gplugin/gplugin

Create gobject-introspection to make native plugins introspectable

10 months ago, Gary Kramlich
fd779d79a546
Parents 7371e0ba5b32
Children 0bc3ce384653
Create gobject-introspection to make native plugins introspectable

There's a lot to this, but the documentation covers the consumer side. From
the GPlugin developer side, we basically created static library that manually
loads plugins and is setup in a way to be called via g-ir-scanner's --program
argument.

Testing Done:
Ran the new unit tests that test gir generation. Also installed to a local prefix and used that to compile a binary against `gplugin-introspection` and verified it displayed the proper output for `--help`.

Reviewed at https://reviews.imfreedom.org/r/2458/
13 files changed, 695 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
  • +232 -0
    gplugin-introspection/gplugin-introspection.c
  • +34 -0
    gplugin-introspection/gplugin-introspection.h
  • +44 -0
    gplugin-introspection/meson.build
  • +29 -0
    gplugin-introspection/tests/generate.c
  • +53 -0
    gplugin-introspection/tests/introspectablecore.c
  • +113 -0
    gplugin-introspection/tests/introspectabletype.c
  • +38 -0
    gplugin-introspection/tests/introspectabletype.h
  • +34 -0
    gplugin-introspection/tests/meson.build
  • +1 -1
    gplugin/gplugin-native-plugin.h
  • +113 -0
    gplugin/reference/extendable-plugins.md
  • +1 -0
    gplugin/reference/gplugin.toml.in
  • +1 -0
    gplugin/reference/meson.build
  • +2 -0
    meson.build
    • --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin-introspection/gplugin-introspection.c Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,232 @@
    +/*
    + * Copyright (C) 2011-2023 Gary Kramlich <grim@reaperworld.com>
    + *
    + * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    + * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
    + * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
    + *
    + * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    + * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    + * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
    + * Lesser General Public License for more details.
    + *
    + * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License along with this library; if not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
    + */
    +
    +#include <glib.h>
    +#include <glib/gi18n-lib.h>
    +
    +#include <gio/gio.h>
    +
    +#include <gplugin.h>
    +#include <gplugin-native.h>
    +
    +#include <girepository.h>
    +
    +#include "gplugin-introspection.h"
    +
    +/******************************************************************************
    + * Helpers
    + *****************************************************************************/
    +static char *
    +gplugin_introspection_get_ir_dump_directory(
    + int *argc,
    + char ***argv,
    + GError **error)
    +{
    + GOptionContext *ctx = NULL;
    + char *irdump = NULL;
    + GOptionEntry entries[] = {
    + {"introspect-dump", 'i', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &irdump, NULL, NULL},
    + {NULL}};
    +
    + ctx = g_option_context_new("");
    + g_option_context_set_summary(
    + ctx,
    + _("Loads plugins so they can be scanned by g-ir-scanner"));
    + g_option_context_set_translation_domain(ctx, GETTEXT_PACKAGE);
    + g_option_context_add_main_entries(ctx, entries, GETTEXT_PACKAGE);
    +
    + g_option_context_parse(ctx, argc, argv, error);
    + g_clear_pointer(&ctx, g_option_context_free);
    +
    + return irdump;
    +}
    +
    +static GPluginPlugin *
    +gplugin_introspection_query_and_load_plugin(
    + GPluginLoader *loader,
    + const char *filename,
    + GError **error)
    +{
    + GPluginPlugin *plugin = NULL;
    + GError *local_error = NULL;
    + gboolean loaded = FALSE;
    +
    + plugin = gplugin_loader_query_plugin(loader, filename, &local_error);
    + if(local_error != NULL) {
    + g_clear_object(&plugin);
    +
    + g_propagate_error(error, local_error);
    +
    + return NULL;
    + }
    +
    + if(!GPLUGIN_IS_PLUGIN(plugin)) {
    + g_set_error_literal(
    + error,
    + GPLUGIN_DOMAIN,
    + 0,
    + "plugin unexpectedly is invalid");
    +
    + return NULL;
    + }
    +
    + loaded = gplugin_loader_load_plugin(loader, plugin, &local_error);
    + if(local_error != NULL) {
    + g_clear_object(&plugin);
    +
    + g_propagate_error(error, local_error);
    +
