Domoticz Python Plugin manager

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domoticz-plugins

From now on its easier than ever to install new hardware in Domoticz, because Domoticz finally has his own Python Plugin manager for external components. It’s still work in progress and not included in the beta but easy to install.

After installing the Python Plugin Framework, users are able to easily install hardware plugins in Python without a deep understanding of C++. This is also the reason why the number of available plugins for Domoticz is growing so fast: the Python programming language is increasingly popular because it is easy, fast and can be applied a wide variety of areas.

Installing a new plugin without a Plugin Manager can be a bit of a hassle:
You have to use SSH, clone a Github repository of the plugin and manually install and configure the prerequisites before configuring the hardware in Domoticz. If you know what you’re doing it’s not rocket science but it can be a lot of work and time-consuming.

That’s why Domoticz user ycahome started developing a Python Plugin Manager. A lot of users were already asking for it, but he was the one that made it happen. The Python Plugin Manager is a fact.

Besides enabling users to install plugins really easy and fast, the Plugin Manager also has some other nice features: it can auto-update itself and the installed plugins.

 

How to install Python Plugin manager

Use linux on a raspberry pi
SSH into your domoticz
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cd domoticz/plugins
git clone https://github.com/ycahome/pp-manager.git PP-MANAGER

Next, you have to make the plugin.py file executable. Let’s enter the directory and issue the command:

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cd PP-MANAGER
chmod +x plugin.py

Restart Domoticz so that it will detect the plugin:

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sudo systemctl restart domoticz.service

From now on the plugin should be able to be set-up from the Domoticz interface. Go to Setup, Hardware gives it a name and look in the drop-down for Python Plugin Manager. Then click Add at the bottom and voila.
Source: PP-Manager Wiki

Python Plugin manager

Be adviced: It’s in an early stage, so only for Linux, and not all but almost all working plugins are available.
The author is taking feedback seriously and still works hard on improving the Plugin Manager. We hope it will be pre-installed in the future versions of Domoticz.

More info