Where Plugins Appear

When you create a screen plugin in EPrints there are a set of locations where the plugin can appear.

You can set the location at which a screen is rendered in the new method of your plugin:

        $self->{appears} = [
                {
                        place => "item_tools",
                        position => 100,
                }
        ];

Note that this is an array so it is possible to render your screen in multiple places. You can also initiate a specific action if the button is clicked in a specific area. In the example below when the link in the key_tools area (top bar next to manage deposits) then the "create" action of our screen plugin is called.

        $self->{appears} = [
                {
                        place => "key_tools",
                        action => "create",
                        position => 100,
                },
                {
                        place => "item_tools",
                        position => 100,
                }
        ];

The position key of the hash tells EPrints what order to render the various screens in the place specified. For example if 10 plugins wish to render in the key_tools area the order they appear is calculated by comparing their position values. Lowest numbers are ordered first. In the event of two position numbers being the same behaviour is strictly undefined. In practice the first plugin loaded will generally have priority. For all screens shipped with EPrints the default positions are always in multiples of 100 where the first plugin in a list is number 100. Note that it is possible for the value of position to be negative but it is not recommend that you do this. In general aim to make your position numbers end in a zero, it helps people who have very obscure set ups.

Locations

Some of the available list of default locations in eprints:

admin_actions - the misc tab of the action screen admin_actions_config - the config tab of the admin screen admin_actions_editorial - the editorial tab of the admin screen admin_actions_system - the system tab of the admin screen dataobj_actions dataobj_tools dataobj_view_actions dataobj_view_tabs eprint_actions eprint_actions_bar_archive eprint_actions_bar_buffer eprint_actions_bar_deletion eprint_actions_bar_inbox eprint_editor_actions eprint_item_actions - the icons on the right hand size of an item in manage deposits eprint_review_actions eprint_summary_page_actions - actions rendered on the bottom of the eprint abstract page eprint_view_tabs import_item_actions inputform_upload_method item_tools - the tools which appear at the top of the manage deposits screen (next to New EPrint) key_tools - the menu along the top of the page where manage deposits and such like appears other_tools - tools after key_tools which rendered into a pull down menu. lock_tools saved_search_actions summary_right - on the right hand side of an abstract page (default location for Screen::EPrint::Box plugins) summary_left - left hand side of abstract page summary_top - top of abstract page summary_bottom - bottom of abstract page upload_methods user_actions - the area on a users profile page where "modify profile" appears