    + return NULL;
    + }
    +
    + if(!loaded) {
    + g_set_error(
    + error,
    + GPLUGIN_DOMAIN,
    + 0,
    + _("Failed to load plugin %s: unknown error"),
    + filename);
    +
    + g_clear_object(&plugin);
    +
    + return NULL;
    + }
    +
    + return plugin;
    +}
    +
    +static void
    +gplugin_introspection_introspect_unload_plugins(
    + GPluginLoader *loader,
    + GListModel *plugins)
    +{
    + for(guint i = 0; i < g_list_model_get_n_items(plugins); i++) {
    + GPluginPlugin *plugin = NULL;
    +
    + plugin = g_list_model_get_item(plugins, i);
    +
    + gplugin_loader_unload_plugin(loader, plugin, TRUE, NULL);
    +
    + g_clear_object(&plugin);
    + }
    +}
    +
    +/******************************************************************************
    + * Public API
    + *****************************************************************************/
    +int
    +gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugin(
    + int *argc,
    + char ***argv,
    + const char *filename)
    +{
    + return gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugins(argc, argv, filename, NULL);
    +}
    +
    +int
    +gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugins(int *argc, char ***argv, ...)
    +{
    + GPluginLoader *loader = NULL;
    + GError *error = NULL;
    + GListStore *plugins = NULL;
    + char *irdump = NULL;
    + const char *filename = NULL;
    + va_list args;
    +
    + irdump = gplugin_introspection_get_ir_dump_directory(argc, argv, &error);
    + if(error != NULL) {
    + g_print(
    + _("Failed to parse command line arguments: %s\n"),
    + error->message);
    + g_free(irdump);
    +
    + return 1;
    + }
    +
    + if(irdump == NULL || irdump[0] == '\0') {
    + g_print(_("The introspect-dump option was not provided. This tool is"
    + "only meant to be called by g-ir-scanner directly."));
    +
    + return 1;
    + }
    +
    + /* Create an instance of the native loader to load the plugins. */
    + loader = g_object_new(GPLUGIN_TYPE_NATIVE_LOADER, NULL);
    +
    + /* Load our plugins. We store them in a GListStore so we can easily unload
    + * and unref them later. We can't use GPLUGIN_TYPE_PLUGIN as it's an
    + * interface, so just force it down to GObject to make it work.
    + */
    + plugins = g_list_store_new(G_TYPE_OBJECT);
    +
    + va_start(args, argv);
    + while((filename = va_arg(args, const char *)) != NULL) {
    + GPluginPlugin *plugin = NULL;
    +
    + plugin = gplugin_introspection_query_and_load_plugin(
    + loader,
    + filename,
    + &error);
    + if(error != NULL) {
    + g_print(
    + _("Failed to query or load plugin %s: %s\n"),
    + filename,
    + error->message);
    +
    + gplugin_introspection_introspect_unload_plugins(
    + loader,
    + G_LIST_MODEL(plugins));
    + g_clear_object(&plugins);
    +
    + g_free(irdump);
    + g_clear_object(&plugin);
    + g_clear_object(&loader);
    +
    + return 1;
    + }
    +
    + g_list_store_append(plugins, plugin);
    +
    + /* Remove our reference to the plugin as we don't need it any more. */
    + g_clear_object(&plugin);
    + }
    + va_end(args);
    +
    + /* Now that all of the plugins have been loaded, run the scanner. */
    + if(!g_irepository_dump(irdump, &error)) {
    + g_print("g_irepository_dump() failed: %s\n", error->message);
    +
    + g_free(irdump);
    + gplugin_introspection_introspect_unload_plugins(
    + loader,
    + G_LIST_MODEL(plugins));
    + g_clear_object(&plugins);
    +
    + g_clear_object(&loader);
    +
    + return 1;
    + }
    +
    + gplugin_introspection_introspect_unload_plugins(
    + loader,
    + G_LIST_MODEL(plugins));
    + g_clear_object(&plugins);
    + g_clear_object(&loader);
    + g_free(irdump);
    +
    + return 0;
    +}
    --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin-introspection/gplugin-introspection.h Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
    +/*
    + * Copyright (C) 2011-2023 Gary Kramlich <grim@reaperworld.com>
    + *
    + * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    + * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
    + * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
    + *
    + * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    + * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    + * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
    + * Lesser General Public License for more details.
