Plugin System

Plugins are the primary way to extend ObjectQL. They allow you to bundle behavior, schema modifications, and logic (hooks/actions) into reusable units.

1. Anatomy of a Plugin

A plugin is simply an object that implements the ObjectQLPlugin interface.

import { IObjectQL } from '@objectql/types';
 
export interface ObjectQLPlugin {
    /**
     * The unique name of the plugin
     */
    name: string;
    
    /**
     * Called during initialization, before drivers connect.
     * @param app The ObjectQL instance
     */
    setup(app: IObjectQL): void | Promise<void>;
}

2. Execution Lifecycle

Understanding valid execution timing is critical.

Phase 1: Construction (new ObjectQL)
- Load Metadata from packages.
- Load Metadata from source directories (*.object.yml).
- Load Metadata from config.objects.
- Result: app.metadata holds all static definitions.
Phase 2: Initialization (await app.init())
- Step A: Remotes: Fetch metadata from remote services.
- Step B: Plugins (plugin.setup): <-- YOU ARE HERE
  - This is the last chance to modify metadata before it touches the DB.
  - You can access all objects loaded in Phase 1 & Step A.
- Step C: Drivers: Drivers connect and synchronize schema (create tables, etc.).

3. Creating Plugins

You can define plugins in two styles: Object or Class.

Option A: Object Style (Simpler)

Useful for stateless, simple logic or one-off modifications.

const MySimplePlugin = {
    name: 'my-simple-plugin',
    setup(app) {
        app.on('before:create', 'user', async (ctx) => {
            console.log('Creating user...');
        });
    }
};

Option B: Class Style (Recommended)

Useful when your plugin needs to maintain internal state, configuration, or complex initialization logic.

class MyComplexPlugin implements ObjectQLPlugin {
    name = 'my-complex-plugin';
    private config;
 
    constructor(config = {}) {
        this.config = config;
    }
 
    async setup(app: IObjectQL) {
        // Access config here
        if (this.config.enableLogging) {
            app.on('before:*', '*', async (ctx) => {
                console.log(`[${ctx.event}] ${ctx.objectName}`);
            });
        }
    }
}

3. Loading Plugins

Plugins are passed to the ObjectQL constructor via the plugins array. The loader is very flexible.

Method 1: Inline Instance

Pass the plugin object or class instance directly.

const db = new ObjectQL({
    plugins: [
        MySimplePlugin,          // Object
        new MyComplexPlugin({})  // Class Instance
    ]
});

Method 2: NPM Package (String)

You can specify the package name as a string. ObjectQL uses require() (Node.js) to resolve it.

const db = new ObjectQL({
    plugins: [
        '@objectql/plugin-audit', // Searches node_modules
        './local-plugins/my-plugin' // Relative path
    ]
});

Package Resolution Rules

When loading from a string, ObjectQL tries to find the plugin in the exported module in this order:

Class Constructor: If the module exports a Class (default or module.exports), it tries to instantiation it (new Plugin()).
Plugin Object: If the module exports an object with a setup function, it uses it directly.
Default Export: If the module has a default export, it checks that recursively.

Example Package (node_modules/my-plugin/index.js):

// This works
module.exports = class MyPlugin { ... }
 
// This also works
module.exports = { name: '..', setup: () => {} }
 
// This also works (ESM/TS)
export default class MyPlugin { ... }

4. What can Plugins do?

The setup(app) method gives you full access to the ObjectQL instance.

A. Manipulate Metadata (Schema)

Plugins have full control over the schema. You can modify existing objects or register new ones.

Example 1: Injecting a global field

setup(app) {
    const allObjects = app.metadata.list('object');
    for (const obj of allObjects) {
        // Add 'createdAt' to every object if missing
        if (!obj.fields.createdAt) {
            obj.fields.createdAt = { type: 'datetime' };
        }
    }
}

Example 2: Registering a new Object Plugins can bundle their own data models (e.g. an audit log table).

setup(app) {
    app.registerObject({
        name: 'audit_log',
        fields: {
            action: { type: 'string' },
            userId: { type: 'string' },
            timestamp: { type: 'datetime' }
        }
    });
}

Example 3: Scanning a Directory Plugins can also scan a directory to load metadata files, just like the main application. This is useful for bundling a set of objects.

import * as path from 'path';
 
setup(app) {
    // Scan the 'objects' folder inside the plugin directory
    const objectsDir = path.join(__dirname, 'objects');
    app.loadFromDirectory(objectsDir);
}

B. Register Global Hooks

Listen to lifecycle events on specific objects or * (wildcard).

setup(app) {
    app.on('before:delete', '*', async (ctx) => {
        if (ctx.objectName === 'system_log') {
            throw new Error("Logs cannot be deleted");
        }
    });
}

C. Register Custom Actions

Add new capabilities to objects.

setup(app) {
    // Usage: objectql.executeAction('user', 'sendEmail', { ... })
    app.registerAction('user', 'sendEmail', async (ctx) => {
        await emailService.send(ctx.args.to, ctx.args.body);
    });
}

D. Custom Metadata Loaders

Plugins can register new loaders to scan for custom file types (e.g. *.workflow.yml). This allows ObjectQL to act as a unified metadata engine.

import * as yaml from 'js-yaml';
 
setup(app) {
    app.addLoader({
        name: 'workflow-loader',
        glob: ['**/*.workflow.yml'],
        handler: (ctx) => {
            const doc = yaml.load(ctx.content);
            const workflowName = doc.name;
            
            // Register into MetadataRegistry with a custom type
            ctx.registry.register('workflow', {
                type: 'workflow',
                id: workflowName,
                path: ctx.file,
                content: doc
            });
        }
    });
}

E. Manage Modules

Plugins can dynamically load or unload other modules. This is useful for plugins that act as "features" which bring in a set of dependencies.

setup(app) {
    // Dynamically load another module
    app.addModule('@objectos/standard-objects');
 
    // Or remove a module if it conflicts with this plugin
    app.removeModule('@objectos/legacy-objects');
}

5. Scope Isolation

When a plugin is loaded via Package Name (Method 2), ObjectQL automatically marks the hooks and actions registered by that plugin with its package name.

This allows app.removePackage('@objectql/plugin-auth') to cleanly remove all hooks and actions associated with that plugin, without affecting others.

Plugin System

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