Manifest Reference (v5.x)

The manifest.json file is the heart of any component in the DVGE ecosystem. As of version 5.x, DVGE implements a strict taxonomy to differentiate the purpose of each module and guarantee broadcast-grade user security.

Base Structure

Every manifest.json must have the following minimum structure:

{
  "id": "com.your-name.my-template",
  "name": "My First Template",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "author": "Your Name",
  "type": "template",
  "description": "Short description of what the motion graphic does.",
  "minEngineVersion": "5.8.0",
  "permissions": [],
  "schema": []
}

Taxonomy (type)

The type field is mandatory and defines where in the DVGE interface your code will live:

1. "template": Motion graphics templates (Lower thirds, Overlays, Tickers, Stingers). These render in the Studio and become the final ProRes output.
2. "tool": Development assistance tools. They appear in the Library or dedicated panels to help orchestrate workflows (e.g., a JSON data generator).
3. "extension": Internal modules that expand the core engine’s capabilities. They have deep access and require explicit user approval upon installation.

Permissions (permissions)

To keep the ecosystem completely secure, DVGE blocks scripts by default inside its Shadow DOM sandbox. You must declare in an array which operating system resources you need to access.

  "permissions": [
    "network",  // Allows HTTP/Fetch requests to the outside world
    "storage"   // Allows reading/writing files on the local disk
  ]

Security Note: If a template attempts to use fetch() without declaring the network permission, the DVGE Sandbox will block the request.

Property Schema (schema)

Defines the controls the end-user will see in the Inspector (Right Panel) when they select your Template. You define the UI, and DVGE builds it for you.

  "schema": [
    {
      "type": "string",
      "id": "title",
      "label": "Main Title",
      "defaultValue": "Breaking News"
    },
    {
      "type": "color",
      "id": "accentColor",
      "label": "Accent Color",
      "defaultValue": "#FF0000"
    }
  ]

Supported Input Types

• string: Standard text field. Also handles multiline inputs.
• number: Numeric value (useful for modifying X/Y positions or scales).
• boolean: On/Off Toggle/Checkbox.
• color: Color picker (returns Hexadecimal or RGBA).
• image: Input to load local images (DVGE handles the absolute pathing for rendering).
• select: Dropdown menu (requires a nested options array).
• code: Multiline code editor. Returns a raw HTML string. Very useful for the Studio Master plugin.
• prompt: Drag zone that generates and exposes the engine rules PDF for direct injection into AI assistants. Introduced in v5.5.0.
• artifact: Universal paste zone. Accepts [[[HTML]]], [[[CSS]]], [[[JS]]] blocks generated by AI and automatically distributes them to the corresponding plugin files.
• info: Read-only text in the inspector. Displays copyable info to the user (prompts, IDs, instructions).

---

With these fields defined, the rendering engine knows exactly how to validate your component, where to display it in the Multi-window interface, and what data to inject into your script.js file for frame-perfect rendering.