Plugin Packaging & Deployment

PTView utilizes an isolated plugin runtime model where plugins declare a manifest (plugin.json), implement the IPTViewPlugin entry point, and deploy into the workstation plugin directory.

---

Plugin Directory Structure

Each plugin resides in its own isolated folder within the user data directory:

%LocalAppData%\PTView\plugins\
└── <PluginId>\
    ├── plugin.json
    ├── MyIndicators.dll
    └── (optional dependencies .dll)

---

1. Creating the plugin.json Manifest

The manifest tells the host platform how to identify, validate, and load the plugin assembly:

{
  "id": "com.mycompany.advancedindicators",
  "name": "Advanced Algorithmic Indicators",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "minSdkVersion": "0.1.0",
  "description": "Custom indicator collection developed for PtView Workstation",
  "author": "Trader Systems",
  "entryPointDll": "MyIndicators.dll",
  "entryPointClass": "MyCompany.Plugins.EntryPlugin"
}

Manifest Schema Reference

• id (required): Unique reverse-domain or slug identifier.
• name (required): Human-readable display name.
• version (required): Semantic version string (1.0.0).
• minSdkVersion (optional): Minimum compatible PTView.SDK version.
• entryPointDll (required): Main assembly containing the IPTViewPlugin implementation.
• entryPointClass (optional): Fully qualified type name if multiple classes implement IPTViewPlugin.

---

2. Implementing IPTViewPlugin

using PTView.SDK.Plugins;

namespace MyCompany.Plugins;

public sealed class EntryPlugin : IPTViewPlugin
{
    private IPluginContext? _context;

    public PluginMetadata Metadata { get; } = new(
        Id: "com.mycompany.advancedindicators",
        Name: "Advanced Algorithmic Indicators",
        Version: new Version(1, 0, 0),
        Description: "Custom indicator collection",
        Author: "Trader Systems",
        IsBuiltIn: false);

    public Task InitializeAsync(IPluginContext context, CancellationToken ct = default)
    {
        _context = context;

        // Register custom indicators into the platform
        context.RegisterIndicator<CustomSimpleMovingAverage>();
        context.RegisterIndicator<CustomTrendOscillator>();

        context.LogInfo("Successfully registered 2 custom indicators.");
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }

    public Task StartAsync(CancellationToken ct = default)
    {
        _context?.LogInfo("Plugin started.");
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }

    public Task StopAsync(CancellationToken ct = default)
    {
        _context?.LogInfo("Plugin stopped.");
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }

    public void Dispose()
    {
        // Clean up unmanaged resources if any
    }
}

---

3. Out-of-Process Isolation (PluginWorker)

PTView protects the workstation from unstable third-party code:

• Sandbox Architecture: When running third-party plugins in Pro mode, the host launches a child process (PTView.PluginWorker.exe).
• Memory & Crash Shield: If an indicator throws a fatal StackOverflowException or crashes ungracefully, only the worker process terminates. The main workstation displays an alert dialog and offers to restart the worker without losing open charts or trading connections.