Wireshark · Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] Dynamic dissector plugins

[Guy Harris <guy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Apr 22, 2009, at 12:24 AM, Rayne wrote:

> Do I understand correctly that dissector plugins cannot be added  
> dynamically during runtime, since all registration of protocols are  
> done when Wireshark is started up?

All searching for plugins is also done when Wireshark is started up.   
It's not inconceivable that it could be modified to search afterwards,  
although I don't know whether there would be any problems with that.   
Obviously, plugins loaded after startup couldn't register dissector  
tables in which existing dissectors would register themselves without  
some extra stuff wherein a dissector could register in non-existent  
tables and then be really registered in those tables when they're  
created.