store with the given credentials
  • it is missing a setting or configuration that is required at enable time
  • it is missing another plugin from being enabled first

Disable​

If you have tasks that need to happen when a plugin is disabled, you can define your own Disable() function. It's shaped like this:

// Disable handles any plugin cleanup tasks.
func (p *Plugin) Disable() error {
    return nil
}

If the function returns an error, the plugin will not be disabled. This is to prevent the app from behaving unexpectedly. Examples of why a plugin would fail to disable:

  • a background task is still processing and disabling would result in data loss
  • another plugin may need to be disabled first if it relies on this plugin