Using plugins via the plugin manager (Pro)

The commercial versions of SoapUI (pro and SoapUI NG) feature an enhanced plugin framework with the following features:

• Plugin Manager: This is a UI to install, update, and uninstall plugins.

• Plugin Repository: This is where users can add their own plugins to share them.

• Plugin Java Annotations: This is used to replace the old-style XML way to register Actions, Factories, and Listeners.

• Maven Archetype: This is used to allow easier generation of Maven plugin projects.

• Improved Plugin ClassLoader: The new ClassLoader is now separated from SoapUIs. This indicates that any plugin libraries won't clash with SoapUIs.

In my opinion, the improved ClassLoader is the most tangible benefit, as classpath clashes do occur sometimes since SoapUI includes many popular libraries in its own classpath. The other features can be more easily worked around, but are still welcome!

In this recipe, we'll use Plugin Manager to install the Groovy Console plugin and explain...