Documentation/4.0/Developers/Modules

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Slicer 4 supports 3 types of modules. While the developer has to choose between one of the 3 types to implement its module, the end user won't notice a difference as they all share the look&feel. The choice for a given type of module is usually based on the type of inputs/parameters for a given module.

Command Line Interface (CLI)

CLIs are standalone executables with a limited input/output arguments complexity (simple argument types, no user interactions...). They are typically implemented using ITK. The recommended way to write your own CLI is to copy an existing module.

• Shared lib or executable
• GUI automatically generated
• Links:
  • Slicer3 execution model (Slicer4 is very similar)
  • CLI in Slicer4 presentation (2012_01_11)

Loadable Modules

Loadable modules are C++ plugins that are built against Slicer. They define custom GUIs for their specific behavior as they have full control over the application.

• C++ shared library
• Full control over the GUI (Qt) and Slicer internals (MRML, logics, display managers...)
• Optimized for heavy computations
• Links:
  • Loadable modules presentation
  • How to write a loadable module

Scripted Modules

Scripted modules are written in Python and typically but not necessarily use the high level API of Slicer and toolkits.

• Python Console
• Full access to the API: VTK, ITK, MRML, Qt and Slicer are fully wrapped
• Recommended for fast prototyping
• Links:
  • Scripting