Getting Started

This chapter walks you through creating a native C# plugin for Lertaro from scratch, implementing core interfaces, and testing it locally.

1. Setting Up the Plugin Project

A Lertaro plugin is a standard .NET 10 class library project. Create a new C# class library and configure the .csproj file as follows:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net10.0-windows</TargetFramework>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
    <!-- Enable UseWPF only if your plugin renders custom XAML/WPF controls -->
    <UseWPF>true</UseWPF>
    <AssemblyName>YourCompany.Plugins.MyCustomPlugin</AssemblyName>
    <Version>1.0.0</Version>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <!-- Reference Lertaro.PluginSdk.dll from your Lertaro installation directory -->
    <Reference Include="Lertaro.PluginSdk">
      <HintPath>..\..\App\Lertaro.PluginSdk.dll</HintPath>
      <Private>false</Private>
    </Reference>
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

TIP

Pure logic plugins (such as search providers, alias engines, or CLI helpers) do not require <UseWPF>. Setting <Private>false</Private> on PluginSdk.dll avoids redundant copying of the SDK into your build output.

2. Implementing the IPlugin Entry Point

Every plugin assembly must contain exactly one public class implementing the IPlugin interface as its primary entry point:

using Lertaro.PluginSdk;

namespace YourCompany.Plugins.MyCustomPlugin;

public class MyCustomPlugin : IPlugin
{
    public string Name => "My Custom Plugin";
    public string Description => "A sample plugin demonstrating Lertaro SDK integration.";
}

From here, you can implement additional SDK interfaces on the same class or on separate component classes. For instance, implement IInstantResultProvider to calculate dynamic answers or IConfigurable to provide a schema-driven configuration form.

3. Deployment & Loading

1. Build your project to produce YourCompany.Plugins.MyCustomPlugin.dll.
2. Place the compiled DLL (along with any third-party dependencies) into a subfolder under Plugins\MyCustomPlugin\ within the Lertaro App root.
3. Start or restart Lertaro; the App process will automatically scan Plugins/ and load the assembly.
4. Navigate to Settings → Plugins to inspect your active components and settings.

4. Debugging & Logging

Use PluginSdk.Services.Logger for all application logging inside your plugin:

using Lertaro.PluginSdk.Services;

Logger.Log("Plugin initialized successfully and mounted services.", LogLevel.Info);

• Output appears in real-time under Settings → Service Status → App Tab.
• Filter logs directly by severity (Error / Warn / Info / Debug) and perform instant keyword searches to streamline development.