Differences Between the New and Old Python SDKs¶
Packaging¶
The original Alteryx Python
SDK
was built around a python package called AlteryxPythonSDK
. This
package is available at runtime inside of Designer, and can be accessed
via import.
The new Python SDK is a standalone Python pip
package that can be
installed via pip install
. It doesn’t depend on any special
libraries that only ship with Designer. Given that it is now standalone,
measures have been taken to allow tool development outside of Designer,
via the FileProvider
.
Getting Started¶
Getting started in the old SDK typically meant looking at an example plugin, copying the code and file structure, and then modifying it to suit your own needs. The new SDK provides a new command line interface that provides functionality to take care of all of this project setup.
Development¶
The way the backend of a tool was developed in the original Python SDK was via a class definition that satisfied the interface described here.
This class implements certain methods such as pi_init
,
pi_add_incoming_connection
, etc. This paradigm leads to lots of
boilerplate code, making plugin development a burden on the developer.
This typically lead to the “meat” of the plugin being only a few lines
of Python, but the overall tool definition being hundreds of lines.
The new SDK has alleviated this problem by simplifying the interface that must be satisfied to a bare minimum set of requirements.
Similarly to the old SDK, in the new SDK a developer must write a
Plugin
class. In the new SDK, a base class definition of Plugin
is defined to be used as a parent. This gives the developer a level of
comfort that they have implemented all necessary methods to be a valid
Alteryx Designer Plugin.
Additionally, in the old SDK, a class called IncomingInterface
was
required. This requirement has been removed in the new SDK, as incoming
interfaces/connections are handled behind the scenes by the SDK, and
made available to the developer via the new Provider
concept.