Publishing a SAMSON Extension

In this tutorial we will show you how to publish your SAMSON Extension on SAMSON Connect. It consists of two steps:

• Step 1: Packaging a SAMSON Extension you want to share to the SAMSON community
• Step 2: Uploading your SAMSON Extension to SAMSON Connect

Packaging a SAMSON Extension

SAMSON SDK provides the SAMSON SDK Extension packager that wraps your SAMSON Extension into a container that is easy to upload and share on SAMSON Connect. After adding the SAMSON SDK Extension packager, launch SAMSON. If it was already launched, please, re-launch it so that the newly added SAMSON Extension can be downloaded by SAMSON and installed for you.

In the SAMSON menu, go to Home > Apps > Developer > Package my extension.

Click on the Find my developed extensions button and the Extension Packager will find the SAMSON Extensions you developed and installed in SAMSON on your computer.

On the left, in the Valid tab you will find a list of valid SAMSON Extensions which can be packaged, in the Error tab - a list of SAMSON Extensions for which the packaging cannot be done for some reason (check the information on SAMSON Extensions listed there). In the Valid tab, click on a SAMSON Extension you want to pack and it will show you a brief summary of this SAMSON Extension's information; you may choose several SAMSON Extensions to pack (they will be packaged each in a corresponding folder).

On the right, in the Settings tab you may set a destination folder for the packaged SAMSON Extensions.

Click on the Pack button to pack the chosen SAMSON Extensions. You will find their list in the Selection tab on the right. In the information box, you will find the path where the SAMSON Extensions have been packaged.

Below you can see the hierarchy generated. Some template pictures useful for the publication have been generated as well just to give an idea about the preferable size for pictures.

The packaged SAMSON Extension which can be uploaded on SAMSON Connect is saved in this folder in SAMSON_6.0.0/YourOS/6.0.0/ with the SAMSON Extension's UUID as its name.

Uploading a SAMSON Extension

Now you can upload your SAMSON Extension to SAMSON Connect and publish it.

Login to SAMSON Connect. Go to Account > Developped extension, scroll down and click on Upload new extension. Choose your packaged SAMSON Extension file.

If the file is correct you should see some information about your SAMSON Extension. Verify the informations before continuing.

At this step, upload the images that describe your SAMSON Extension, then click on Continue. You can skip this step - you will be able to upload and modify the images later.

You can add collaborators or skip this step (you will be able to add collaborators later). To add collaborators you will need to input their e-mail addresses used for registering on SAMSON Connect.

Now you should see your SAMSON Extension in Developped extension. At this step, the SAMSON Extension is not yet published, it is in draft mode.

To finish the submission process, click on Edit then fill the description (you can use the Markdown language) with a proper description (e.g., what your Extension does) and fill the Extension public name with the name you want your Extension to be known as. You can also set the access policy for your Extension to one of the following:

• public - visible by everybody
• hidden - visible to those who know the URL
• shared - visible to users you specify
• private - visible only by you

You can also specify for your Extension to be accessible by academics users only.

Note that if you want to add a new version of your Extension or a version for another platform, you can add it by clicking on Add new version. If you want your Extension to be updated automatically for users the next time they launch SAMSON, you should increase the extension version (SB_ELEMENT_VERSION_NUMBER) in its descriptor header file in the code.

Click on Submit, SAMSON Connect administators will receive an email to approve your submition.

Once your Extension is approved, it will change its status to published instead of draft. Depending on the access policy you specified, SAMSON Connect users can use it now on the platforms your Extension is compatible with.