We can drag and drop UI components in Netbeans and swing code is auto
generated.
We can drag and drop UI components in Eclipse to do
Android development, and xml is auto generated.
We can drag and drop
UI components in Dreamwaver and html is auto generated.
We can drag and drop UI components in Eclipse BIRT plugin, and xml is auto generated.
If I want to create a IDE tool like the above to drag and drop some components and have some xml code auto generated. Is there any framework I can take advantage of?
I am thinking about eclipse plug-in development. I am wondering if there is any existing code/framework for this so that I don't have to code much to make the DND UI, properties setting and so on, but just put my business logic for xml generation into plugin.
My final work should be: an eclipse plug-in I can install into eclipse. I can drag and drop UI components and auto generate the xml according to the business logic I code into the plugin.
Take a look at the Graphical Editing Framework - GEF
Related
I am starting a new eclipse plug-in project and trying to evaluate what is the best approach.
What is the goal: I want to create a plug-in that adds a View/Editor stacked on the Editor of the C/C++ perspective from the CDT plug-in. Similar to XML editors that have highlighted text editor view and a view that contains a form to be filled and automatically creates xml code.
The best way would probably be to extend the existing C/C++ perspective from the CDT plug-in. How this is done wtih the 3.X API is explained here [1,2]. Basically you use the org.eclipse.ui.perspectiveExtensions extension point to add views realtive to the views in the perspective.
But how can this be done with the e4 API and the model fragment? Is this possible with compatibility layer?
I think another possibility would be to add views contained in the C/C++ perspective through the combability layer to my own perspective like the package explorer. This has the adavantage that already existing 3.X views (like the package explorer) can be used but also have the advantages of the e4 API.
Or would it even be the best to create a pure 3.X plug-in because my plug-in is mainly based on another perspective/plug-in?
Hope somebody can help me here :)
I don't think it is possible to extend a 3.x perspective using e4 model fragments. It is certainly easier to stick to the 3.x style.
You can use e4 style views by using the e4view style view on the org.eclipse.ui.views extension point.
I'm using Eclipse as default IDE. In Eclipse there is a visual editor available to insert HTML tags in your *.html files. I'm using a lot of DOJO in my current project and want to add these widgets to the palette view. I assumed that there would be an option to add custom widgets/tags easily(palette's contextmenu or something), but this is not (yet) implemented. Does somebody knows if there is an option to add custom widgets in Eclipse?
I've already Googled a lot and didn't found where I am looking for.
ps. I don't want to use other editors(Maqetta, WDT-plugin, ...).
I want to try and build a UI using this GWT designer tool I read about. I have GWT tools installed, created a "Google -> Web Application Project" but I don't see any means to build a UI except via code.
I tried installing the plugin
http://dl.google.com/eclipse/inst/d2gwt/latest/3.7
but it fails ( Not sure if I need this or not )
This is the tutorial I was looking at ..... How do I get this UI design view?
https://developers.google.com/web-toolkit/tools/gwtdesigner/quick_start
Another alternative to using the GWT Designer, if you don't want to use UiBinder, is
In Eclipse, right-click view class in Package Explorer
Open With
GWT Designer
Select the Designer tab at the bottom of the class window.
First from new file dialogue ( Ctrl + N ) create a UiBinder file (xxx.ui.xml):
Then select "Design" from left bottom of opened file in eclipse.
I am using eclipse 3.6. I created one sample plugin application. It is neither a eclipse rcp nor workbench. Now when I run the eclipse I want that plugin also to be loaded. But I dont want to use IStartUp. Because what I have found out is
IStartup will be called after the workbench is loaded. I want to refresh some menu. So Is there any way to activate my plugin while the eclipse loaded?
I tried to use Bundle Activation policy. But that is also not activating my Activator class. I just put one System.out. println("Inside start()"). So that is not called. Now can I make it activate my activator?
EDIT:
what my exact requirement is, I have created one workbench application.It is not eclipse rcp application. Now I want to remove the following menu and menu items from the eclipse before the eclipe is loaded.
1. File Menu
2.) Search Menu
3.)Run Menu
4.)Help->search,Dynamic Help,Key assist,Tips and trick,Report Bug,Cheat Sheet.
