As Eclipse plug-in and Rich Client Platform developers, we face unique challenges in how we structure and execute our unit tests. In this article, I suggest an approach to unit testing based on Eclipse fragments that can help us overcome these challenges. If you find yourself frustrated with your current plug-in testing options, read on!
Category: Rich Client Platform
Getting started with PDE Build
I often work with teams getting started with Eclipse RCP, and the most common complaint I hear is that it’s too hard to set up automated builds. PDE Build can be frustrating to work with because it’s a black box. Your code goes in one side and a fully branded RCP application pops out the… Continue reading Getting started with PDE Build
An RCP Code Encyclopedia
One suggestion I always make to developers getting started with the Rich Client Platform is to set up a research workspace containing all of the Eclipse IDE plug-ins. The Eclipse IDE (along with the PDE and JDT) is the ultimate RCP application and examining this code is the best way to learn how things should… Continue reading An RCP Code Encyclopedia
No icon, no editor
There are many parts of RCP that are a little rough around the edges. That’s to be expected in an open-source framework, and to be honest it’s one of the things I like about RCP. Sure, commercial frameworks are cleaner and packaged more “professionally”, but they have to give up a lot of functionality and… Continue reading No icon, no editor
Common Navigator Tutorial 1: Hello World
The Commons Navigator Framework is one of the more complex parts of the Eclipse API. It can be difficult to get started with the framework, and one of the hardest parts is simply getting a basic navigator to appear with custom content. This tutorial is designed to get you to that point so that you… Continue reading Common Navigator Tutorial 1: Hello World
Using the Common Navigator Framework in an RCP Application
The Common Navigator Framework was introduced in Eclipse 3.2 to provide navigators with pluggable content, filters, sorting and much else. It’s a powerful new feature, but for some reason it wasn’t made to work with the RCP. In my opinion. every significant addition to the Eclipse API should be made RCP compatible unless it’s really… Continue reading Using the Common Navigator Framework in an RCP Application