TRMNL has 3 types of plugins:
native, which our team builds + maintains
private, which users build for themselves
third party, which anyone can build for other users
Native plugins include Shopify, reddit, Google Calendar, and dozens more.
Private plugins range from college football rankings to xkcd comics.
Third party plugins include the ISS (space station) tracker, Subbly subscription software, and others to come.
But in some cases, users prefer to share private plugins without hosting user data on their own server. For this we have Recipes.
Introducing Recipes
Our open source plugins repository hosts a growing number of private plugins -- developed originally for a single person -- that have been shared for anyone to enjoy.
However setting these up may take time or a bit of coding knowledge. To alleviate these requirements, Recipes provide a 1-click approach to sharing private plugins.
Enabling a Recipe
Vist Plugins > scroll down to Recipes
Choose one, then click "Install"
You're done!
If you prefer to modify the Recipe, click "Fork" instead of "Install" in step 2 above.
This will make the markup and other settings editable, as if it was your own, from the Plugins > Private plugin interface.
Install vs Fork
Each approach has pros and cons:
Installed recipes receive automatic updates (bug fixes, markup improvements)
Installed recipe refresh rates are not adjustabled
Forked recipes can be modified, including the look and feel or refresh rate
Forked recipes do not receive any updates from the original creator
For less technical users, we suggest Installing a Recipe. For more technical users, Fork a Recipe if you anticipate changes, then feel free to re-install (or re-fork) a Recipe if you discover that the original creator made improvements.
Maintaining Recipes
Recipe owners
If you're the proud author of a Recipe, you'll notice a "Recipe Master" badge inside the Plugins > Private Plugins interface:
This indicates that you have some influence over devices all around the world. Please be careful when modifying your origin plugin instance, as updates will be pushed to all other users automatically. We suggest using the copy feature (clone icon) to test changes first, then update your "Recipe Master" instance when you feel comfortable.
Recipe users
If you have installed a Recipe, you'll notice a "Recipe" badge inside the Playlists interface:
This is simply a reminder that the plugin may not share all the features as others, for example it cannot be edited if it was "installed" via step 2 of Enabling a Recipe (above).
Building Recipes
Sharing your work with the TRMNL community helps make the platform both accessible and extendable for users of all technical backgrounds.
If you're open to this labor of love:
Build a private plugin, making sure to include markup for all 4 layouts (full, half vertical, half horizontal, quadrant)
Email [email protected] with subject "Recipe candidate - {{ plugin name }}"
We'll test your plugin, then publish it in Plugins > Recipes
We look forward to seeing what you build.
Stay focused.