1. 1 The Launching Framework in Eclipse Cheng-Chia Chen

2. 2 Outlines source: –http://www.eclipse.org/articles/Article-Launch- Framework/launch.htmlhttp://www.eclipse.org/articles/Article-Launch- Framework/launch.html Eclipse's launching capabilities –depend entirely on the current set of installed plug-ins. –API available to build launching plug-ins and –developing an example launcher using this API. Prerequisites: –basic understanding of Eclipse plug-in architecture –understanding the structure of plugin.xml –knowledge of java and java environment

3. 3 What is launching ? launching is defined as running or debugging a program from within Eclipse. a launcher is a set of Java classes that live in an Eclipse plug-in that performs launching. The base Eclipse workbench has no launcher. –It is only through plug-ins that Eclipse gains the ability to launch. The Eclipse SDK does ship with a set of useful launchers for launching –local Java applications & Java applets, –connecting to remote Java applications, –JUnit test suites and –starting an Eclipse workbench, if none of these satisfy your needs, you may need to write your own launcher.

4. 4 The framework two main classes: LaunchConfiguration –the cookies LaunchConfigurationType –the cookie cutters Example: run a HelloWorld.java program –configurations: main class name: ‘HelloWorld’ JRE to use: 1.4.2 program and VM arguments classpath,… –type: local Java Application' means only this type knows how to make sense of this config and how to launch it.

5. 5 The Java applet example an example actually part of eclipse SDK –non-UI parts living in org.eclipse.jdt.launching plug-in, and –UI parts contained in org.eclipse.jdt.debug.ui plug-in. Declaring and implementing a launch configuration type Declaring and implementing a launch configuration type icon Declaring and implementing a tab group Declaring and implementing launch shortcuts Declaring and implementing launch groups Declaring and implementing a launch configuration comparator Putting it all together

6. 6 Declaring a launch configuration type <launchConfigurationType name="Java Applet" delegate="org.eclipse.jdt.internal.launching.JavaAppletLaunchConfi gurationDelegate" modes="run, debug" id="org.eclipse.jdt.launching.javaApplet"> Notes: 1.The delegate class must implement the interface:org.eclipse.debug.core.model.ILaunchConfigurationDelega te. it is the brains of the launcher, and implements the launch() method which launches a specified config. 2.modes can be run or debug or both. can affect how the the configs appear in UI. if in both mode, launch() should handle both.

7. 7 Declaring a launch configuration type Notes: 3. optional boolean attributes: private –ture => can be launched by programs only. –false[default] => can appear in UI. category –discussed later