The Plugin Manager window , shown in :numref:`Figure %s<Preferences-PluginManager>`, allows the user to see which plugins are available for plots, operators, and databases. Not all plugins have to be loaded, in fact, many operator plugins are not loaded by default. The Plugin Manager window allows the user to specify which plugins are loaded when VisIt_ is started. The Plugin Manager window is brought up by selecting Plugin Manager from the Main window's Options menu.
The plugin manager window
All of VisIt_'s plots, operators, and database readers are implemented as plugins that are loaded when VisIt_ first starts up. Some plugins are not likely to be used by most people so they should not be loaded. The Plugin Manager window provides a mechanism to turn plugins on and off. The window has three tabs: Plots , Operators , and Databases. Each tab displays a list of plugins that can be loaded by VisIt_. If a plugin is enabled, it has a check by its name.
Plugins can be turned on and off by checking or unchecking the check box next to a plugin's name. Plugins are loaded at startup, so enabling or disabling plugins will not take effect unless the preferences are saved and VisIt_ is restarted.
If plots or operators are disabled, they will not appear in the Add, Operator, PlotAtts and OpAtts menus. Similarly, disabled databases will not show up in the list of Open file type as menu in the File open window.