    + *
    + * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License along with this library; if not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
    + */
    +
    +#ifndef GPLUGIN_INTROSPECTION_H
    +#define GPLUGIN_INTROSPECTION_H
    +
    +#include <glib.h>
    +
    +G_BEGIN_DECLS
    +
    +int gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugin(
    + int *argc,
    + char ***argv,
    + const char *filename);
    +int gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugins(int *argc, char ***argv, ...)
    + G_GNUC_NULL_TERMINATED;
    +
    +G_END_DECLS
    +
    +#endif /* GPLUGIN_INTROSPECTION_H */
    --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin-introspection/meson.build Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
    +if not get_option('introspection')
    + subdir_done()
    +endif
    +
    +SOURCES = [
    + 'gplugin-introspection.c',
    +]
    +
    +HEADERS = [
    + 'gplugin-introspection.h',
    +]
    +
    +GOBJECT_INTROSPECTION = dependency('gobject-introspection-1.0', version : '>=1.0.0')
    +
    +gplugin_introspection_inc = include_directories('.')
    +
    +gplugin_introspection = static_library(
    + 'gplugin-introspection',
    + sources : SOURCES + HEADERS,
    + dependencies : [gplugin_dep, GIO, GLIB, GOBJECT, GOBJECT_INTROSPECTION],
    + install : true,
    +)
    +
    +gplugin_introspection_dep = declare_dependency(
    + include_directories: [toplevel_inc, gplugin_introspection_inc],
    + link_with : [gplugin, gplugin_introspection],
    + sources : SOURCES,
    + dependencies : [GLIB, GOBJECT, GOBJECT_INTROSPECTION],
    +)
    +
    +meson.override_dependency('gplugin-introspection', gplugin_introspection_dep)
    +
    +pkgconfig.generate(
    + gplugin_introspection,
    + name : 'gplugin-introspection',
    + description : 'A helper library for glugin native plugins and gobject introspection',
    + filebase : 'gplugin-introspection',
    + libraries : [gplugin],
    + requires : [GLIB, GOBJECT, GMODULE],
    +)
    +
    +install_headers(HEADERS, subdir : 'gplugin-1.0')
    +
    +subdir('tests')
    --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin-introspection/tests/generate.c Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
    +/*
    + * Copyright (C) 2011-2023 Gary Kramlich <grim@reaperworld.com>
    + *
    + * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    + * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
    + * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
    + *
    + * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    + * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    + * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
    + * Lesser General Public License for more details.
    + *
    + * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License along with this library; if not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
    + */
    +
    +#include <glib.h>
    +
    +#include <gplugin-introspection.h>
    +
    +int
    +main(int argc, char *argv[])
    +{
    + return gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugin(
    + &argc,
    + &argv,
    + PLUGIN_FILENAME);
    +}
    --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin-introspection/tests/introspectablecore.c Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
    +/*
    + * Copyright (C) 2011-2023 Gary Kramlich <grim@reaperworld.com>
    + *
    + * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    + * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
    + * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
    + *
    + * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    + * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    + * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
    + * Lesser General Public License for more details.
