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Version, UI, and Status Information [Contents] [Previous] [Next] [Index]

Chapter 8
Version, UI, and Status Information

This chapter describes the functions that allow a plug-in to display a message on the status line, get agent information, and check on the current version of the Plug-in API and Communicator.

For a reference entry that describes each function discussed in this chapter, see "Utility Methods" in the API reference.

Displaying a Status Line Message

Getting Agent Information

Getting the Current Version

Finding Out if a Feature Exists

Reloading a Plug-in

[Top]

Displaying a Status Line Message

Users are accustomed to checking the UI status line at the bottom of the browser window for updates on the progress of an operation or the URL of a link on the page. You can also use the status line to notify the user of plug-in-related information. The user might appreciate seeing the percentage completed of the current operation or the URL of a button or other link object when the cursor is over it, all of which Communicator shows. In fact, your plug-in interface should be consistent with the rest of Communicator in this way.

To accomplish this, the plug-in calls the NPN_Status method to display your message on the status line.

void NPN_Status(NPP instance, const char *message);

The instance parameter is the current plug-in instance, that is, the one that the status message belongs to. In the message parameter, pass the string you want to display on the status line.

Communicator always displays the last status line message it receives, regardless of the message source. For this reason, your message is always displayed, but you have no control over how long it stays in the status line before another message replaces it. You should use a different method to display messages that the user needs to see, such as error messages.

[Top] [Displaying a Status Line Message]

Getting Agent Information

A plug-in can check which browser is running on the user's current system. Browsers communicate with HTTP servers, which store agent software name, version, and operating system in a user_agent field. If you want to gather usage statistics or just find out the version of your plug-in's host browser, this information can help you.

The plug-in calls the NPN_UserAgent method to retrieve the contents of the user_agent field.

const char* NPN_UserAgent(NPP instance);

The instance parameter represents the current plug-in instance. This function returns a string that contains the user_agent field of Communicator.

[Top] [Getting Agent Information]

Getting the Current Version

Your plug-in should make sure, possibly during initialization, that the version of the Plug-in API it is using is compatible with the version Communicator is using. To do so, it must find the major and minor version numbers, which are determined when the plug-in and Navigator are compiled, and compare them. If the versions are not compatible, the plug-in can let the user know. The plug-in can also use the version number to find out whether a particular feature exists on the version of Communicator that the plug-in is running in.

The Communicator and Plug-in API major version numbers represent code release numbers, and their minor version numbers represent point release numbers. For example, Plug-in API version 4.03 has a major version number of 4 and a point release number of 3.

Differing version numbers may mean that the current Plug-in API and Communicator versions are incompatible. Changes to the minor version numbers indicate a smaller difference than changes to the major version. Changes to the major version numbers probably indicate incompatibility.

The plug-in calls the NPN_Version method to check for changes in major and minor Plug-in API version numbers. It gets the values from the plug-in rather than from Communicator.

void NPN_Version(int *plugin_major,
                 int *plugin_minor,
                 int *netscape_major,
                 int *netscape_minor);

This function returns the plug-in version number in plugin_major, the plug-in point release number in plugin_minor, the Communicator version number in netscape_major, and the Communicator point release number in netscape_minor.

This code declares variables to hold the version numbers and calls NPN_Version to return the major and minor version numbers for Communicator and the Plug-in API.

int plugin_major, plugin_minor, netscape_major,
          netscape_minor; // declare variables to hold version numbers

void NPN_Version(&plugin_major, &plugin_minor, &netscape_major,
           &netscape_minor); // find version numbers

[Top] [Getting the Current Version]

Finding Out if a Feature Exists

A plug-in can figure out whether it is running in a version of Communicator that supports a particular feature by using version or NPVERS constants. Each NPVERS constant represents a feature. The plug-in can compare the NPVERS constant to the version number. If the version supports the feature, the plug-in can operate according to plan. If not, the plug-in cannot use some functionality. If an essential feature is unavailable, the developer must arrange for alternative behavior, shut down the plug-in, or give the user a chance to decide what to do. For a listing of version constants defined in the Plug-in API, see "Version Feature Constants."

In this example, the has_windowless method finds out whether the current version supports windowless plug-ins. It starts by using NPN_Version to get the version numbers. It then uses the netscape_minor version number to find out if the windowless feature, represented by the NPVERS_HAS_WINDOWLESS constant, is supported. If the method returns true, a windowless plug-in can confidently proceed. If false is returned, windowless plug-ins will not work, and the developer must provide alternatives.

Bool has_windowless()
{
    int plugin_major, plugin_minor;
    int netscape_major, netscape_minor;

    /* Find the version numbers. */
    NPN_Version(&plugin_major, &plugin_minor,
                &netscape_major, &netscape_minor);

    /* Use the netscape_minor version number: */
    /* Does this version support the windowless feature? */
    if (netscape_minor < NPVERS_HAS_WINDOWLESS) {
        /* Plug-in is running in a version of the Navigator */
        /* that does not support windowless plug-ins. */
        return FALSE;
    }

    else
        /* Plug-in is running in a Navigator version */
        /* that has windowless support */
        return TRUE;
}

[Top] [Getting the Current Version]

Reloading a Plug-in

New in Netscape Communicator 4.0. Not supported.

When Communicator starts up, it loads all the plug-ins it finds in the Plugins directory for the platform. If you call NPN_ReloadPlugins, Communicator reloads all plug-ins in the Plugins directory without restarting. This causes Communicator to install a new plug-in and load it, or remove a plug-in, without having to restart. Consider using this function as part of the plug-in's SmartUpdate process.

void NPN_ReloadPlugins(NPBool reloadPages);

The reloadPages parameter is a boolean that indicates whether to reload the page (true) or not (false).

[Top] [Reloading a Plug-in]

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