Hi everyone,

As some of you may know, there have been recent changes to the plug-in API. I've developed a MIDI control module plug-in that enables MIDI device integration, control, and automation with various device profiles. While this is exciting, the packaging process has proven to be somewhat confusing.

Initially, I had hoped this plug-in would be integrated into the main branch. Realistically, most users won’t actively search for a MIDI plug-in unless it’s already included and easily accessible. However, the main team decided not to maintain additional plug-ins or extra code, and I can understand their position.

That said, several issues remain:

The existing documentation is outdated, and it may no longer fully apply to the latest API changes.
During development, I can see how the plug-in is bootstrapped, but in deployment, it behaves differently, and I haven’t been able to load it in a fully installed environment.
There aren’t any readily available scripts to package or deploy the plug-in.
We still lack a properly curated plug-in repository; it was discussed, but it hasn’t been developed.
The main developers provided helpful advice on packaging, which I appreciate. However, I want to raise these issues with the community, particularly the developers and contributors, in the hope that we can open a discussion to address them.

Ideally, what I’m hoping for includes:

Updated documentation that aligns with the latest changes.
A more streamlined process for deployment and testing.
A repository that’s accessible and user-friendly for both developers and users (similar to the SWS repository in Reaper, which is a great example).
Additionally, a script in the main repository to assist with packaging and testing whether a plug-in will integrate correctly would be incredibly useful, especially when there are API changes that could cause compatibility issues.