Plugin Architecture

Plugin Architecture

Every feature module in Storeharmony Desktop follows the Plugin + Chassis pattern — a reusable, entity-agnostic Swing panel (HAGenericApplicationViewComponent) that handles all common UI concerns, while domain-specific logic is injected via a plugin object.

The Flow

1. Menu Trigger – An action class (e.g. ManageCustomerRecordsAction) extends HeavyApplicationPanelLoaderAction
2. Chassis Creation – Instantiates HAGenericApplicationViewComponent<T> (the empty chassis)
3. Plugin Injection – Creates a HarmonyApplicationPlugin<T> implementation and calls chassis.configurePlugin(plugin)
4. Rendering – The chassis renders a full workspace: search bar, data table, action grid, paging controls, context menus, and side panel — all wired to the plugin

Window Types

The chassis can be rendered in four modes via HarmonyWindowType:

Key Interfaces

• HarmonyApplicationPlugin – The core plugin contract. Provides table model, data query, action grid items, side panel, and context menu items.
• HAGenericApplicationViewComponent – The reusable chassis. Handles search, paging, selection, gestures, and UI chrome.
• HeavyApplicationPanelLoaderAction – Abstract action that bridges menu clicks to panel instantiation.
• DataViewingComponent – Contract for read-only display panels.
• DataCapturingComponent – Contract for forms that capture input and return a result.

Building a New Plugin

To add a new feature module:

1. Create the JPA entity in entities/ and add to persistence.xml
2. Create the data access operations in operations/{module}/
3. Create a HarmonyApplicationPlugin implementation that provides table model, query, and actions
4. Create a menu action extending HeavyApplicationPanelLoaderAction that wires the plugin to the chassis
5. Register the action in the menu configuration XML