.. only:: html .. index:: Plugins; Developing, Python; Developing plugins .. _developing_plugins: ************************* Developing Python Plugins ************************* .. toctree:: :maxdepth: 2 plugins snippets pluginlayer ide_debugging releasing It is possible to create plugins in the Python programming language. In comparison with classical plugins written in C++ these should be easier to write, understand, maintain and distribute due to the dynamic nature of the Python language. Python plugins are listed together with C++ plugins in QGIS plugin manager. They are searched for in :file:`~/(UserProfile)/python/plugins` and these paths: * UNIX/Mac: :file:`(qgis_prefix)/share/qgis/python/plugins` * Windows: :file:`(qgis_prefix)/python/plugins` For definitions of ``~`` and ``(UserProfile)`` see :ref:`core_and_external_plugins`. .. note:: By setting `QGIS_PLUGINPATH` to an existing directory path, you can add this path to the list of paths that are searched for plugins.