Managing plugins

It is very easy to update and add new functionalities to GenBeans thanks to its modular structure and plugins. A plugin generally consists of a group of dependent modules. The plugins manager enables dynamic management of these plugins. Plugins can be deactivated when not necessary to save memory and for faster starting time or even completely uninstalled. Inversely they can be reactivated or fully reinstalled.

The plugins manager allows to connect to update centers to find new versions of already installed plugins or new plugins adding new functionalities. Module dependencies are checked by the plugins manager and warnings may be given by the plugins manager when potential conflicts or specific requirements occur.

Updating Genbeans

The plugins manager checks regularly for updates of installed plugins in registered update centers. When new updates are found, the sign is displayed at the right side of the status bar located at the bottom of the main window. Alternatively, you can check for updates manually in the plugins manager by reloading the catalog. Open the plugins manager via the menu Tools > Plugins, select the Updates tab and click the Reload Catalog button.

To update installed plugins from the Update Center

1. Choose Tools > Plugins from the main menu to open the Plugins manager.

2. Click the Updates tab to display available updates of installed plugins.

3. In the left pane, select the plugins to update and click Update.

4. Follow the instructions to install the update.

To add new plugins from the Update Center

1. Choose Tools > Plugins from the main menu to open the Plugins manager.

2. Click the Available Plugins tab to display plugins that are available but not installed.

3. In the left pane, select the plugins you wish to add and click Install.

4. Follow the instructions to install the plugins.

To add new plugins to a multi-user installation

1. Choose Tools > Plugins from the main menu to open the Plugins manager.

2. Click the Settings tab and select Force install into shared directories.

3. Click the Available Plugins tab.

4. In the left pane, select the plugins you wish to add and click Install.

5. Follow the instructions to install the plugins.

You must have write access for GenBeans installation directory to install plugins globally

To install new plugins offline

1. Choose Tools > Plugins from the main menu to open the Plugins manager.

2. Click the Downloaded tab.

3. Click Add Plugins and browse to the location of the downloaded .nbm file. Select the file and click Open.

4. Click Install and follow the instructions to install the plugins.

To activate or deactivate an installed plugin

1. Choose Tools > Plugins from the main menu to open the Plugins manager.

2. Click the Installed tab.

3. In the left pane, select the plugins you wish to activate or deactivate.

4. In the right pane, click Activate or Deactivate to activate or deactivate the plugins.

To change automatic update checking

1. Choose Tools > Plugins from the main menu to open the Plugins manager.

2. Click the Settings tab.

3. In the Check Interval drop-down list, select the frequency of automatic checking.

To add a new Update Center

1. Choose Tools > Plugins from the main menu to open the Plugins manager.

2. Click the Settings tab to display the registered update centers

3. Click the Add to open the Update Center Customizer dialog box.

4. Type the name of the update center and the URL and click OK.