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Extending product function
Learn how to extend the function of HCL Launch.
Plug-ins
The HCL plug-ins provide tools for creating component processes and integrations. HCL plug-ins provides plug-ins for several common deployment processes, and others are available to integrate with a wide variety of tools, such as middleware tools, databases, and servers.
Creating plug-ins
You can create your own plug-ins for use with HCL Launch. A plug-in consists of XML files and supporting script files that the plug-in requires.
Upgrading plug-ins
This example shows how to upgrade a plug-in.

Extending product function
Learn how to extend the function of HCL Launch.
- Plug-ins
  The HCL plug-ins provide tools for creating component processes and integrations. HCL plug-ins provides plug-ins for several common deployment processes, and others are available to integrate with a wide variety of tools, such as middleware tools, databases, and servers.
  - Creating plug-ins
    You can create your own plug-ins for use with HCL Launch. A plug-in consists of XML files and supporting script files that the plug-in requires.
    - The plugin.xml file for automation plug-ins
      An automation plug-in is defined with the plugin.xml file.
    - Creating source plug-ins
      Source-type plug-ins are defined the same way that automation-type plug-ins are defined except for some modifications to the plugin.xml file.
    - Plug-in steps: The step-type element
      You define plug-in steps with the step-type element; each step-type element represents a single step in the HCL Launch process editor.
    - The command element
      Steps are run by starting the scripting tool or interpreter that is specified by the <command> element. The <command> element's program attribute defines the location of the tool that runs the command.
    - The post-processing element
      When a plug-in step's <command> element finishes processing, the step's mandatory <post-processing> element runs.
    - Upgrading plug-ins
      This example shows how to upgrade a plug-in.
    - The info.xml file
      Use the info.xml file is required for each plug-in. It describes the plug-in and provides release notes to users for each version.
    - Automatically importing objects from plug-ins
      You can add objects to plug-ins so that they are automatically imported when the plug-in is installed or upgraded. Objects include applications, components, component templates, and processes. For example, you can add a component template that implements a standard process to a plug-in, so that the plug-in user does not have to create the component template.
  - Example plug-in
    A plug-in consists of one or more steps. A step represents a unit of functionality that can be user-configured and combined with other steps into a process. Creating a plug-in consists in defining its individual steps and then grouping them together for presentation in HCL Launch.
- Creating notification templates
  Notification templates are the basis for emails that the server sends to users after an event occurs on the server. You can create customized notification templates by modifying the default templates provided, or by creating new templates of your own.
- REST API reference
  You can use these REST interfaces to automate tasks.
- Command-line client (CLI) reference
  CLI is a command-line interface that provides access to the HCL Launch server. It can be used to find or set properties and to run numerous functions.
- Process-as-code feature
  Programmatically manage processes with PAC language.

Upgrading plug-ins

This example shows how to upgrade a plug-in.

To create an upgrade, first, increment the number of the version attribute of the <identifier> element in the plugin.xml file. Next, update the property and step-type elements in the plugin.xml file.

If you change the names of a step or property, you must create an upgrade.xml file that contains the changes. Add a <migrate> element in the upgrade.xml file with a to-version attribute that contains the new number. Finally, place the names of changed property and step-type elements that match the updated plugin.xml file in this element, as shown in the following example:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<plugin-upgrade
        xmlns="http://www.&company;.com/UpgradeXMLSchema_v1"
        xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <migrate to-version="3">
    <migrate-command name="Run SQLPlus script">
      <migrate-properties>
        <migrate-property name="sqlFiles" old="sqlFile"/>
      </migrate-properties>
    </migrate-command>
  </migrate>
</plugin-upgrade>

You can also make a script-only upgrade, which is an upgrade that contains changes to the step's associated scripts and files but does not change the plugin.xml file. This mechanism can be useful for plug-in development and for minor bug-fixes and updates.

If an update to a plug-in removes functionality, such as removing a step property, you must upgrade the plug-in and then open and re-save any processes that use the step. Until you open and re-save the processes, they use the pre-upgrade steps.

When creating a new version of a plugin, you many change the value of server:sub-tag in plugin.xml, and you do not need to add an entry to upgrade.xml for the change to take effect.