# \`depends\_on\` plugin registration attribute not in addons-xx.json file **URL:** \ **Category:** Beta Testing\ **Created:** [February 5, 2025, 6:56am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/depends-on-plugin-registration-attribute-not-in-addons-xx-json-file/6923 "2025-02-05T06:56:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 6:56am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/depends-on-plugin-registration-attribute-not-in-addons-xx-json-file/6923/1 "2025-02-05T06:56:59Z")
While working from the addons-en.json as a checklist for Addons missing a `help_url`, noticed that the `depends_on` is not among the [3 prerequisite attributes](https://github.com/gramps-project/gramps/blob/0f8d4ecd429431b4df64910962f8764af9ff1766/gramps/gen/plug/_pluginreg.py#L689-L719) (requires modules, requires\_exe, requires gi) conveyed to the [Addon Manager](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.2_Wiki_Manual_-_Navigation#Using_the_Addon_Manager). Is this an oversight? The various Web Connect plugins are the only addons that I’ve noted as using that `depends_on` attribute > The documentation on the proper use of the new prerequisites attributes is thin. Perhaps the ‘depends\_on’ attribute was deprecated and should be changed to use one of the new attributes? > [@Using the 'requires' options for Gramps Plugin Registration](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/using-the-requires-options-for-gramps-plugin-registration/6015): > > What is ths proper use of the 3 ‘requires’ options for the Gramps Plugin Registration system? As an example, @kku has an experimental addon Tool plugin codenamed “[FullText](https://github.com/kkujansuu/gramps/tree/master/addons/Fulltext)”. It leverages the [Whoosh library](https://pypi.org/project/Whoosh/). @DavidMStraub was experimenting with [Whoosh as a backend in GrampsWeb](https://github.com/gramps-project/gramps-web-api/blob/e05c31e248dca52394bbedba4be5564ebf1af629/tests/test_endpoints/test_post.py#L607) and has since switched to [Sifts](https://github.com/DavidMStraub/sifts/blob/7f0d694936fe83b5bea5e7913de4cb0f9430432a/README.md?plain=1#L22) How would the .gpr.py allow an addon to be distributed without creating multiple instances of Whoosh? ---
**Author:** ![Nick-Hall](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/nick-hall/32/95_2.png) [@Nick-Hall](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Nick-Hall)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 2:22pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/depends-on-plugin-registration-attribute-not-in-addons-xx-json-file/6923/2 "2025-02-05T14:22:41Z")
> [@emyoulation](#): > > Perhaps the ‘depends\_on’ attribute was deprecated and should be changed to use one of the new attributes? No. The depends\_on list is used to specify other plugins which the plugin depends on. These will be installed automatically. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/depends-on-plugin-registration-attribute-not-in-addons-xx-json-file/6923/3 "2025-02-05T15:14:56Z")
> [@Nick-Hall](#): > > No. The depends\_on list is used to specify other plugins which the plugin depends on. These will be installed automatically. Nice. Since the install is so transparent, I think we (won’t need to burden programmers to do this) should simplify the descriptions for the Web Connect addons. They don’t need to be so aware of an automatically installed library. > `description = _("Collection of Web sites for the UK (requires libwebconnect)"),` The descriptions aren’t good anyway. A collection of websites sounds like a wiki article or an “Angie’s List”. Not very compelling What do you think of “Pre-fills web search forms and launches keyword searches on popular UK-focused websites.”