The Atlassian Plugin SDK addresses common challenges in writing plugins by standardizing how plugins start products, configure products, and install plugins. It provides Maven plugins and scripts to simplify development tasks like starting products, reloading code changes, and creating new plugin projects. The SDK aims to make the plugin development process easier through tools like automatic resource reloading and isolated Maven dependencies.

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2. How the Atlassian Plugin SDK Cured
Cancer and Reunited Soundgarden
Ben Speakmon
Developer Relations
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3. Agenda
• Developer Relations
• Definitions
• Challenges in writing plugins
• How the SDK addresses them
• SDK in action
• Getting involved
• Wrap-up
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4. Developer Relations
• Dedicated product team
• Started in June 2009
• Based in San Francisco
• Two full-time developers
• In addition to the SDK…
• plugins.atlassian.com
• studio.plugins.atlassian.com
• Developer documentation
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5. What weʼve got to show for it
• First SDK release in October 2009 • February 2010 Doc Sprint
at AtlasCamp • Completely new developer
• 16 releases since documentation
• 20 new tutorials
• plugins.atlassian.com
• Over 500 plugins
• 1.1 release has searching,
performance, and RSS feed
improvements
• studio.plugins.atlassian.com
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• Over 500 hosted projects
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6. Definitions
• SDK – Software Development Kit
• Maven – Project management tool
• Open source project at apache.org
• Builds and Dependency management
• Plugin – Code that adds a feature to a product
• Maven plugins extend Maven
• Atlassian plugins extend Atlassian products
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7. Plugin development challenges
• I made this half-pony half-monkey monster to please you
• But I get the feeling that you donʼt like it
• Whatʼs with all the screaming?
• -- Jonathan Coulton, “Skullcrusher Mountain”
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8. Effective plugin development
• Different than product development
• Work within someone elseʼs sandbox
• Three things that MUST be easy:
• Starting the product
• Configuring the product
• Installing the plugin
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9. Challenge #1: Starting the product
Product Startup method
JIRA bin/startup.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app.
server
Confluence bin/startup.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app.
server
Bamboo bamboo.sh or Win32 service or WAR install into app. server
Crowd start_crowd.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app.
server
FishEye/Crucible run.sh or .bat – no WAR version available
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10. Challenge #2: Configuring the product
Product Data and logs Configuration
directory
JIRA jira-home WEB-INF/classes/jira-application.properties
Confluence No default WEB-INF/classes/confluence-init.properties
Bamboo No default WEB-INF/classes/bamboo-init.properties
Crowd No default WEB-INF/classes/crowd-init.properties,
system property, servlet context property
FishEye/Crucible var FISHEYE_INST environment variable
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11. Challenge #3: Installing a plugin
Product Plugin install methods
JIRA Two plugin directories for different plugin systems, web interface
Confluence Two plugin directories for different plugin systems, web interface,
plugin repository
Bamboo Two plugin directories for different plugin systems
Crowd One plugin directory (plugins 2 only)
FishEye/Crucible One plugin directory (plugins 2 only)
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12. And if that wasnʼt enough…
Build systems
• Maven 1 or 2? Ant?
• Dependencies are really
confusing
Starting a plugin project
• Expert product knowledge
required just to get started
• Maven archetypes are too
hard to use
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13. It all adds up to…
Lots of small headaches
== big headache
• Not your fault
• Not your job to fix them
Slow code/test/debug cycle
Frustration
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14. How the SDK deals with the challenges
•“What is happiness? The feeling
that power is growing, that
resistance is overcome.”
• --Friedrich Nietzsche, LISP user
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15. Challenge #1: Starting the product
Product Startup method
JIRA bin/startup.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
Confluence bin/startup.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
Bamboo bamboo.sh or Win32 service or WAR install into app. server
Crowd start_crowd.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
FishEye/Crucible run.sh or .bat – no WAR version available
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16. Challenge #1: Starting the product
Product Startup method
JIRA bin/startup.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
Confluence bin/startup.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
Bamboo bamboo.sh or Win32 service or WAR install into app. server
Crowd start_crowd.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
FishEye/Crucible run.sh or .bat – no WAR version available
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17. Challenge #1: Starting the product
Product Startup method
JIRA bin/startup.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
Confluence bin/startup.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
Bamboo bamboo.sh or Win32 service or WAR install into app. server
Crowd start_crowd.sh or .bat (standalone) or WAR install into app. server
FishEye/Crucible run.sh or .bat – no WAR version available
• atlas-run
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18. Challenge #2: Configuring the product
Product Data and logs Configuration
directory
JIRA jira-home WEB-INF/classes/jira-application.properties
Confluence No default WEB-INF/classes/confluence-init.properties
Bamboo No default WEB-INF/classes/bamboo-init.properties
Crowd No default WEB-INF/classes/crowd-init.properties, system
property, servlet context property
FishEye/Crucible var FISHEYE_INST environment variable
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19. Challenge #2: Configuring the product
Product Data and logs Configuration
directory
JIRA jira-home WEB-INF/classes/jira-application.properties
Confluence No default WEB-INF/classes/confluence-init.properties
Bamboo No default WEB-INF/classes/bamboo-init.properties
Crowd No default WEB-INF/classes/crowd-init.properties, system
