Differences Between the New and Old Python SDKs¶
Packaging¶
The original Alteryx Python
SDK
was built around a Python package called AlteryxPythonSDK. This
package is available at runtime inside of Alteryx Designer, and can be accessed
via import.
The new Python SDK is a standalone Python pip package that can be
installed via pip install. It doesn’t depend on any special libraries that only ship with Designer. Given that it is now standalone,
we took measures to allow tool development outside of Designer.
Getting Started¶
Getting started in the old SDK typically means looking at an example plugin, copying the code and file structure, and then modifying it to suit your own needs. The new SDK provides a command-line interface (CLI) that takes care of all of this project setup. Access the documentation here.
Development¶
In the original Python SDK, the backend of a tool is developed via a class definition that satisfies the interface described in the AYX Plugin Python Class article.
This class implements certain methods like pi_init,
pi_add_incoming_connection, etc. This paradigm leads to lots of
boilerplate code, and makes plugin development a burden on the developer.
This typically leads to the meat of the plugin to be only a few lines
of Python, while the overall tool definition is hundreds of lines.
To alleviate this problem, the new SDK simplifies the interface that must be satisfied, to a bare minimum set of requirements.
Similar to the original SDK, in the new SDK a developer must write a
Plugin class. In the new SDK, a base class definition of Plugin
is defined to be used as a parent. This gives the developer a level of
comfort that they have implemented all necessary methods to have a valid
Alteryx Designer plugin.
Additionally, in the original SDK, a class called IncomingInterface was
required. This requirement was removed in the new SDK, as incoming
interfaces and connections are handled behind the scenes by the SDK, and
made available to the developer via the new Provider concept.
Deployment¶
Once plugin development is complete, the plugin is often distributed via the YXI file format. The instructions for packaging a YXI in the original SDK can be found here. However, this packaging process was significantly simplified by the new SDK CLI, described in the Getting Started guide.