These menus are inbuilt menu of eclipse. So that is the reason I have to do in this way.
So I already implemented by using startup extension point. But the early startup is called after the eclipse is started.So I need to do some refreshment on the workbench.Then only the menu item will get removed.So I thought I need startup extension point will not satisfy my requirement as it doesnot refresh the workbench.I need to activate the my plugin and refresh the workbench before it is loaded.
Thanks
Bhanu
You can set the needed start level for your plugin using touch point instruction.
You are just a plugin that expects to run in the Eclipse IDE?
Then the answer is, you cannot do what you want.
If you start before the workbench has finished initializing, most of the services that could be used won't work: The workbench itself, menu service, command service, etc.
For most plugins in eclipse, the plugin.xml should be used to add menus, views, editors, etc to eclipse. When necessary, the framework will instantiate them.
org.eclipse.ui.IStartup is available and as you mentioned it will be called after the workbench has been initialized, but before any windows have been shown. It's not to be used lightly, and not by plugins contributing to the UI as it allows all extension from that plugin to be loaded.
EDIT:
If you are an RCP app, you control the main menu. As an RCP app, you have access to the ActionBarAdvisor, WorkbenchAdvisor, WorkbenchWindowAdvisor, which all have lifecycle methods.
If you are an an eclipse plugin, you can add to the main menu ... you cannot easily remove from the main menu. This is by design. Start levels and org.eclipse.ui.startup are 2 mechanisms that won't do what you want.
You still need to answer these questions:
There might still be a way. The crux of your problem is: "I want to refresh some menu"
What kind of menu (popup, main menu,
compound list of menu items in a
menu, etc)?
Where is the menu contribution coming from?
Which specific menu item is it?
Please edit your question (do not comment) and include the information from the above 3 questions, please.
I need to customize the look & feel of my RCP application.
I took a look at Eclipse Presentation API and I suppose it allows to customize everything in workbench except controls.
So is there any solution to customize controls?
I made some research work and implemented some ad-hoc SWT cunstomization using control canvas drawning. May be there are better solutions?
In Swing you can use Synth theme. It would be great if some 'skin' framework exists for SWT.
One way of customizing an RCP app is by using a plugin_customization.ini file. Like this:
Create a new file called "plugin_customization.ini" in the root of your project.
If you have not already done so, create a product configuration and define a Product.
In your plugin's manifest editor, on the "Extensions" tab, locate the "org.eclipse.core.runtime.products" extension, expand the node, right click on your product node and select "New > property" from the context menu.
Enter "preferenceCustomization" in the "name" field and "plugin_customization.ini" in the "value" field.
Select "File > Save" from the main menu.
You can then customize a lot of things simply by editing plugin_customization.ini file. For example, adding the following line
org.eclipse.ui/SHOW_TRADITIONAL_STYLE_TABS=false
will give you rounded tabs on your views and editors (similar to those that Eclipse IDE has) instead of the default ones.
You can find other constants that you can use in IWorkbenchPreferenceConstants javadoc.
Also, check out the Eclipse skins project, if you haven't already.
There is also the possibility to use CSS to change the look & feel of your app, but that is still in development and can be buggy
As for customizing the SWT controls themselves, the only way to do that (apart from small customizations such as changing the background colour of a control etc.) is by creating your own custom controls by extending Canvas or Composite, but you already know that. Keep in mind that the point of SWT is to use native controls, so if you desire the ability to completely customize your controls, perhaps using Swing would be a better option. However, if you're going to use Swing, it may be better to use another RCP entirely - namely, NetBeans RCP. I haven't tried it out yet, but I know that whereas Eclipse RCP uses SWT as a widget toolkit, NetBeans RCP relies on Swing, so that may save you from some headaches regarding compatibility problems and so on.
The new Eclipse 4 work contains plugins that allow the L&F to be customized using CSS. These plugins can be run in a 3.7 Eclipse environment. See Kai's blog for a presentation on the subject: http://www.toedter.com/blog/?p=477
The Eclipse 4 Styling Tutorial has a slide (p.66) on where to get an 3.7 based RCP example.