Writing Plugins to extend Supamode

Writing Plugins to extend Supamode with your own data types and UI components

This guide explains how to create full-stack plugins for Supamode that add custom Data Types with server-side data transformation and client-side UI rendering.

Plugin Architecture Overview

Supamode uses a bidirectional plugin architecture that separates client and server concerns while maintaining seamless data flow:

text
┌─────────────────┐    Data Flow    ┌──────────────────┐
│   ServicePlugin │ ────────────→   │  DataTypePlugin  │
│   (Server-Side) │                 │  (Client-Side)   │
│                 │                 │                  │
│ • Data Transform│                 │ • UI Rendering   │
│ • Batch Process │                 │ • Form Inputs    │
│ • Database APIs │                 │ • Configuration  │
└─────────────────┘                 └──────────────────┘

Type Safety in Plugins

Supamode's plugin system supports full TypeScript type safety. You can specify input and output types for your plugins, ensuring type-safe data transformation and rendering.

Creating a Plugin with Turbo Generator

Step 1: Generate Plugin Package

Use Turbo's generator to scaffold a new plugin package:

bash
# From project root
turbo gen plugin

This creates a new package structure:

text
packages/plugins/user-status/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts

Step 2: Add Package to your apps

Add the plugin to your apps, so we can import it in our code.

bash
pnpm add "@kit/plugins-user-status@workspace:*" --filter @kit/app
pnpm add "@kit/plugins-user-status@workspace:*" --filter @kit/api

Plugin Implementation

ServicePlugin (Server-Side)

The server plugin transforms raw data into formatted data for the UI with full type safety:

typescript
// packages/plugins/user-badge/src/server/user-badge-server.ts
import type {
  DataTypeServicePlugin,
  ColumnDataTransformer,
} from "@kit/plugins/server";
import { PluginTypes } from "@kit/plugins/shared";
// Define your input type - what comes from the database
type UserBadgeInput = {
  value: string; // User ID from the database column
};
// Define your output type - what your plugin returns
type UserBadgeOutput = {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  email: string;
  avatarUrl: string | null;
  status: "active" | "inactive" | "pending";
};
// Transform function with type-safe input and output
const transformUserBadge: ColumnDataTransformer<
  UserBadgeInput,
  UserBadgeOutput
> = async (
  data, // Array of UserBadgeInput objects
  context // Access to database, config, etc.
) => {
  // Extract user IDs from input data
  const userIds = data.map((item) => item.value);
  // Batch fetch to avoid N+1 queries - CRITICAL FOR PERFORMANCE!
  const users = await context.serviceContext.drizzleClient
    .select()
    .from(userTable)
    .where(inArray(userTable.id, userIds));
  // Transform to your output format with full type safety
  const result = data.map(({ value }) => {
    const user = users.find((u) => u.id === value);
    return {
      id: value,
      name: user?.name || "Unknown User",
      email: user?.email || "",
      avatarUrl: user?.avatar_url || null,
      status: user?.status || "pending",
    };
  });
  return result;
};
// Define your service plugin with type parameters
export const userBadgeServerPlugin: DataTypeServicePlugin<
  UserBadgeInput,
  UserBadgeOutput
> = {
  id: "user-badge-server", // Unique server plugin ID
  type: PluginTypes.SERVICE, // Plugin type
  name: "User Badge Server", // Human-readable name
  description: "Fetches and transforms user data for badge display",
  supportedDataTypes: ["user-badge"], // Data types this plugin handles
  transformer: transformUserBadge, // Your transform function
  metadata: {
    version: "1.0.0",
    author: "Your Team",
  },
};

DataTypePlugin (Client-Side)

The client plugin renders the formatted data from the server with type-safe value handling.

The client plugin needs the following methods:

  • renderCell: renders the value of a column within a tabular view
  • renderInput: renders the input for editing/creating the value of the column
  • renderField: renders the value of the column when viewing the full record
  • renderConfig: renders the configuration of the field when editing its metadata. Allows you to add configuration to the column.
typescript
// packages/plugins/user-badge/src/client/user-badge-client.tsx
import type { DataTypePlugin } from '@kit/plugins/client';
import { PluginTypes } from '@kit/plugins/shared';
// Import the output type from your server plugin
import type { UserBadgeOutput } from '../server/user-badge-server';
// Define your client plugin with the output type
export const userBadgeDataTypePlugin: DataTypePlugin<UserBadgeOutput> = {
  id: 'user-badge',                    // Unique client plugin ID
  type: PluginTypes.DATA_TYPE,         // Plugin type
  name: 'User Badge',                  // Human-readable name for UI
  description: 'Displays user information as a badge with status',
  compatibleTypes: ['uuid', 'text'],   // PostgreSQL column types this works with
  dataType: {
    label: 'User Badge',               // Label shown in settings UI
    value: 'user-badge',               // Internal value (matches server supportedDataTypes)
  },
  servicePluginId: 'user-badge-server', // Links to server plugin
  // Render in table cells - value is type-safe!
  renderCell: ({ value }) => {
    if (!value) return <span className="text-muted-foreground">-</span>;
    // TypeScript knows value is UserBadgeOutput
    return (
      <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
        {value.avatarUrl && (
          <img
            src={value.avatarUrl}
            alt={value.name}
            className="w-6 h-6 rounded-full"
          />
        )}
        <div className="flex items-center gap-1">
          <span>{value.name}</span>
          <StatusIndicator status={value.status} />
        </div>
      </div>
    );
  },
  // Render in detail view - value is type-safe!
  renderField: ({ value }) => {
    if (!value) return <div className="text-muted-foreground">No user data</div>;
    return (
      <div className="p-4 border rounded-lg">
        <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
          {value.avatarUrl && (
            <img
              src={value.avatarUrl}
              alt={value.name}
              className="w-12 h-12 rounded-full"
            />
          )}
          <div>
            <div className="font-semibold">{value.name}</div>
            <div className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">{value.email}</div>
            <div className="flex items-center gap-1 mt-1">
              <StatusIndicator status={value.status} />
              <span className="text-xs capitalize">{value.status}</span>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    );
  },
  // Form input for editing - handles raw string values
  renderInput: ({ field }) => {
    // In forms, we work with raw IDs (strings), not transformed objects
    return (
      <div className="space-y-2">
        <input
          type="text"
          value={typeof field.value === 'string' ? field.value : field.value?.id || ''}
          onChange={(e) => field.onChange(e.target.value)}
          onBlur={field.onBlur}
          placeholder="Enter User ID"
          className="w-full rounded-md border border-input bg-background px-3 py-2 text-sm"
        />
        <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
          Enter a valid user ID
        </p>
      </div>
    );
  },
  metadata: {
    version: '1.0.0',
    author: 'Your Team',
  },
};
// Helper component for status indicator
const StatusIndicator = ({ status }: { status: string }) => {
  const colors = {
    active: 'bg-green-500',
    inactive: 'bg-gray-400',
    pending: 'bg-yellow-500',
  };
  return (
    <div
      className={`w-2 h-2 rounded-full ${colors[status as keyof typeof colors] || colors.pending}`}
    />
  );
};