    + *
    + * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License along with this library; if not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
    + */
    +
    +#include <glib.h>
    +
    +#include <gplugin.h>
    +#include <gplugin-native.h>
    +
    +#include "introspectabletype.h"
    +
    +static GPluginPluginInfo *
    +introspectable_query(G_GNUC_UNUSED GError **error)
    +{
    + return gplugin_plugin_info_new(
    + "test-gplugin/introspection",
    + GPLUGIN_NATIVE_PLUGIN_ABI_VERSION,
    + "bind-global",
    + TRUE,
    + NULL);
    +}
    +
    +static gboolean
    +introspectable_load(GPluginPlugin *plugin, G_GNUC_UNUSED GError **error)
    +{
    + introspectable_type_register(G_TYPE_MODULE(plugin));
    +
    + return TRUE;
    +}
    +
    +static gboolean
    +introspectable_unload(
    + G_GNUC_UNUSED GPluginPlugin *plugin,
    + G_GNUC_UNUSED gboolean shutdown,
    + G_GNUC_UNUSED GError **error)
    +{
    + return TRUE;
    +}
    +
    +GPLUGIN_NATIVE_PLUGIN_DECLARE(introspectable)
    \ No newline at end of file
    --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin-introspection/tests/introspectabletype.c Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
    +/*
    + * Copyright (C) 2011-2023 Gary Kramlich <grim@reaperworld.com>
    + *
    + * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    + * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
    + * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
    + *
    + * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    + * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    + * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
    + * Lesser General Public License for more details.
    + *
    + * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License along with this library; if not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
    + */
    +
    +#include <gplugin.h>
    +#include <gplugin-native.h>
    +
    +#include "introspectabletype.h"
    +
    +enum {
    + PROP_0,
    + PROP_DUMMY,
    + N_PROPERTIES,
    +};
    +static GParamSpec *properties[N_PROPERTIES] = {
    + NULL,
    +};
    +
    +struct _IntrospectableType {
    + GObject gparent;
    +
    + gboolean dummy;
    +};
    +
    +G_DEFINE_DYNAMIC_TYPE(IntrospectableType, introspectable_type, G_TYPE_OBJECT)
    +
    +static void
    +introspectable_type_get_property(
    + GObject *obj,
    + guint param_id,
    + GValue *value,
    + GParamSpec *pspec)
    +{
    + IntrospectableType *type = INTROSPECTABLE_TYPE(obj);
    +
    + switch(param_id) {
    + case PROP_DUMMY:
    + g_value_set_boolean(value, type->dummy);
    + break;
    + default:
    + G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID(obj, param_id, pspec);
    + }
    +}
    +
    +static void
    +introspectable_type_set_property(
    + GObject *obj,
    + guint param_id,
    + const GValue *value,
    + GParamSpec *pspec)
    +{
    + IntrospectableType *type = INTROSPECTABLE_TYPE(obj);
    +
    + switch(param_id) {
    + case PROP_DUMMY:
    + type->dummy = g_value_get_boolean(value);
    + break;
    + default:
    + G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID(obj, param_id, pspec);
    + }
    +}
    +
    +static void
    +introspectable_type_init(G_GNUC_UNUSED IntrospectableType *inst)
    +{
    +}
    +
    +static void
    +introspectable_type_class_finalize(G_GNUC_UNUSED IntrospectableTypeClass *klass)
    +{
    +}
    +
    +static void
    +introspectable_type_class_init(IntrospectableTypeClass *klass)
    +{
    + GObjectClass *obj_class = G_OBJECT_CLASS(klass);
    +
    + obj_class->get_property = introspectable_type_get_property;
    + obj_class->set_property = introspectable_type_set_property;
    +
    + /**
    + * IntrospectableType:dummy:
    + *
    + * If it's a dummy or not.
    + */
    + properties[PROP_DUMMY] = g_param_spec_boolean(
    + "dummy",
    + "dummy",
    + "Whether or not this object is a dummy",
    + FALSE,
    + G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
    +
    + g_object_class_install_properties(obj_class, N_PROPERTIES, properties);
    +}
    +
    +void
    +introspectable_type_register(GTypeModule *module)
    +{
    + introspectable_type_register_type(module);
    +}
    --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin-introspection/tests/introspectabletype.h Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
    +/*
    + * Copyright (C) 2011-2023 Gary Kramlich <grim@reaperworld.com>
    + *
    + * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    + * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
    + * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
    + *
    + * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    + * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    + * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
    + * Lesser General Public License for more details.
