Spotfire Package Builder console
The Spotfire Package Builder console provides a framework for packaging extensions and other custom content for Spotfire. It is an important tool for adding custom capabilities to the Spotfire platform and can be used to sign visualization mods or action mods using a certificate from a certificate authority.
The Spotfire Package Builder console is available in the SDK folder of the Spotfire Developer software, which you can download from the Spotfire Download site.
The Package Builder can be executed manually by running the file Spotfire.Dxp.PackageBuilder-Console.exe.
It is also possible to do all development, debugging and building of packages in Visual Studio. See Creating a Spotfire extension in Visual Studio.
- Spotfire Package Builder console concepts
Throughout this documentation, Spotfire Package Builder console uses these concepts and terms that you should understand in the context of the Spotfire environment. - Specification of a package
The specification for what should be included in a package is defined in an XML file with the extension .pkdesc. - Specification of a distribution file
It is possible to combine multiple packages into one artifact called a distribution file. This is a file with the extension .sdn that can be deployed to a Spotfire Server. - Deploying a package to a Spotfire Server
You deploy a Spotfire package or distribution using the standard administrator procedure on the Spotfire Server. - Package Builder console parameter reference
You can use the Spotfire Package Builder console to package DLLs and other files easily into a deployable package file (.spk). You can also create a deployable distribution file (.sdn) or build or sign a mod file (.mod). A distribution file is basically a collection of packages or other distribution files; a convenient way to distribute a set of related packages, whereas a mod is a custom visualization or a collection of actions based on scripts. The Spotfire Package Builder console is designed to work in an automated build environment. - Examples of building using the Package Builder console
You can use the Spotfire Package Builder console to package DLLs and other files easily into a deployable package file (.spk) or a deployable distribution file (.sdn). This topic contains a few examples of command line entries for different situations. - Building packages that work with the Web Player on Linux
When you develop extensions to be used with the Web Player service on a Linux computer, you must know this from the start and specify the intended platform when building your packages. The default when building packages is "Windows" so, if nothing else is specified, Windows packages will be built. - Signing a mod using Package Builder
Spotfire visualization mods are visualizations created using web technologies such as JavaScript or TypeScript, that run in the provided framework within Spotfire clients. Similarly, an action mod contains one or more scripts that can be triggered by actions done when using an analysis. Mods can be created and uploaded to a Spotfire library by any user with sufficient privileges. When mods are developed for a particular Spotfire environment, they can be signed by the user account that loads the mod project into Spotfire. However, if you want your mods to be signed in all environments, and possible to distribute to more people, you should use a certificate created by a certificate authority (CA) to sign your mods. You can sign a mod project, or a mod file, using the Spotfire Package Builder console by following the steps in this topic.