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Recently I decided to get up to speed on at least one rich client platform for a project we had. Over the years I had come across references to Eclipses RCP and Netbeans RCP so I started with those two.

Tutorial for Eclipse RCP

Introduction tutorial for Eclipse RCP

The packaging type eclipse-repository was originally introduced for building products that can be updated with p2 (cf. TYCHO-188). This requires the following build results: a p2 repository which contains the product IU, and a zip file with the installed product. (Although this is technically no longer needed since the Update Manager was replaced by p2, zip files are still the primary way to distribute Eclipse/RCP installations.) For ease of implementation, this was done in the same packaging type eclipse-repository. In the meantime, eclipse-repository has gained in capabilities (in particular through TYCHO-491), making it difficult for users to choose the right packaging types. This page lays out the mid-term plan of how we want to build products, update site categories, and p2 repositories in Tycho. It also contains a few details how the transition todays (0.11.0) packaging types (eclipse-repository, eclipse-application, eclipse-update-site) to the new types eclipse-repository and eclipse-product.

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! But before going into detail on a fragment based solution, let's examine the current approaches and the pros and cons associated with each. The first approach is the one most of us start with as we learn the ropes of plug-in development: placing all code in a single plug-in.

" This tutorial explains Eclipse JFace Data Binding which can be used to synchronize data between a data model and an user interface. The tutorial uses the properties API which is the recommended way of doing data binding. This tutorial is based on Eclipse 3.6 (Helios) and Java 1.6. "

Sapphire - develop UI without wiring individual widgets Little has changed in the way Java desktop UI is written since the original Java release. Technologies have changed (AWT, Swing, SWT, etc.), but fundamentals remain the same. The developer must choose which widgets to use, how to lay those widgets out, how to store the data being edited and how to synchronize the model with the UI. Even the best developers fall into traps of having UI components talk directly to other UI components rather than through the model. Inordinate amount of time is spent debugging layout and data-binding issues. Sapphire aims to raise UI writing to a higher level of abstraction. The core premise is that the basic building block of UI should not be a widget (text box, label, button, etc.), but rather a property editor. Unlike a widget, a property editor analyzes metadata associated with a given property, renders the appropriate widgets to edit that property and wires up data binding. Data is synchronized, validation is passed from the model to the UI, content assistance is made available, etc. This fundamentally changes the way developers interact with a UI framework. Instead of writing UI by telling the system how to do something, the developer tells the system what they intend to accomplish. When using Sapphire, the developer says "I want to edit LastName property of the person object". When using widget toolkits like SWT, the developer says "create label, create text box, lay them out like so, configure their settings, setup data binding and so on". By the time the developer is done, it is hard to see the original goal in the code that's produced. This results in UI that is inconsistent, brittle and difficult to maintain.