    + *
    + * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
    + * License along with this library; if not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
    + */
    +
    +#ifndef INTROSPECTABLE_TYPE_H
    +#define INTROSPECTABLE_TYPE_H
    +
    +#include <glib.h>
    +#include <glib-object.h>
    +
    +G_BEGIN_DECLS
    +
    +#define INTROSPECTABLE_TYPE_TYPE (introspectable_type_get_type())
    +G_DECLARE_FINAL_TYPE(
    + IntrospectableType,
    + introspectable_type,
    + INTROSPECTABLE,
    + TYPE,
    + GObject)
    +
    +G_GNUC_INTERNAL void introspectable_type_register(GTypeModule *module);
    +
    +G_END_DECLS
    +
    +#endif /* INTROSPECTABLE_TYPE_H */
    --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin-introspection/tests/meson.build Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
    +SOURCES = [
    + 'introspectablecore.c',
    + 'introspectabletype.c',
    + 'introspectabletype.h',
    +]
    +
    +introspectable = shared_module(
    + 'introspectable',
    + SOURCES,
    + name_prefix : '',
    + dependencies : [gplugin_dep, GLIB, GOBJECT])
    +
    +if get_option('introspection')
    + GIR = dependency('gobject-introspection-1.0', version : '>=1.0.0')
    +
    + plugin_path = introspectable.full_path()
    +
    + exe_introspectable = executable('introspectable',
    + sources : 'generate.c',
    + dependencies : [gplugin_dep, gplugin_introspection_dep, GLIB, GOBJECT, GIR],
    + c_args : [f'-DPLUGIN_FILENAME="@plugin_path@"'],
    + install : false)
    +
    + introspectable_gir = gnome.generate_gir(
    + exe_introspectable,
    + sources : SOURCES,
    + includes : ['GObject-2.0', gplugin_gir[0]],
    + namespace : 'Introspectable',
    + symbol_prefix : 'introspectable',
    + nsversion : '1.0',
    + install : false,
    + export_packages : ['introspectable'],
    + extra_args : ['--quiet'])
    +endif
    --- a/gplugin/gplugin-native-plugin.h Thu Mar 23 22:50:50 2023 -0500
    +++ b/gplugin/gplugin-native-plugin.h Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
    /*
    - * Copyright (C) 2011-2021 Gary Kramlich <grim@reaperworld.com>
    + * Copyright (C) 2011-2023 Gary Kramlich <grim@reaperworld.com>
    *
    * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
    --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
    +++ b/gplugin/reference/extendable-plugins.md Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
    +Title: Extendable Plugins
    +Slug: extendability
    +
    +## Extendable Plugins
    +
    +There are times when you will want to create a plugin that acts as a base for
    +another plugin. GPlugin accommodates this, but there are a number of things
    +that you as the author of an extendable plugin will have to do.
    +
    +> **Note**: This tutorial is meant for authors of native plugins. While it is
    +> possible to extend non-native plugins, it is outside the scope of this
    +> document.
    +
    +### Plugin Adjustments
    +
    +The first and most important thing that needs to be done for this is to set the
    +[property@PluginInfo:bind-global] property to %TRUE for the [class@PluginInfo]
    +that you return from the `query` method of your plugin.
    +
    +This allows other plugins to be able to see the symbols in your plugin. By
    +default, the symbols defined in plugins are not bound globally so other plugins
    +will not see them. This explicitly changes that behavior so that other plugins
    +can interact with your plugin.
    +
    +> **Note**: This means all symbols from your plugin that are not static,
    +> including ones pulled in from libraries, will be visible to all other plugins
    +> and the application that GPlugin is being used in.
    +>
    +> If you have some symbols you would like to not expose you can prefix them
    +> with the `G_GNUC_INTERNAL` macro.
    +
    +Once all of this is done there's nothing else that should need to happen to
    +your plugin code itself.
    +
    +### Build System Adjustments
    +
    +Just like when you build a shared library you will need to install your header
    +files in a location that dependent plugins are able to find them. This will of
    +course depend on your build system, but if you're using
    +[meson](https://mesonbuild.com/) you will want to look at the
    +[install_headers](https://mesonbuild.com/Reference-manual_functions.html#install_headers)
    +function.
