Since version 2.0, Pulse has supported plugins to extend integration with external tools. Whenever customers have asked for help with plugin implementation, we’ve always provided samples as the easiest starting point. Seeing a complete plugin project, with build and packaging support, is the easiest way to get a new plugin up and running.

Based on this we’ve decided to start maintaining a repository of open source Pulse plugins. These will act both as samples and in some cases as early versions of plugins that may migrate into the core Pulse distribution. The sample plugins are hosted in a Mercurial repository which has an hgweb interface:

http://hg.zutubi.com/

So far we have provided a sample JUnit test post-processor (simplified from the version shipped with Pulse), and the beginnings of a Subversion SCM plugin (wrapping the svn command line). Provided you have Mercurial installed, you can easily clone the samples over HTTP, e.g.:

$ hg clone http://hg.zutubi.com/com.zutubi.pulse.core.postprocessors.junits

The samples have README files to get you started.

You may notice there is a third sample: a plugin that provides basic SCM integration with Bazaar by wrapping the bzr command-line. I’m happy to report that this sample was generously donated by a member of the community, Michiel van Slobbe. Michiel is the first to try to get Pulse and Bazaar working together and we appreciate the effort! Hopefully it will provide inspiration for other community members.

Although we are happy to provide hosting for such community plugins, you may also choose your own path. Another member of the community, Orvid, is using Pulse for C#/Mono projects. Orvid has taken the initiative of writing a command plugin to integrate XBuild, the Mono equivalent of Microsoft’s MSBuild, with Pulse. You can find the XBuild plugin on GitHub:

https://github.com/Orvid/XBuildIntegration

You might also notice that Orvid has been working on a .Net wrapper for the Pulse remote API:

https://github.com/Orvid/Zutubi.Pulse.Api

These efforts are a great contribution that we are most thankful for!

Happy days: we’ve now released Pulse 2.4! Thanks to all those that provided feedback during the Pulse 2.4 beta period. Here’s a recap of the major updates in this release:

• Mercurial support: in the form of a new plugin.
• Maven 3 support: including a command, post-processor and resource discovery.
• Agents page updates: with graphical status and more convenient navigation.
• Reworked agent status tab: with more build links and efficient live updates.
• New agent history tab: quickly browse all builds that involved an agent.
• Reworked server activity tab: showing build stages nested under active builds.
• Pause server: admins can pause the build queue, so all triggers are ignored.
• New server history tab: showing build history across all projects.
• Restyled info and messages tabs: for both the agents and server sections.
• Improved process termination: to make terminating builds more reliable.
• Kill build action: for quicker build termination forgoing full clean up.
• Improved changelist views: these views have been reworked in the new style.
• Pinned builds: mark builds that should never be deleted or cleaned.
• Templated field actions: easily find or revert to an inherited value.
• Introduce parent refactoring: adjust your template hierarchy over time.
• Pluggable resource discovery: automatically locate build tools and libraries.
• Subversion changelist support: easily submit a changelist as a personal build.
• … and more: extra UI touches, improved performance, more plugin support implementations and more.

The new in 2.4 page on our website has more details and a few screenshots. Or you can simply download and try Pulse 2.4 for free.

After a few iterations of Pulse 2.4 beta builds, we’ve finally reached a stable enough state to declare our first release candidate. Since the original 2.4 beta post, we haven’t just been squishing bugs, but have come up with several more improvements:

• New agent history tab: quickly browse all builds that involved an agent.
• Pause server: admins can pause the build queue, so all triggers are ignored.
• Improved changelist views: these views have been reworked in the new style.
• Pinned builds: mark builds that should never be deleted or cleaned.
• Subversion changelist support: easily submit a changelist as a personal build.
• Faster browse view: most of these optimisations also appear in Pulse 2.3.
• Improved process termination: to make terminating builds more reliable.

We know from feedback that these changes will be popular! Check them out yourself: release candidate builds are available from the Beta Program page.