Devel Digest, Vol 27, Issue 2

[Mike Jones]

>> Hi! I am developing a plugin for pidgin and I would like to have a way to
>> know if detect if the buddys of the user have my plugin or not.
>> Does pidgin or libpurple provide that ?
>>
>> Thank you

>No, pidgin can't provide that as no protocols that I know of provide
>generic ways to report such information.

>Your plugin would need to advertise itself in some way that your plugin
>could detect remotely. For XMPP, this is what the capabilities XEP (0115)
>is all about, a number of other protocols have a similar mechanism but
>they are usually more constrained to a set of 'official' values (whereas
>the values for XMPP are open).

>I don't know if we currently let plugins add XMPP caps or not, if we do it
>will almost certainly get easier when pidgin 2.6.0 comes out (as there are
>XMPP prpl changes that will make the plugins job easier in this respect).

>The OTR and pidgin-encryption plugins send 'hidden' message bits in the
>initial message set to a buddy for exactly this reason, it allows other
>clients to detect that the sender is capable of additional features and
>react to that.

>   -Etan



Ethan,

    Does pidgin have any API to allow plug-ins to communicate with other
clients?

    I imagine that having Pidgin (or some separate plug-in) keep a list of
which buddies have which clients & plug-ins (in the case of clients that
allow plug-ins) would be useful for several plug-in projects.

    I suppose that its not easy to implement that type of functionality over
multiple protocols, but I can't help but think that there must be some way
to make an API that allows for sending generic messages abstracted above the
protocol level.

    I would be willing to work on that, if you think its something that
would be beneficial. I've been studying the source-code for several months
now. But if it would be impractical, than I suppose that it would silly to
try.

--Michael Jones
Junior Software Engineering Student
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
CTO of JAM Customs LLC
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