Plug-in Checkup

Posted by Niranjan Tulpule, QA Engineer

You had a great idea for a plugin which you have already developed. But if you're wondering how to test it before you submit it to us, wonder no more. Here are some tips:

• Your plugin should do what it says it does.


• Make sure that it doesn't crash Google Desktop -- or another plug-in.


• Make sure that it's easy to uninstall.


• If your target audience is global, test to see if your plugin works well in languages other than English.


• Make sure it doesn't hog resources like the processor, memory and network. We recommend that you use asynchronous calls to receive data so that your network activity does not block the sidebar and other plugins.


• If it connects to the Internet, test it without a valid connection to make sure it works well in offline mode.


• Have good online documentation about its installation and use (it will help us test it before publishing).


• In addition to submitting the plugin, plan to post it in the Google Desktop and Google Desktop Developer groups so that a variety of users will try it out and point out potential issues.

We are always eager to hear from you and see lots of cool plugins for Google Desktop.