Plugins Overview¶

AELog uses a plugin architecture. Each plugin adds a dedicated tab to the AELog overlay panel. The library itself is just a host — plugins are what make it useful.

How Plugins Work¶

When you call AELog.init(...), you pass a list of plugins. The library:

Installs each plugin and calls its onAttach() lifecycle hook
Renders UIPlugin instances as tabs in the overlay panel
Manages the lifecycle — calling onOpen() / onClose() as the panel opens and closes
Provides each plugin with access to a coroutine scope and sibling plugins via PluginContext

Built-in Plugins¶

Plugin	Module	Type	Description
`LogPlugin`	`:log`	`UIPlugin`	Real-time log viewer with level filtering (VERBOSE / DEBUG / INFO / WARN / ERROR)
`NetworkPlugin`	`:log-network`	`UIPlugin`	HTTP traffic inspector with method badges, status filtering, and full body view
`AnalyticsPlugin`	`:log-analytics`	`UIPlugin`	Tracks analytics events and screen views with expandable custom properties

Plugin Types¶

UIPlugin¶

Renders a tab with header and content areas inside the AELog panel. Ideal for visually inspecting data (logs, network calls, feature flags, database records, etc.).

DataPlugin¶

A headless background collector with no UI. It feeds data to a UIPlugin or runs standalone. Use it for crash collectors, performance samplers, or anything that needs to observe data without a dedicated panel.

Installing Plugins¶

// In your app entry point (Application.onCreate on Android, etc.)
AELog.init(
    LogPlugin(),
    NetworkPlugin(),
    AnalyticsPlugin(),
    MyCustomPlugin()   // ← your own plugin
)

Plugin Lifecycle¶

install() → onAttach(context)
                  ↓
           ┌→ onOpen()  ←┐
           │      ↓       │   (user opens/closes AELog panel)
           └─ onClose() ──┘
                  ↓
             onDetach()  ← uninstall()

Each hook has a clear responsibility:

Hook	When Called	Use For
`onAttach(context)`	Once, on install	Store `PluginContext`, start background work
`onOpen()`	Every time panel opens	Resume UI updates, refresh data
`onClose()`	Every time panel closes	Pause expensive operations
`onClear()`	User taps "Clear All"	Reset stored data
`onDetach()`	On uninstall	Cancel coroutines, release resources

Creating Custom Plugins¶

See the Custom Plugins guide for a full walkthrough including code examples, lifecycle details, and best practices.