Add modules-external folder to repository

[carolina]

Adding a modules-external folder would help to keep separate core plugins from third party plugins. And also would help to "standarize" where to put the third party plugins. Inside this folder could go a Readme file that explains its purpose.

[Jörg Richter <jri@…>]

In a47e043321a62139126a03b8a81fe33b25117fd8/deepamehta:

Add modules-external directory (#847, #618).

When cloning the DM repo a directory modules-external is created.
This is where you develop your own DeepaMehta plugins.

Create a new directory here for each plugin.
Every time you build your plugin it gets automatically (re)deployed.
You're no longer required to add the plugin path to global pom.xml.

Use the modules-external directory when you've build DeepaMehta from source
and want develop 3rd-party plugins and DeepaMehta standard plugins in parallel.

Note: in order to develop a (hot deployed) plugin a developer don't need to build DM from source anymore.
They can just install the DM Standard Distribution.
See https://trac.deepamehta.de/ticket/847#comment:3

See #847.
See #618.

[Malte]

..
This is where you develop your own DeepaMehta plugins.

Sorry, but i think it is impractical to have all plugins one develops (source code and binaries) in one "modules-external" folder of a deepamehta checkout. Also i would consider to have many different deepamehta checkouts on various places on my hard-disk impractical and i am sure you would think so too.

Just imagine someone is working with multiple different dm4 versions. This means in various (probably just local) branches are various database setups, for various dm4 versions with various setups, and various sets of custom plugins configured in the pom.xml. All in one place, just different branches. Very handy.

Now if a new "modules-external" folder would be the _only_ place where one can deploy 3rd-party-plugins to run with a specific dm4 version/setup, what do to with all the other bundles from the other dm4-versions in the meantime? Wouldn't they be deployed everytime one starts the platform, even if those plugins are not even compatible with the currently checked-out/build dm4 version?

You're no longer required to add the plugin path to global pom.xml.
..
.. a developer don't need to build DM from source anymore.

If you ask me:

• To build deepamehta from source is not directly a burden
• Editing a pom.xml to register plugin-paths is also not a burden (in fact: this is very helpful, as one can maintain various configured dm4 platform configurations in several branches).

If i understand you correcntly, please rethink the current solution. If i misunderstood something here, i am sorry. In any case: Thank you for your work.

[jri]

See #846 and #847, in particular ticket:846#comment:8