property, servlet context property
FishEye/Crucible var FISHEYE_INST environment variable
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20. Challenge #2: Configuring the product
Product Data and logs Configuration
directory
JIRA jira-home WEB-INF/classes/jira-application.properties
Confluence No default WEB-INF/classes/confluence-init.properties
Bamboo No default WEB-INF/classes/bamboo-init.properties
Crowd No default WEB-INF/classes/crowd-init.properties, system
property, servlet context property
FishEye/Crucible var FISHEYE_INST environment variable
• Logs sent to console
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21. Challenge #2: Configuring the product
Product Data and logs Configuration
directory
JIRA jira-home WEB-INF/classes/jira-application.properties
Confluence No default WEB-INF/classes/confluence-init.properties
Bamboo No default WEB-INF/classes/bamboo-init.properties
Crowd No default WEB-INF/classes/crowd-init.properties, system
property, servlet context property
FishEye/Crucible var FISHEYE_INST environment variable
• Logs sent to console
• Preconfigured data directories
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22. Challenge #3: Installing a plugin
Product Plugin install methods
JIRA Two plugin directories for different plugin systems, web interface
Confluence Two plugin directories for different plugin systems, web interface,
plugin repository
Bamboo Two plugin directories for different plugin systems
Crowd One plugin directory (plugins 2 only)
FishEye/Crucible One plugin directory (plugins 2 only)
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23. Challenge #3: Installing a plugin
Product Plugin install methods
JIRA Two plugin directories for different plugin systems, web interface
Confluence Two plugin directories for different plugin systems, web interface,
plugin repository
Bamboo Two plugin directories for different plugin systems
Crowd One plugin directory (plugins 2 only)
FishEye/Crucible One plugin directory (plugins 2 only)
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24. Challenge #3: Installing a plugin
Product Plugin install methods
JIRA Two plugin directories for different plugin systems, web interface
Confluence Two plugin directories for different plugin systems, web interface,
plugin repository
Bamboo Two plugin directories for different plugin systems
Crowd One plugin directory (plugins 2 only)
FishEye/Crucible One plugin directory (plugins 2 only)
• Automatic through atlas-run
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25. SDK Design
•“You can get more of what you want
with a kind word and a gun than you
can with just a kind word.”
• --Al Capone, project manager
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26. Atlassian Maven Plugins Suite
• Suite of Maven plugins
• maven-jira-plugin, maven-confluence-plugin, etc.
• Common interface to products:
• Handles installation and configuration
• Can be used independently of the SDK
• Very handy if you already have a Maven system
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27. Script shortcuts
Task Maven command Script shortcut
Start the product with the current plugin mvn amps:run atlas-run
preinstalled
Start the product with the current plugin mvn amps:debug atlas-debug
preinstalled and allow a debugger to
attach
Start JIRA on port 8243 and context mvn amps:run atlas-run
“myjira” with the current plugin –Dproduct=jira --product jira
preinstalled –Dcontext.path=/myjira --context-path /myjira
–Dhttp.port=8243 --http-port 8243
Run an arbitrary Maven command mvn myplugin:mygoal atlas-mvn myplugin:mygoal
<parameters> <parameters>
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28. SDK in action
• A thousand moral paintings I can show
• That shall demonstrate these quick blows of Fortuneʼs
• More pregnantly than words.
• Timon of Athens, I:i
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29. 30-second Plugin Creation™
• Creating a plugin is dirt simple!
• atlas-create-<product>-plugin
• Executes a Maven archetype
• Automatically prompts for required information
• Created plugin works out of the box
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30. Creating a new JIRA plugin
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31. Creating a new JIRA plugin
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32. Automatic resource reloading
Plugin web resources
are monitored
• Detects changes and
automatically updates
Reinstall plugin for
Java updates
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33. Changing a live gadget
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34. Changing a live gadget
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35. Boxed Maven
Contains a standalone,
isolated Maven 2.1.0
• Uses Atlassian repositories by
default
• No extra configuration needed
Usable on its own
• atlas-mvn passes parameters
and goals straight through
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36. Getting involved
•Be the change you seek.
• -- Atlassian Value the Fifth
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37. Vital statistics
• The SDK is open source
• Apache 2.0
• Frequent updates, both features and support for
new releases
• Committers outside Atlassian
• Preconfigured home directories - Jonathan Doklovic
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38. Helping out"
• http://studio.atlassian.com/browse/AMPS
• Things YOU can help with right now:
• Documentation
• Testing on Windows
• Features YOU can help with:
• Per-plugin storage
• Integrated release process to PAC and Maven
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39. AtlasCamp – October 2010
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40. AtlasCamp – October 2010
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41. AtlasCamp – October 2010
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42. AtlasCamp – October 2010
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43. AtlasCamp – October 2010
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44. AtlasCamp – October 2010
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45. Wrap-up
SDK makes plugin and gadget
creation easier
Works in all products
Faster code/test/debug cycle
Tight integration with Atlassian build
systems
Flexible enough to also work in your
system
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46. Resources
• Writing plugins: http://confluence.atlassian.com/x/CgbvCw
• Marketing for plugins: http://plugins.atlassian.com
• Hosting for plugins: http://studio.plugins.atlassian.com
• Developer forums: http://forums.atlassian.com
• Contact Developer Relations:
• developer-relations@atlassian.com
• irc.freenode.net #atlassiandev
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