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Project Layout and Configuration

Dalamud does not strictly require much in the form of project layout, but will require a few things nevertheless.

As an example, please see the following directory layout:

MySolution
|- MyPlugin
|  |- MyPlugin.csproj
|  |- MyPlugin.json
|  |- packages.lock.json
|  |- Plugin.cs
|- MySolution.sln

When building your plugin, your primary plugin DLL must also be named accordingly. This will usually happen by default, so unless you're changing settings you don't really need to worry about this.

Your project directory can be nested under subdirectories (e.g. src/), and you may have other projects within the same solution. There is no restriction to the programming language used for any other projects in the same solution.

The Internal Name​

Your plugin's AssemblyName, generally auto-set to your .csproj file name, will become what's known as the plugin's InternalName. Once set this value may not be changed, so it's important to choose a name that you will be happy with.

This internal name will be used for your plugin's config directory, is attached to all log entries, and is used as the name on your plugin's DLL and D17 submissions.

You may use a different name for the plugin's display name by setting the Name field of your plugin manifest accordingly.

Manifest File​

Your plugin DLL must be distributed alongside a manifest file, which contains certain key information such as your author name, the plugin's punchline, the internal name declaration, and other miscellaneous data. See our [manifest] section for more detailed information as to what needs to be contained within it. This data is also used to generate our PluginMaster (repository) files which are delivered to users to populate the installer.

Normally, our DalamudPackager helper (included in the Dalamud SDK and referenced in our .targets file) will automatically generate your manifest using a template file in your project directory. This template file may be of type .json or .yml, and must be named following your plugin's Internal Name (e.g. MyPlugin.json). The DalamudPackager helper will automatically add critical fields such as InternalName, AssemblyVersion, DalamudApiLevel, and others.

At a minimum, your template manifest for DalamudPackager must contain the following keys:

{
  "Name": "My Awesome Plugin",
  "Author": "You!",
  "Punchline": "An awesome plugin that does cool things.",
  "Description": "Did you ever feel like your game could be even more awesome? This plugin is the answer!",
  "RepoUrl": "https://github.com/AwesomePluginDev/MyAwesomePlugin"
}

The Plugin Entrypoint​

Dalamud will scan your DLL for a class that extends IDalamudPlugin. This class will then be initialized, injecting any [services] declared in the class' constructor. Your plugin may only have one such entrypoint.

As IDalamudPlugin inherits from IDisposable, your plugin must also specify a void Dispose() method to clean up after itself. Plugin developers are required to implement a fully-functional dispose cycle and, ideally, not leak any resources.