Elyx structured plugins

Elyx is the structured plugin format for exteraGram. It keeps the familiar BasePlugin API, but removes the requirement to put an entire project into one Python file.

An Elyx plugin can contain:

• any number of Python modules and packages
• images, SVG files, Lottie animations, JSON, YAML, and other resources
• separate localization files
• bundled Python wheels
• metadata and path configuration outside the source code
• a desktop development workflow which reloads changes on a connected phone

The installed plugin is still a normal BasePlugin subclass. Elyx is responsible for finding its files, creating a plugin-specific environment, loading dependencies, and isolating local imports.

When to use Elyx

Use a regular single-file plugin when the complete implementation is small and has no project resources. Use Elyx when at least one of these is true:

• the source has naturally grown into several modules
• UI code needs bundled images, animations, or configuration files
• text should be translated without editing Python code
• the plugin needs local libraries or a repeatable build
• several people work on the plugin
• fast file synchronization is more convenient than reinstalling a .py file

Mental model

An Elyx archive is a ZIP-compatible file with an .elyx or .eaf extension. Its root contains a refmap file which points the runtime at the rest of the project.

my_plugin.elyx
|-- refmap.yml
|-- main.py
|-- metainfo.yml
|-- src/
|   |-- __init__.py
|   `-- feature.py
|-- assets/
|   `-- logo.svg
`-- strings/
    |-- strings_en.yml
    `-- strings_ru.yml

At runtime the plugin imports its environment from one stable public module:

from elyx import assets, metainfo, refmap, settings, strings

Plugin authors should import only from elyx. Runtime implementation modules are private and may change without compatibility guarantees.

Documentation map

Elyx and the regular SDK

Elyx does not replace the rest of the plugin SDK. Lifecycle methods, hooks, menu items, Telegram requests, and settings rows still come from the existing SDK:

• BasePlugin and lifecycle
• Plugin settings UI
• Client utilities
• Java class proxy
• Xposed-style hooking

Elyx adds project structure and a stable plugin environment around those APIs.