Documentation/Nightly/Developers/Tutorials/BuildTestPackageDistributeExtensions

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Create a new extension and adding it to the extension index

This page has been moved to read-the-docs.

Obtain an API key to submit on the extension server

In order to upload extensions on the slicer extensions server, it is required to:


  1. Create an account on the extension server: http://slicer.kitware.com by clicking on the Register link in the top right corner

    2. Slicer-midas-extensions-server-registration.png

    This image shows the top portion of http://slicer.kitware.com after it has been expanded by clicking the Register button.

  2. Go to NA-MIC community and click on Join community

  3. Retrieve your API key looking at your account details:

    1. Go to http://slicer.kitware.com. If needed, signin by clicking on Login in the top right corner.
    2. Click on your name in the top right corner.
    3. Click on My account.
    4. Click on API tab.

    5. Copy the API Key associated with Default application.

      1. There is currently a bug preventing api key containing non alpanumeric characters from being used.
        If your Default api key contain for example a /, try to delete the api key and regenerate one that is not containing "/" and is named Default.
        We are working on the issue to update the build system so that it properly escape "/" and also get in touch with Midas team so that api key containing just number and letter are generated.

    4. Slicer-midas-extensions-server-obtaining-api-key.png

Upload an extension in the experimental folder

See instructions on github

Contribute an extension description file

There are multiple branches on the ExtensionsIndex:

  • master: This branch contain description files of extensions that will be built against Slicer nightly.
  • [...]
  • 4.10: This branch contain description files of extensions that will be built against latest Slicer 4.10 available patch release.

The reasoning behind this conservative approach is that since both the Slicer API and ABI associated with Slicer base libraries are changing often, extensions available for download for a given revision of Slicer are built against that same revision of Slicer.

It means that developer willing to have their extensions available on the different versions of Slicer will have to submit pull requests for each version.

Extensions build against Slicer trunk

Extensions build against Slicer 4.10

Requesting an extension version update

On your local fork, the idea is to create the following topic branches:

  • update-<YourExtensionName> based of master integration branch.
  • update-<YourExtensionName>-4.2 based of 4.2 integration branch.


Extensions build against Slicer trunk

The following instruction describes how to contribute extension description file updates for an extension being built against slicer trunk.

  • Update the master branch of both your local clone and your online ExtensionsIndex fork
git remote add upstream git://github.com/Slicer/ExtensionsIndex   # Add reference to the authoritative ExtensionsIndex
git fetch upstream                                                # Fetch change of the authoritative ExtensionsIndex
git checkout master                                               # Checkout master
git reset --hard upstream/master                                  # Reset your local master branch using the authoritative master 
git push origin master                                            # Update the master branch of your online fork
  • Create a branch named update-<YourExtensionName> in the clone of your forked ExtensionsIndex
git checkout -b update-<YourExtensionName>
  • Regenerate the <YourExtensionName>.s4ext file by configuring your extension with CMake
  • Commit the <YourExtensionName>.s4ext file to your cloned ExtensionIndex repository (provide a meaningful commit comment)
  • Push modifications to your ExtensionIndex fork on github
  • Submit a pull request to https://github.com/Slicer/ExtensionsIndex (provide a meaningful commit comment). If you are using github for hosting your extension source code, Compare View mode is very helpful to summarize the changes. See the instructions how to create a compare view for example here. In short (quoting the referenced article):
You can build the compare view URL manually with the following format: 

https://github.com/USER/REPO/compare/[USER:]GIT-REF…[USER:]GIT-REF

USER is your GitHub username, REPO is your GitHub repository, and GIT-REF can be a tag, branch, or commit SHA1.

Extensions build against Slicer 4.10

The following instruction describes how to contribute extension description file updates for an extension being built against slicer trunk.

  • Update the 4.10 branch of both your local clone and your online ExtensionsIndex fork
git remote add upstream git://github.com/Slicer/ExtensionsIndex   # Add reference to the authoritative ExtensionsIndex
git fetch upstream                                                # Fetch change of the authoritative ExtensionsIndex
git checkout 4.2                                                  # Checkout 4.2
git reset --hard upstream/4.2                                     # Reset your local 4.2 branch using the authoritative 4.2
git push origin 4.2                                               # Update the 4.2 branch of your online fork
  • Create a branch named update-<YourExtensionName>-4.2 in the clone of your forked ExtensionsIndex
git checkout -b update-<YourExtensionName>-4.2


  • 1. Create Pull Request

  • 2. Select base

  • 3. Send Pull Request

  • 4. Verify

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