| 1 | # Writing Addons |
| 2 | |
| 3 | > Please read <LinkInline link="guide/theme-addon" /> and <LinkInline link="guide/write-theme" /> first. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | Each slides project can only have one theme, but can have multiple addons. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ## Capability |
| 8 | |
| 9 | Theoretically, all the capabilities of a theme can be done in an addon. However, an addon is more like a plugin that extends the functionalities of Slidev. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | It's recommended to implement one or more of the following points in an addon: |
| 12 | |
| 13 | - Provide custom components |
| 14 | - Provide _new_ layouts |
| 15 | - Provide new code snippets |
| 16 | - Provide new code runners |
| 17 | - Configure tools like UnoCSS, Vite, etc. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | However, the following points are **not** recommended to be done in an addon, and may be better [implemented as a theme](./write-theme): |
| 20 | |
| 21 | - Wildcard global styles |
| 22 | - Overriding existing layouts |
| 23 | - Overriding configurations |
| 24 | - Other things that may be incompatible with the theme and other addons |
| 25 | |
| 26 | An addon can also specify its required Slidev version in the same way as themes. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | ## Previewing |
| 29 | |
| 30 | The same as themes, you can preview your addon via a `./slides.md` like this: |
| 31 | |
| 32 | ```md [slides.md] |
| 33 | --- |
| 34 | addons: |
| 35 | - ./ |
| 36 | --- |
| 37 | ``` |
| 38 | |
| 39 | ## Publishing |
| 40 | |
| 41 | When publishing the addon, non-JS files like `.vue` and `.ts` files can be published directly without compiling. Slidev will automatically compile them when using the addon. |
| 42 | |
| 43 | Addons should follow the following conventions: |
| 44 | |
| 45 | - Package name should start with `slidev-addon-`. For example, `slidev-addon-name` or `@scope/slidev-addon-name` |
| 46 | - Add `"slidev-addon"` and `"slidev"` in the `keywords` field of your `package.json` |
| 47 | |
| 48 | Addons can be used locally without publishing to NPM. If your addon is only for personal use, you can simply use it as a local addon, or publish it as a private scoped package. However, it is recommended to publish it to the NPM registry if you want to share it with others. |
| 49 |