---
id: extension-panels
title: Extension Panels
category: Extensions
---

![Fig 1. A plugin's search panel open alongside its toolbar button](extension-panels-1.jpg)

Panel extensions let a Signal K server plugin add a completely new feature to
Freeboard, without waiting on a Freeboard code change to get it. You can pick
and choose which of these tools you want installed on your boat. Each one
adds its own new button to Freeboard's toolbar — for example, a proximity
search for nearby points of interest, or an automatic route planner that
routes around land.

![Fig 2. An auto-routing panel, another example of a panel extension](extension-panels-2.jpg)

**To use one**, tap the grid icon in the top-right corner of the chart to
reveal the toolbar, then tap the plugin's button. Its panel slides in from
the right-hand side of the screen. Tap the button again, or use the panel's
own close button, to put it away.

A panel can also narrow down what's shown on the chart — for example,
filtering the waypoints list to just the ones matching your search. When a
panel does this, a small chip appears near the top of the screen describing
the filter; tap its **×** to clear it and show everything again.

If you haven't installed any plugins that add a panel, the extension toolbar
button doesn't appear — Freeboard looks and works exactly as it always has.
