Rokae+ Plugin Introduction

Overview

• Rokae+ plugins are extensible software components used to add specific functionality to existing applications or systems without modifying core code. They follow the Open-Closed Principle and interact with the host program through standardized interfaces for flexible extension.

• Rokae+ plugins are Rokae's dual-end extension system for secondary development. The two ends are independent and can also work together to implement complex process logic. See the Client Plugin and Controller Plugin guides for details.

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Client Side

Item	Description
Runtime	Human-machine interface on PC or teach pendant (process package, program editing, status, maintenance, etc.)
Client plugin	Developed with the client plugin SDK to extend process UI, human-machine interaction, instruction editing, status display, etc.
Main capabilities	Custom UI embedding, data exchange with controller plugins, business data read/write, robot status queries, process instruction UI, events and logging, etc.

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Controller Side

Item	Description
Runtime	Robot controller
Controller plugin	Loaded into the controller as a dynamic library to extend low-level control and process execution
Main capabilities	Custom process instructions, motion control extension, IO and registers, fieldbus and end tools, controller event callbacks, data services for clients, log reporting, etc.

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Dual-End Architecture and Communication

Key points for dual-end collaboration:

• Client plugins and controller plugins communicate through an agreed data protocol.
• The client can directly access general business capabilities provided by the controller without relying on a custom controller plugin.
• For protocol and integration details, see Client Interaction and Data Communication.

Plugin Package Format

A plugin package can contain both client and controller plugins. The corresponding archive names must be fixed as client.zip (client) and controller.zip (controller).

Plugin Package.zip
       ├── client.zip
       └── controller.zip

tip

Client plugins and controller plugins can each be loaded independently without depending on the other.

For more details on directory structure, licensing, and configuration fields, see Configuration Format and Controller Plugin Introduction.

Client Capability Overview

Client plugins are scheduled by the host through the lifecycle (initialization → dependencies ready → UI display → idle → unload cleanup). Common capabilities include:

Capability	Description
UI extension	Embed custom UI into the center area, status bar, right-side expansion, physical buttons, full screen, etc.
Dual-end data exchange	Send and receive agreed data with a controller plugin of the same name for configuration, calibration, result feedback, etc.
Business data read/write	Read/write or subscribe to general business data on the controller side
Control requests	Send modular control or query requests to the controller
Robot status	Query network connection, power on/off, manual/auto, IP, model, permission level, etc.
Process instruction UI	Register process package instruction groups and property editing UI
Events and logging	In-plugin event notification, log output, and data directory access

For detailed APIs, see API Reference.

Controller Capability Overview

After loading, a controller plugin goes through initialization, start, and stop. Common capabilities include:

Capability	Description
Lifecycle management	Resource initialization and release during plugin load, start, and unload
Custom process instructions	Register C++ logic as instructions callable from programs
Motion control extension	Issue or extend linear, joint, arc, and other motion capabilities
Controller events	Respond to point changes, program start/stop, pause, etc.
Status and tasks	Query or control running state, task start/stop, jumps, etc.
IO and registers	Read/write digital/analog signals and extended registers
Fieldbus and end tools	Operate EtherCAT, fieldbus devices, and end tools
Client services	Provide data services to client plugins to support UI-side interaction
Logging	Plugin-independent logs and multilingual user log reporting

For module details, see Controller API Introduction.

Documentation Guide

What you want to do	Where to go
Build a client plugin	Client Plugin Introduction → Create a Simple HMI Plugin
Check client APIs	API Reference
Build a controller plugin	Controller Plugin Introduction → Plugin Entry
Check controller APIs	Controller API Introduction
Dual-end integration	Client Interaction + Data Communication
Build and image	Image Notes, Plugin Compilation and Packaging

Related Reading

• Client Plugin Introduction
• Controller Plugin Introduction
• Configuration Format