A plug-in is a software component, usually packaged as a .dll file (Dynamic Link Library), that adds specific abilities to Chasys Draw IES. Plug-ins allow you to customize the functionality of Chasys Draw IES by adding image effects and support for new file formats and devices. Plug-ins may be provided by the author of Chasys Draw IES or by third-parties. Third-parties who wish to develop plug-ins for Chasys Draw IES may do so by utilizing the information provided in the Software Development Kit (SDK).
How can I view and manage my plug-ins?
To manage or view the plug-ins you have installed, use the Plug-in Manager. This module allows you to configure plug-ins and to display their details; it also provides access to the folder where you can copy new plug-ins.
Plug-ins can be added or removed at any time, even if Chasys Draw IES is running. Plug-ins are available for use less than 30 seconds after being copied into the Plugins folder (or 2 minutes if the computer is running on battery). Also note that Chasys Draw IES may automatically blacklist plug-ins that exhibit rogue or dangerous behaviour; blacklisted plug-ins will not be used.
Please be advised that plug-ins may and do use services exposed by other plug-ins; for instance, the plug-in for icons (flt_ICO.dll) requires the assistance of the plug-in for PNG files (flt_PNG.dll) to load hi-res icons that utilize PNG streams. Removing the PNG plug-in will therefore affect the functionality of the ICO plug-in. In short, removing a plug-in may have unintended consequences.
Plug-in dependencies are not always obvious and removing a plug-in can sometimes break seemingly unrelated functionality. For instance, removing the standard JPEG plug-in (flt_JPEG.dll) will break PDF import/export functionality because the DCTDecode method of embedding images inside PDF documents uses the JPEG encoding functionality provided by that plug-in.
