Purpose of custom plugins

Custom plugins in Sisense empower users to extend and tailor the platform's capabilities by integrating custom JavaScript code directly into dashboards. These plugins enable:

Interactive Controls: Add buttons, menus, or other UI elements to enhance user interaction.
Dynamic Filter Management: Programmatically read, set, or clear dashboard filters based on specific conditions.
REST API Integration: Interact with Sisense's REST APIs to perform actions like exporting data or retrieving dashboard information.
UI Customization: Modify the dashboard's appearance or behavior to meet specific user requirements.
Advanced Functionality: Implement features beyond standard widgets, such as rotating filter values or custom data visualizations.

Plugins are stored on the Sisense server and execute automatically upon dashboard loading, ensuring consistent behavior across user sessions.

When to use custom plugins

Consider developing a custom plugin when:

Scenario	Example
Automated Business Logic	Automatically apply filters based on user roles or current dates upon dashboard load.
Enhanced User Interaction	Introduce custom UI elements like "Reset Filters" buttons or dynamic dropdown menus.
External System Integration	Fetch data from or send data to external systems via RESTful APIs.
Dashboard Behavior Modification	Implement features like auto-rotating filter values or custom navigation between dashboards.
Limitations of Native Widgets	Achieve functionalities not supported by standard Sisense widgets or scripts.

Where Sisense Linux expects plugins

Sisense on Linux looks for custom plugins here:

/opt/sisense/storage/plugins/

Sisense automatically reads any plugin folder here and injects it into the dashboard UI. Any .js, .json, or .css files placed inside a plugin directory here will be loaded automatically by the Sisense web application.

What goes into a Sisense plugin?

Every Sisense plugin usually contains:

File	Purpose
plugin.json	Defines the plugin's metadata, including its name, version, and included files.
main.6.js	Contains the primary JavaScript code that dictates the plugin's behavior.
Configuration file (optional)	Such as config. 6.js for storing configurable parameters.
style.css (optional)	The plugin introduces custom UI components for styling.

Step-by-step plugin with explanations

Let’s walk through each file.

plugin.json — The Plugin Manifest

{
  "name": "MyCustomPlugin",
  "pluginInfraVersion": 2,
  "isEnabled": true,
  "source": ["main.6.js"],
  "style": []
}

What Each Line Means:

Line	Meaning
"name"	Friendly name of the plugin. Used internally.
"pluginInfraVersion"	Always set to 2 for modern plugin support.
"isEnabled"	Controls if the plugin is active. Set to false to disable.
"source"	JavaScript file(s) to load. Here it's just main.6.js.
"style"	Optional list of CSS files to apply (e.g., ["style.css"]).

main.6.js — The plugin logic

console.log("MyCustomPlugin loaded!");

prism.on('dashboardloaded', function(event, args) {
  console.log("Dashboard loaded:", args.dashboard.title);
});

What this code does:

Code	What it means
console.log(...)	Prints to the browser's console (for testing).
prism.on('dashboardloaded')	Sisense triggers this when a dashboard loads.
args.dashboard.title	Displays the title of the loaded dashboard.

Add CSS (Optional)

You can also style elements on the dashboard.

style.css

body {
  background-color: #f7faff;
}

Update plugin.json to:

{
  "name": "MyCustomPlugin",
  "pluginInfraVersion": 2,
  "isEnabled": true,
  "source": ["main.6.js"],
  "style": ["style.css"]
}

Reload the dashboard to see the background color change.

How to test if the plugin works (not using the optional files)

Open a Sisense dashboard in your browser.
Right-click → Inspect → Console tab.
Reload the dashboard.

You should see this (in the above code example):

MyCustomPlugin loaded!
Dashboard loaded: [Your Dashboard Name]

This confirms:

Sisense recognized the plugin.
Your main.6.js was loaded.
The dashboard events are being detected correctly.

If you see nothing…

Here’s what to check:

What to check	Fix
Plugin files are not saved in the right path	Make sure the files are in /opt/sisense/storage/plugins/MyCustomPlugin/
plugin.json syntax error	Validate with a JSON linter
Browser cache is showing the old version	Do a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R)
Sisense Web App didn’t pick it up	Restart Sisense web (or refresh UI with Ctrl + F5)

Example: config.6.js — Optional plugin configuration file

This file stores settings you might want to change without editing the core main.6.js code. For example, default filter values, color codes, or feature toggles.

// Configuration file for MyCustomPlugin

var MyCustomPluginConfig = {
  defaultFilterName: "Filter One",     // Default name of the filter to modify
  defaultFilterValues: ["Value A"],    // Default values to apply to that filter
  enableButton: true,                  // Toggle to show/hide custom button
  apiBaseUrl: "https://api.example.com"// Optional: URL to an external system
};

Code	What it means
var MyCustomPluginConfig = {...}	Defines a global config object accessible from your main plugin script.
defaultFilterName	A string value that your plugin can use to target a specific dashboard filter.
defaultFilterValues	A list of default values to set for the filter.
enableButton	A Boolean switch that you can use in your code to optionally show or hide a UI button.
apiBaseUrl	A base URL to an external REST API—useful if your plugin makes external calls.

Example: style.css — Optional custom CSS file

This file applies custom styling to elements added by your plugin, such as buttons, messages, or popups.

/* Custom style for MyCustomPlugin */

.my-custom-plugin-button {
  background-color: #007bff;   /* Blue background */
  color: white;                /* White text */
  padding: 8px 12px;           /* Spacing inside the button */
  border: none;                /* No border */
  border-radius: 4px;          /* Rounded corners */
  cursor: pointer;             /* Hand cursor on hover */
  font-size: 14px;             /* Font size */
}

.my-custom-plugin-button:hover {
  background-color: #0056b3;   /* Darker blue on hover */
}

.my-custom-message {
  font-style: italic;
  color: #999999;
  margin-top: 10px;
}

Code	What it means
.my-custom-plugin-button	A styled button you could insert via JavaScript.
.my-custom-plugin-button:hover	A hover effect to improve interactivity.
.my-custom-message	Custom message text style, like a "No data available" notice.

References/related content

These links cover everything from hello-world plugins to advanced UI hacks and Linux-specific deployment tips.

Topic	What you’ll find
Plugin Development Tutorial	Step-by-step basics for creating, structuring, and testing a new plugin. Sisense Community
JavaScript Plugins Guide (sisense.dev)	Full client-side API reference (events, prism object, etc.) and environment setup. Sisense Developers
Advanced Add-ons Tutorial	How to modify the UI, listen to events, and run JAQL/REST calls in a plugin. Sisense Developers
Building New Visualizations (Widgets)	Guide for adding entirely new widget types via a plugin. Sisense Developers
Basic Plugin Example	Minimal working sample you can copy as a starting point. Sisense Community
Custom-Style Plugin	Framework for global CSS overrides and theming. Great Linux-friendly example. Sisense Community
JumpToDashboard Plugin (How to Use & Customize)	Shows config options for cross-dashboard navigation. Sisense Community
Metadata Plugin – Grouping Provider Example	Example of extending the metadata layer with multiple language/group mappings. Sisense Community
Working with Sisense Add-ons (Linux Docs)	Official instructions for installing, enabling, and managing add-ons on Linux servers. Sisense Documentation
Resolving Plugin Build Issues	Troubleshooting checklist (restart plugin service, logs, memory limits). Sisense Community.

Disclaimer: This post outlines a potential custom workaround for a specific use case or provides instructions regarding a specific task. The solution may not work in all scenarios or Sisense versions, so we strongly recommend testing it in your environment before deployment. If you need further assistance with this, please let us know.