Plugin "communication" (1 Viewer)

[GetWell]

I have been build the NotificationBar plugin which should be able for all other plugins to use.

But now im stuck with an "error"/understanding issue.

When a plugin developer uses the NotificationBar plugin like this (references the NotificationBar.dll file):

public class ProgressBarExample
    {
        MPNotificationBar.INotification _Notification;
 
        public ProgressBarExample()
        {
            //Add notification to NotificationBarManager
            _Notification = MPNotificationBar.NotificationBarManager.AddNotification(111111, "Downloading...", MPNotificationBar.NotificationBarManager.Types.Information, true, true);
        }
}

This will work fine when NotificationBar plugin is installed, but will crash at the AddNotification line if not installed.

Is it possible (how?) to make the plugin to skip this if notificationbar not installed?
OR is there a better way to develop this kind of "communication" with dll which may/may not exists?

I hope you can help me finding a solution so it may be easier for other plugin developers

 

[seco]

There are different ways to check if certain assembly (DLL) is loaded. See code in SubCentral:

http://code.google.com/p/subcentral/source/browse/trunk/SubCentral/Utils/SubCentralUtils.cs

public static bool IsAssemblyAvailable

 

[doskabouter]

Besides that, you have to be aware of the fact that if you call a method or class which uses a type that is in the not-installed assembly, that method will generate an exception. So my solution is to put all references to that assembly in separate (private) methods, and put a try/catch around the invocation of those methods