# Packaging And Distribution

A plugin archive is a ZIP file whose root contains `idea-plugin.json`.

```text
hello-plugin-0.1.0.zip
├── idea-plugin.json
├── README.md
└── dist/
    ├── index.js
    ├── constants.js
    └── core/
        ├── layout.js
        ├── storage.js
        └── workspace.js
```

The manifest `main` field must point to an emitted file inside the archive:

```json
{
  "main": "dist/index.js"
}
```

## Module Resolution

IdeA loads `main` as ESM and serves package-relative imports from the plugin
package. This is supported:

```js
import { Dashboard } from "./core/layout.js";
```

For React, import bare host modules normally:

```js
import { useState } from "react";
import { jsx } from "react/jsx-runtime";
```

IdeA resolves React/ReactDOM bare imports to the host instance. Other bare
dependencies are not host-resolved. Bundle or vendor third-party dependencies
other than React/ReactDOM into package-relative files.

## TypeScript Build

The hello plugin uses plain `tsc`:

```sh
npm run build
npm run build:hello-plugin
```

For React layouts, configure JSX:

```json
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "jsx": "react-jsx",
    "module": "NodeNext",
    "moduleResolution": "NodeNext"
  }
}
```

## Archive Build

The SDK example can be packaged with:

```sh
npm run package:hello-plugin
```

The resulting archive has no wrapping parent directory and is ready for IdeA's
plugin installer.