TRMNL has 3 types of plugins:
native, which our team builds + maintains
private, which users build for themselves
third party, which anyone can build for other users
Native plugins include Shopify, reddit, Google Calendar, and dozens more.
Private plugins range from college football rankings to xkcd comics.
Third party plugins include the ISS (space station) tracker, Subbly subscription software, and others to come.
But in some cases, users prefer to share private plugins without hosting user data on their own server. For this we have Recipes.
Introducing Recipes
Our open source plugins repository hosts a growing number of private plugins -- developed originally for a single person -- that have been shared for anyone to enjoy.
However setting these up may take time or a bit of coding knowledge. To alleviate these requirements, Recipes provide a 1-click approach to sharing private plugins.
Enabling a Recipe
Visit Plugins > scroll down to Recipes
Choose one, then click "Install" (don't see this? read below)
You're done!
Note: if the "Install" button is not present, then this Recipe requires user input via 1 or more form fields. Installable Recipes are read-only and render the same image as the parent plugin's instance.
Whether a plugin is installable (read-only) or not, if you prefer to modify the Recipe, click "Fork" instead of "Install" in step 2 above.
Forking a Recipe will make the markup and other settings editable, as if it was your own, from the Plugins > Private plugin interface.
Install vs Fork
Each approach has pros and cons:
Installed recipes receive automatic updates (bug fixes, markup improvements)
Installed recipe refresh rates are not adjustable
Forked recipes can be modified, including the look and feel or refresh rate
Forked recipes do not receive any updates from the original creator
For less technical users, we suggest Installing a Recipe. For more technical users, Fork a Recipe if you anticipate changes, then feel free to re-install (or re-fork) a Recipe if you discover that the original creator made improvements.
If your TRMNL device does not have the Developer edition add-on, you will only be able to Install Recipes, not Fork them. This will preclude some Recipes from use.
Maintaining Recipes
Recipe owners
If you're the proud author of a Recipe, you'll notice a "Recipe Master" badge inside the Plugins > Private Plugins interface:
This indicates that you have influence over devices all around the world. Please be careful when modifying your origin plugin instance, as updates will be pushed to all other users automatically. We suggest using the copy feature (clone icon) to test changes first, then update your "Recipe Master" instance when you feel comfortable.
Note: if your Recipe has custom fields, their values will not be copied over. So your personal information will not be shared. However, we use the latest screen generation as the Recipe preview image, so just be careful about which data you plug into the official "master" Recipe. ;)
Recipe users
If you have installed a Recipe, you'll notice a "Recipe" badge inside the Playlists interface:
This is simply a reminder that the plugin may not share all the features as others, for example it cannot be edited if it was "installed" via step 2 of Enabling a Recipe (above).
Publishing Recipes
Sharing your work with the TRMNL community helps make the platform both accessible and extendable for users of all technical backgrounds.
If you're open to this labor of love:
Build a private plugin, making sure to include markup for all 4 layouts (full, half vertical, half horizontal, quadrant)
Click the submit icon on the right side of your plugin's settings page
We'll test your plugin, then publish it in Plugins > Recipes
We look forward to seeing what you build.