actualNoteContentPart: ### Problem compiling plugin 
  You can identify if there is a problem compiling your plugin via the existence of a red plugin icon at the top of the note:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In later versions, we hope to offer more detailed error messages to explain when the Javascript code can not be interpreted as a plugin. In the meantime, if you encounter this, there are a few options:
  **Undo until it works again. **Assuming that you started from a working plugin, if you press Cmd-Z or Ctrl-Z enough times from within your code block, you will eventually return to the state where the plugin was not broken. You can watch for the changing plugin icon, which will try to re-compile and re-install your plugin every time a change is saved. 
  **Look at DevTools "Console" output**. Chrome and its variants offer a tab of "Developer Tools" or "DevTools," that [can typically be accessed through the "View" menu](https://images.amplenote.com/b456a2e4-d93b-11ed-b6ce-f2e3384d8128/16d5b882-d944-4fb2-87b8-f4a4a966839c.png) . Once you have opened DevTools, you can click the "Console" tab and get at least [a general idea about what went wrong](https://images.amplenote.com/b456a2e4-d93b-11ed-b6ce-f2e3384d8128/291e1f7c-9eb6-4fb6-9803-af3f71a4bb46.png) .
  **Paste it into an IDE to spot syntax errors**. If you download an code writing tool like [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/download)  (programmer code writing tools are called "IDEs"), you can paste your plugin's code into the IDE as a javascript file (create a new file called something like plugin.js). If there is a problem with the syntax of your Javascript, the code editor will underline it.
  **Check the version history**. You can compare the current version of your plugin to past working versions by looking at its version history. You might want to do this in a separate window, so that you can look at your current plugin vs. its past versions side-by-side. To access a note's version history, the [note options menu and the link for "View version history"](https://images.amplenote.com/b456a2e4-d93b-11ed-b6ce-f2e3384d8128/cb2932c9-92c6-4f9c-8ebc-2bf5cb6bc3db.png)  
  **Stare hard and look for missing commas**. Scrutinizing the code for a plugin until you can spot the bug yourself is the most brainpower-intensive way to resolve an issue, but sometimes it's the fastest way. The most common reason that plugins fail to install is that [there is a comma missing between the different methods defined within the Javascript object](https://images.amplenote.com/b456a2e4-d93b-11ed-b6ce-f2e3384d8128/dae6b674-9143-4ea5-8a66-77048978c620.png) . 
  If you expect to be editing the plugin frequently over the course of weeks, you may want to consider graduating from the in-note code editor up to something more industrial-strength:
processedNoteContent: ---
  title: Guide to Building/Developing Plugins (Beginner ...
  headers: ### Problem compiling plugin
  ---
  Problem compiling plugin
  You can identify if there is a problem compiling your plugin via the existence of a red plugin icon at the top of the note: In later versions, we hope to offer more detailed error messages to explain when the Javascript code can not be interpreted as a plugin. In the meantime, if you encounter this, there are a few options:
  **Undo until it works again. **Assuming that you started from a working plugin, if you press Cmd-Z or Ctrl-Z enough times from within your code block, you will eventually return to the state where the plugin was not broken. You can watch for the changing plugin icon, which will try to re-compile and re-install your plugin every time a change is saved.
  Look at DevTools "Console" output
  . Chrome and its variants offer a tab of "Developer Tools" or "DevTools," that [can typically be accessed through the "View" menu](https://images.amplenote.com)`
   . Once you have opened DevTools, you can click the "Console" tab and get at least [a general idea about what went wrong](https://images.amplenote.com)`
   .
  Paste it into an IDE to spot syntax errors
  . If you download an code writing tool like [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com)`
    (programmer code writing tools are called "IDEs"), you can paste your plugin's code into the IDE as a javascript file (create a new file called something like plugin.js). If there is a problem with the syntax of your Javascript, the code editor will underline it.
  Check the version history
  . You can compare the current version of your plugin to past working versions by looking at its version history. You might want to do this in a separate window, so that you can look at your current plugin vs. its past versions side-by-side. To access a note's version history, the [note options menu and the link for "View version history"](https://images.amplenote.com)`
  
  Stare hard and look for missing commas
  . Scrutinizing the code for a plugin until you can spot the bug yourself is the most brainpower-intensive way to resolve an issue, but sometimes it's the fastest way. The most common reason that plugins fail to install is that [there is a comma missing between the different methods defined within the Javascript object](https://images.amplenote.com)`
   .
  If you expect to be editing the plugin frequently over the course of weeks, you may want to consider graduating from the in-note code editor up to something more industrial-strength:
noteTitle: Guide to Building/Developing Plugins (Beginner to Advanced)