    +
    +Likewise you will also want to create a
    +[pkg-config](https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/pkg-config/) `pc` file
    +so that other plugins can find your header files easily. There's a
    +[module](https://mesonbuild.com/Pkgconfig-module.html) in meson that you can
    +use for this as well.
    +
    +> **Note**: You do _NOT_ want to enter anything for the `libraries` field in
    +> the `pc` file. Doing so will link to the library at linking time instead of
    +> during runtime which is explicitly what you need. GPlugin will resolve this
    +> by loading all dependent plugins before loading the plugin that depends on
    +> them.
    +
    +### GObject Introspection
    +
    +You may also want to generate
    +[GObject Introspection](https://gi.readthedocs.io/) repository and type lib
    +files to allow plugins written in other languages to extend your plugin or to
    +create documentation with
    +[gi-docgen](https://gnome.pages.gitlab.gnome.org/gi-docgen/).
    +
    +The native plugins have to register dynamic types which is incompatible with
    +how `g-ir-scanner` works when it is creating your gir and type lib files. To
    +make this work, there is a static library provided with GPlugin named
    +`gplugin-introspection`. You can use this static library to build an executable
    +that will be called by `g-ir-scanner` with everything setup for you. You should
    +be able to find it using pkg-config in your build system.
    +
    +In most cases you'll just need to load a single plugin, and you can do that via
    +`gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugin()`. You'll need to pass in your
    +`argc` and `argv` for argument handling as well as the filename of the plugin
    +you want to load. In this example we pass `PLUGIN_FILENAME` in from the build
    +system as that knows the correct filename for the platform that we are building
    +for.
    +
    +```c
    +#include <glib.h>
    +
    +#include <gplugin-introspection.h>
    +
    +int
    +main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    + return gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugin(&argc, &argv,
    + PLUGIN_FILENAME);
    +}
    +```
    +
    +If for some reason you need to load multiple plugins you can use
    +`gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugins()` instead. This works the same as
    +`gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugin()` except it takes multiple plugin
    +filenames that must be terminated by a %NULL.
    +
    +```c
    +#include <glib.h>
    +
    +#include <gplugin-introspection.h>
    +
    +int
    +main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    + return gplugin_introspection_introspect_plugins(&argc, &argv,
    + PLUGIN1_FILENAME,
    + PLUGIN2_FILENAME,
    + NULL);
    +}
    +```
    +
    +Once this is all setup, you'll need to tell `g-ir-scanner` to use this
    +executable. In meson, this is done by passing the executable target as the
    +first argument to `gnome.generate_gir`. If you are calling `g-ir-scanner`
    +directly, you will need to use the `--program` option instead of the
    +`--library` option.
    \ No newline at end of file
    --- a/gplugin/reference/gplugin.toml.in Thu Mar 23 22:50:50 2023 -0500
    +++ b/gplugin/reference/gplugin.toml.in Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
    # The same order will be used when generating the index
    content_files = [
    "embedding.md",
    + "extendable-plugins.md",
    "genie.md",
    "lua.md",
    "native-plugins.md",
    --- a/gplugin/reference/meson.build Thu Mar 23 22:50:50 2023 -0500
    +++ b/gplugin/reference/meson.build Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
    gplugin_doc_content_files = [
    'embedding.md',
    + 'extendable-plugins.md',
    'genie.md',
    'lua.md',
    'native-plugins.md',
    --- a/meson.build Thu Mar 23 22:50:50 2023 -0500
    +++ b/meson.build Tue Jun 13 21:23:49 2023 -0500
    @@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
    endif
    GLIB = dependency('glib-2.0', version : '>=2.70.0')
    +GIO = dependency('gio-2.0')
    GOBJECT = dependency('gobject-2.0')
    # we separate gmodule out so our test aren't linked to it
    @@ -119,6 +120,7 @@
    # Subdirectories
    ###############################################################################
    subdir('gplugin')
    +subdir('gplugin-introspection')
    subdir('gplugin-gtk4')
    subdir('gplugin-gtk4-viewer', if_found: GTK4)
    subdir('gplugin-query')