Plugin Examples

Two complete examples showing how to build plugins from scratch. Make sure you’ve read the Plugin Guide first.

Example 1: MPI Solver (No GUI)

An MPI-based solver that runs in batch mode — version selection, file picking, conditional fields, MPI machinefile, environment variables, and pre/postprocess steps.

Step 1: Create the Plugin

Go to Admin > Plugins, click New Plugin, enter ID my-solver, and click Create.

Step 2: Basic Info Tab

Field	Value
Name	My Solver
Category	Simulation
Description	Run My Solver MPI jobs on the cluster
Plugin Version	1.0.0
Enabled	Leave off until configuration is complete

Step 3: SLURM Tab

Field	Value
Nodes	1
Tasks per Node	4
Memory	8G
Exclusive	On

Step 4: Execution Tab

Machinefile Type: Select With Slots (OpenMPI format).

Environment Modules: Add openmpi/4.1.1.

Environment Variables: Add one entry:

Key	Value	Enabled
`MY_SOLVER_LICENSE`	`[email protected]`	On

Preprocess: Add a step:

Name	Command	Enabled
Copy input to scratch	`cp "$input_file" /scratch/$SLURM_JOB_ID/`	On

Postprocess: Add a step:

Name	Command	Enabled
Copy results back	`cp /scratch/$SLURM_JOB_ID/result.* .`	On

Step 5: Parameters Tab

Click Add Version Fields to auto-generate versions, version, and version_path. Then edit:

versions default: {"2.5": "/opt/mysolver/2.5/bin/solver", "2.4": "/opt/mysolver/2.4/bin/solver"}
version default: 2.5

Add these parameters:

input_file — Type: string, Widget: file, Extensions: ["inp", "dat"], Required: yes

num_iterations — Type: integer, Widget: number, Default: 1000, Minimum: 1, Maximum: 100000

precision — Type: string, Widget: radio, Default: double, Enum: ["single", "double"], enumLabels: {"single": "Single Precision (faster)", "double": "Double Precision (accurate)"}

Step 6: Script Tab

mpirun -np $SLURM_NTASKS -machinefile machinefile-$SLURM_JOB_ID \
  "$version_path" -input "$input_file" -iter $num_iterations -prec "$precision"

Step 7: Groups Tab

Create two groups:

Solver Options — fields: version, precision, num_iterations
Input — fields: input_file

Step 8: Preview and Save

Go to the Preview tab. Check Form Preview — you should see the version dropdown, precision radio buttons, iteration number field, and file picker.
Fill in sample values and check Script Preview — verify the mpirun command looks correct.
Click Save Plugin.
Go to Basic Info tab, flip Enabled on, and save again.

Example 2: MATLAB (Optional VNC GUI)

A plugin for MATLAB that can run .m scripts in batch mode or launch the interactive MATLAB desktop inside a VNC session. This mirrors the built-in MATLAB plugin.

Step 1: Create the Plugin

Go to Admin > Plugins, click New Plugin, enter ID my-matlab, and click Create.

Step 2: Basic Info Tab

Field	Value
Name	MATLAB
Category	Data Analysis
Description	MathWorks MATLAB — batch scripts or interactive desktop
Plugin Version	1.0.0
Enabled	Leave off for now

Step 3: SLURM Tab

Field	Value
CPUs per Task	2
Memory	4G

Step 4: Execution Tab — Enable VNC GUI

This is the key step:

Under GUI Settings, check Enable VNC GUI.
Set GUI Mode to Optional (user chooses).

This adds a “Run in GUI Desktop” checkbox to the submit form and makes a built-in gui variable available (true/false).

Step 5: Parameters Tab

Click Add Version Fields and edit:

versions default: {"R2024a": "/usr/local/MATLAB/R2024a/bin/matlab", "Default": "/usr/local/bin/matlab"}
version default: R2024a

Add one more parameter:

script_path — Type: string, Widget: file, Extensions: ["m"], showIf: { "gui": false }, requiredIf: { "gui": false }

The showIf and requiredIf reference the built-in gui key. When the user checks “Run in GUI Desktop”, the script file field hides.

Step 6: Script Tab

if [ "$gui" = "true" ]; then
  "$version_path" -desktop
else
  "$version_path" -nodisplay -nodesktop -nosplash < "$script_path"
fi

Step 7: Groups Tab

Create one group:

MATLAB Options — fields: version, script_path

Step 8: Preview and Save

Go to Preview > Form Preview. You should see the version dropdown and the script file picker.
Check the Run in GUI Desktop checkbox. The script_path field should disappear.
Switch to Script Preview — verify the if/else block.
Click Save Plugin, then enable it.