Native Plugins (Custom JavaScript)

Plugins are currently implemented as an external website embedded in an iframe which is invoked by a shortcut or slash command.

Native Plugins can add Custom JavaScript (similear to Custom CSS) which runs in the background.

This has a number of advantages:

• Native Plugins can run automatically and do not have have to be invoked manually via shortcut or slash command, e.g. expand -> to → RemNote can provide a set of hooks (enterRem, exitRem, addTag, …) on which a plugin can subscribe and perform actions, or listen to native events themselves (keypress etc.)

• Native Plugins can modify and control RemNote directly, e.g. add a button to the sidebar or focus a different rem. (See also Feature Policies for Plugin IFrames 9).

• Native Plugins can work offline and run fast. There is on external website which has to load first. This makes small actions like adding a tag more interactive.

Related: RoamResearch has this with roam/js (see this for some examples ROAM JS EXTENSIONS - September 2020 Releases! - YouTube 12) and I also like Trilium’s API: Scripts · zadam/trilium Wiki · GitHub 8

A workaround is to use a browser extension for user scripts but when I tried to make a pane switcher it did not work because I could not even click on stuff 6 (React handles events internally).