Registration Process

Step 1: Register Plugin Instances

Server Registration

In the apps/api/src/plugins/index.ts file, register the plugin with type safety:

typescript
// apps/api/src/plugins/index.ts
import { servicePluginRegistry } from "@kit/plugins/server";
import { userBadgeServerPlugin } from "@kit/plugins-user-badge/server";
export function registerPlugins() {
  // Register with full type inference
  servicePluginRegistry.register(userBadgeServerPlugin);
}

Client Registration

Next, register the plugin in the client app:

typescript
// apps/app/src/plugins/index.ts
import { clientPluginRegistry } from "@kit/plugins/client";
import { userBadgeDataTypePlugin } from "@kit/plugins-user-badge/client";
export function registerPlugins() {
  // Register with full type inference
  clientPluginRegistry.register(userBadgeDataTypePlugin);
}

Type Safety Benefits

The updated plugin system provides several type safety benefits:

1. Input/Output Type Validation

typescript
// TypeScript ensures your transformer returns the correct type
const transformer: ColumnDataTransformer<InputType, OutputType> = async (data) => {
  // data is InputType[]
  const result: OutputType[] = /* transform logic */;
  return result; // Must return OutputType[]
};

2. Type-Safe Rendering

typescript
// In your render functions, TypeScript knows the exact type
renderCell: ({ value }) => {
  // value is UserBadgeOutput - no type assertions needed!
  return <span>{value.name}</span>; // TypeScript validates property access
};

3. Generic Plugin Support

If you don't need type safety, you can omit type parameters:

typescript
// Plugin without specific types - uses 'unknown'
export const myPlugin: DataTypeServicePlugin = {
  // ... plugin definition
};

Complete Working Example

Here's how the complete user badge plugin works with type safety:

1. Column Configuration

Configure a column to use your plugin:

  1. Navigate to Settings → Resources → Your Table
  2. Select the user ID column
  3. Change "UI Data Type" to "User Badge"
  4. Save configuration

2. Type-Safe Data Flow

text
Database Column: user_id (string)
     ↓
[{value: 'uuid1'}, {value: 'uuid2'}, {value: 'uuid3'}]  ← Type: UserBadgeInput[]
     ↓
ServicePlugin.transformer()  ← Batch fetch and transform
     ↓
[{id: 'uuid1', name: 'John', email: 'john@example.com', status: 'active'}, ...]  ← Type: UserBadgeOutput[]
     ↓
DataTypePlugin.renderCell()  ← Type-safe rendering
     ↓
<div>👤 John ✅</div>  ← Final UI with full type safety

Best Practices

Define Clear Input/Output Types

typescript
// ✅ GOOD - Clear, specific types
type ProductInput = { value: string };
type ProductOutput = {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  price: { amount: number; currency: string };
};
// ❌ BAD - Using 'any' or unclear types
type ProductData = any;

Handle Edge Cases

typescript
renderCell: ({ value }) => {
  // Always handle null/undefined
  if (!value) return <span className="text-muted-foreground">-</span>;
  // Type-safe property access
  return <div>{value.name}</div>;
};

Advanced Features

Configuration Support

Add configuration options to your plugins:

typescript
// Server plugin with configuration
export const configurablePlugin: DataTypeServicePlugin<Input, Output> = {
  // ... other properties
  configSchema: {
    showEmail: { type: "boolean", default: true },
    statusColors: {
      type: "object",
      default: { active: "green", inactive: "gray" },
    },
  },
  transformer: async (data, context) => {
    const config = context.config as PluginConfig;
    // Use config.showEmail, config.statusColors, etc.
  },
};

Registration Issues

  1. Ensure plugins are registered before use
  2. Check that servicePluginId matches server plugin ID
  3. Verify supportedDataTypes matches dataType.value