Official Eclipse 3.0 FAQs [Paperback]

John Arthorne (Author), Chris Laffra (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321268385 | ISBN-13: 978-0321268389 | Publication Date: July 8, 2004

"I had a question about how to use a new Eclipse 3.0 feature, job scheduling, so I thought I would try out this book. I immediately found the answer with a concise explanation. Cool!"

--Erich Gamma

Official Eclipse 3.0 FAQs is the convenient source for answers to your most crucial questions about writing Eclipse plug-ins. Whether you're creating simple extensions for personal use or commercial Eclipse-based applications, you'll find hundreds of concise solutions here--including many that aren't answered anywhere else.

John Arthorne and Chris Laffra have worked with Eclipse technology since the very beginning; both are active members of the Eclipse development community and frequently answer questions on Eclipse newsgroups and mailing lists. Here, they cover an extraordinary range of topics, from workspace management to documentation, SWT to JFace, JDT to natural language support. Many FAQs include code samples and references to other information, making the book an invaluable desk reference for anyone working with Eclipse.

Just a few of the 350+ questions answered here...

• How do I upgrade Eclipse? Page 29
• What is new in Eclipse 3.0? Page 34
• How can I add my views and actions to an existing perspective? Page 187
• How do I set up a Java project to share in a repository? Page 58
• How do I declare my own extension point? Page 74
• How do I display a Web page in SWT? Page 141
• How do I support multiple natural languages in my plug-in messages? Page 253
• How do I save settings for a dialog or wizard? Page 166
• How do I provide syntax coloring in an editor? Page 269
• How do I hook into global actions, such as Copy and Delete? Page 225
• How do I create a Rich Client application? Page 241
• What is the purpose of activities? Page 229
• How do I create and examine an AST? Page 369

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"I had a question about how to use a new Eclipse 3.0 feature, job scheduling, so I thought I would try out this book. I immediately found the answer with a concise explanation. Cool!"

--Erich Gamma

Official Eclipse 3.0 FAQs is the convenient source for answers to your most crucial questions about writing Eclipse plug-ins. Whether you're creating simple extensions for personal use or commercial Eclipse-based applications, you'll find hundreds of concise solutions here--including many that aren't answered anywhere else.

John Arthorne and Chris Laffra have worked with Eclipse technology since the very beginning; both are active members of the Eclipse development community and frequently answer questions on Eclipse newsgroups and mailing lists. Here, they cover an extraordinary range of topics, from workspace management to documentation, SWT to JFace, JDT to natural language support. Many FAQs include code samples and references to other information, making the book an invaluable desk reference for anyone working with Eclipse.

Just a few of the 350+ questions answered here...

• How do I upgrade Eclipse? Page 29
• What is new in Eclipse 3.0? Page 34
• How can I add my views and actions to an existing perspective? Page 187
• How do I set up a Java project to share in a repository? Page 58
• How do I declare my own extension point? Page 74
• How do I display a Web page in SWT? Page 141
• How do I support multiple natural languages in my plug-in messages? Page 253
• How do I save settings for a dialog or wizard? Page 166
• How do I provide syntax coloring in an editor? Page 269
• How do I hook into global actions, such as Copy and Delete? Page 225
• How do I create a Rich Client application? Page 241
• What is the purpose of activities? Page 229
• How do I create and examine an AST? Page 369

About the Author

John Arthorne has been a committer on the Eclipse project since its inception, and has worked on Eclipse's underlying technology since 1998. Before joining IBM Ottawa Lab in Ottawa, Canada, he worked for IBM subsidiary Object Technology International, developing Eclipse's precursor, VisualAge Micro Edition Java IDE.

Chris Laffra works with the J9 virtual machine team at IBM Ottawa Lab. He focuses on improving Eclipse's overall performance, and his hobby is visualization of Eclipse's execution to improve its transparency. Chris previously worked for IBM T.J. Watson Research Center and OTI in Amsterdam.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (July 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321268385
• ISBN-13: 978-0321268389
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,814,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 361 FAQs!, August 18, 2004

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official Eclipse 3.0 FAQs (Paperback)

For those Eclipse users amongst you, this recent book may be a useful extension of your physical library. The authors have assembled 361 FAQs under one cover. These pertain to the latest major stable release, 3.0. In the jargon of O'Reilly, a major competitor to this publisher, the book is the equivalent of one of their "100 Hacks" books on some computing topic. But here offering over 3 times more tips.

The book is designed for random access. Each FAQ is titled with a question that the FAQ then answers. So the directory pages should suffice in guiding you to an answer, if it exists, of course. Each FAQ's explanation can be read in isolation of the others. Though one very nice feature is how they cross reference each other where appropriate. The old fashioned equivalent of hyperlinks, remember?

The technical level is moderate. You are required to have the rudiments of Java. It is not the authors' remit to teach this to you. But if you have this background, the book should be intelligible.

Of course, the entire book could be online. But some will prefer this hardcopy.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Develop faster in Eclipse!, September 7, 2004

By 

R. Warner (Jacksonville, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official Eclipse 3.0 FAQs (Paperback)

I've spent many hours both using Eclipse and dissecting its source code, so I wasn't sure what I'd learn, if anything, from this book. It didn't take long, however, before I found myself saying, "Really? Eclipse does that?" and racing to Eclipse to verify items this book teaches. And yes, everything I've tried from the book does indeed work.

Time was, you could click your way through an IDE to discover its capabilities. After all, IDEs did little more than collect your source files together with a way to edit the files, build your program, and launch or debug your creation. Eclipse goes way beyond that, however, and you'll not likely tap all its power and capabilities by simply hunting and clicking. To leave Eclipse's abilities dormant would be a real shame, too, because Eclipse will honestly help you code much faster.

Yes, you'll already know some of the things this book teaches. Your set of previously-known items won't match my set, however, and all the items in the book merit inclusion. Unless you already know everything there is to know about Eclipse, you will learn something new--something that elevates your usage of Eclipse.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and useful book for plug-in developers, October 18, 2004

By 

Thomas Paul (Plainview, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official Eclipse 3.0 FAQs (Paperback)

The name of this book is a little deceptive as this is really the official FAQs for Eclipse plug-in developers. The book is broken up into chapters with each chapter covering about 20 questions. The first three chapters seem a bit unnecessary as they cover a general overview of Eclipse. Most plug-in developers probably don't need the answers to those questions and most developers not trying their hand at plug-ins won't need the answers to the remaining 300 questions.

Starting with chapter 4, the book covers many of the questions that plug-in developers will have. The main sections are broken up into a look at the basics of the Rich Client platform including JFace and SWT and specifics on the Eclipse IDE platform. Workbench, editors, perspectives, and views are covered in the general part. The next part goes into more specific details of the Workspace and Resources API and the Java Development Tool API, among other topics. The questions are arranged well so rather than a random collection of questions, each chapter is very readable. Supporting screen shots and source code are provided as needed. The questions selected cover many of the more confusing areas of plug-in development. The answers are well written and easy to follow.

The book includes a CD that can be installed as an Eclipse plug-in so that the answers will always be nearby even when a co-worker borrows your copy of the book. Overall, this book is a valuable aid to have nearby while doing plug-in development.