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This document is a first-hand guide to ftrack integrations management. It takes you through the steps to discover, install, and update plugins used by ftrack Connect to integrate with third-party applications.

You can integrate ftrack with third-party applications through the use of integration plugins. These are usually composed of Python and / or JavaScript code that allows the application to interact with the ftrack server through the use of the ftrack API.

There are two main plugin types:

The main difference between the two is their installation location, either in Connect or in the application itself. This depends on how the application can be extended.

Opening your ftrack Connect for the first time, the app asks you to click on the yellow button to Install the plugin manager to get started.

Once done, to see the most recent plugin versions currently in use, select the Plugins option in the Connect tabs in the upper-left corner.

The latest available plugins for download can be found in the plugin manager within Connect.

Whenever a new version of an ftrack integration is released, it is made available via our plugin manager.

However, all the integrations and plugins are available in the ftrack GitHub repository. The entire framework is open-source and can be used, forked, or referenced.

Using the git repository, rather than downloading from the portal, will allow you to access upcoming bug fixes and features, which still have to be integrated into the code.

We recommend having Python >= 3.7.0 installed and available on the system paths.

Most of the Python plugins can be easily built with the following command from within the plugin source folder:

>> python.exe setup.py build_plugin

This will produce a build folder under the plugin root folder, which contains a subfolder named with the plugin and version being built.

We suggest checking the readme and docs of other plugins to see what dependencies and requirements they have when building.

You have several options for installing / updating Connect plugins.

Whether you have downloaded the plugin from our forum or central download page or built it locally, you’ll access a compressed folder named

<plugin-name>-<version>.zip

Plugins will be automatically updated by the widget, the user will just have to restart connect when the new plugins have been installed.

1. Locate the plugin you want to replace, and delete it from its current location.

2. Decompress the zip and copy the <plugin-name>-<version>

3. Restart Connect.

1. Start Connect.

2. Select the ftrack Connect icon on the system tray.

3. Right-click and select Open plugin directory

4. Decompress the zip and copy the <plugin-name>-<version>

5. Restart Connect

This solution is most suitable for studios that wish to use one central location to store all ftrack integration plugins in use at the company.

FTRACK_CONNECT_PLUGIN_PATH to a network path accessible from all the machines at the same address. Please check your operating system docs on how to set this up.

1. Decompress the zip and copy the <plugin-name>-<version>

2. Restart Connect.

Should your company require you to change or customize ftrack’s integrations, the best approach might be to use your GitHub account and fork the project.

This way, you can always pull the latest updates from ftrack and ensure your changes will be kept. It’s up to you, however, to oversee the merges.

Once the code is in your repository, you can follow the guide on how to build and install plugins to install your custom version. In the case of extending connect capabilities, though, this can also be archived through a custom connect widget plugin.