Getting Started with C# Extensions in Spotfire®

Introduction

The Spotfire® platform can be extended with custom capabilities by adding Spotfire extensions. The Spotfire API provides a number of different types of extensions such as tools, UI panels, visualizations, panels, data sources, data transformations and much more. A Spotfire extension is the smallest functional unit added to the platform. It is developed in Microsoft Visual Studio® and is included in a Spotfire add-in, enabling versioning, licensing, deployment and loading.

This article describes the procedure to setup the development environment and to configure, run and deploy extensions.

For more information on the Spotfire API and the different extension types, see C# extensions overview.

Prerequisites

• Spotfire® Developer (SDK), see download instructions here.
• Spotfire® Analyst, download from edelivery.tibco.com.
• Microsoft Visual Studio® 2013 or higher. The free Community edition is available for download here.

Procedure

Make sure you have the prerequisites above. The SDK includes Spotfire® Package Builder, that provides a framework for developing, debugging, packaging and deploying extensions.

New simplified workflow (from Spotfire 7.13)

• Create a new extension
• Migrate an existing extension

Legacy workflow using Package Builder (all versions)

This procedure is an overview of all of the tasks required to create, build, debug, and deploy a Spotfire extension:

1. In Visual Studio®, open an existing extension or create a new extension, preferably from the Spotfire Extension Template, and build it.

   - Installing the Spotfire extension project template

   - Create a Spotfire extension in Visual Studio
    

2. In Package Builder, add the extension to a configuration that includes the default Spotfire client.

   - Adding a Package Builder configuration to your solution

   - Adding Spotfire extensions the Package Builder configurations
    

3. In Visual Studio®, develop and debug the extension.

   - Develop and debug extensions
    

4. In Package Builder, build a Spotfire Package file containing the extension.

   - Packaging an extension
    

5. Use the Deployments & Packages page on the Spotfire Server to deploy the Spotfire package file to the server.

   - Adding software packages to a deployment area
    

See also

• Spotfire® Developer Documentation
• Spotfire® Server - Installation and Administration Manual