Plugin Categories and Build Hooks

Plugins make more sense when you understand where they enter the build.

Generators

Generators can create additional content/pages from data during the build.

Question:

Do I need to create output that Jekyll's normal pages/collections/templates do not represent cleanly?

Converters

Converters transform one markup/content format into another representation.

Jekyll already uses converter behavior for Markdown and Sass/SCSS.

A custom converter adds another transformation family.

Liquid tags and filters

Plugins can add template syntax:

custom tag
custom filter

That makes templates dependent on that plugin.

Remove the plugin and the source may no longer render.

Hooks

Hooks let plugin code run at particular lifecycle events/stages.

This can be useful for automation, but it also means behavior can occur outside the page source you are reading.

Commands

Plugins can extend the Jekyll CLI with additional subcommands.

Again, source + tool environment now have another dependency.

Map the build extension

Create a diagram:

SOURCE
  ↓
JEKYLL BUILD
  ├─ generators
  ├─ converters
  ├─ template tags/filters
  ├─ lifecycle hooks
  └─ commands/tooling
  ↓
OUTPUT

Do not treat this as exact execution order for every plugin. It is a responsibility map.

Checkpoint

For one candidate plugin, identify which extension category it primarily uses and what evidence would show it ran.