Eclipse Runner Plugin

Installation

To install this plugin in Eclipse use this update site. On the Eclipse marketplace this plugin can be found here.

Overview

Eclipse Runner plugin extends capability of running launch configurations in Eclipse IDE. User gets a new "Runner" view, which allows to categorize and bookmark launch configurations in groups, run them directly from the view by double clicking on the launch configuration icon. It speeds up development in projects containing many small java applications or many test suits.

Features

• browse your launch configurations in separate Eclipse Runner view
• keep your launches organized
• run or debug launch configuration directly from the view by double clicking on it
  • remembers last launch mode (run, debug, profile...)
  • less clicks if you have to run more than one launc configuration
• categorize your launch configurations in custom groups
• bookmark featured launch configurations with a star icon
• filter launch configurations using following filters
  • closed projects
  • deleted projects
  • uncategorized launch configurations
  • current project
  • bookmarked launch configurations
• open resource behind launch configuration in editor (f.e. Java main class)

For more information see [Help Files](EclipseRunner/help/Eclipse Runner.md).

Release

1. Change working directory to parent project: $ cd com.eclipserunner.parent

2. Build sources and run tests (using tycho-surefire-plugin): $ mvn clean verify. Only if everything succeeds proceed with the following steps. Otherwise fix the build errors and/or unit tests first instead.

3. Set new version numer: $ mvn org.eclipse.tycho:tycho-versions-plugin:set-version -DnewVersion="1.3.3"

4. Create a new commit: $ git commit -a -m "Creating release v1.3.3."

5. Tag the commit: $ git tag v1.3.3

6. Build project: $ mvn clean install

7. The P2 update will be located under $ com.eclipserunner.p2_site/target/repository. Upload the contents of this directory to e.g. https://erp.nllk.net/p2/com.eclipserunner.p2_site/latest/.

8. Start the next development iteration: $ mvn org.eclipse.tycho:tycho-versions-plugin:set-version -DnewVersion="1.3.4.qualifier"

9. Create a new commit: $ git commit -a -m "Creating v1.3.4 snapshot build."

10. Push the tag to origin: $ git push origin v1.3.3

11. Finally merge / push any pending commits to origin/master on GitHub.

IDE setup

1. Make sure that at least Maven version 3.6.3 is installed.

2. Make sure that at least JDK version 11 is installed. Also keep in mind that support for Java versions which are EOL might have been removed from Maven Tycho. Version 1.7.0 of Maven Tycho removed support for Java 13 for instance. See here, here and here for more informations about this in the source code.

3. Create the following folder layout:

eclipserunnerplugin/
    eclipse/
    eclipse_workspace/
    git/
    runtime_eclipse_conf_area/
    runtime_eclipse_workspace/

4. Install the Eclipse IDE for RCP and RAP Developers into the eclipserunnerplugin/eclipse/ folder. When using the Eclipse Installer in simple mode just select the "Eclipse IDE for RCP and RAP Developers" package and set the eclipserunnerplugin/ folder as the target folder. The IDE will be installed into an eclipse subfolder.

5. Change into the eclipserunnerplugin/git/ foler and checkout the source code of the plugin using the following command: $ git clone https://github.com/zaunerc/eclipserunnerplugin.git

6. Verify that the Maven Tycho build is working by changing into the folder eclipserunnerplugin/git/eclipserunnerplugin/com.eclipserunner.parent and executing the command $ mvn clean verify.

7. Start the Eclipse IDE (set eclipserunnerplugin/workspace/ as the workspace folder).

8. As soon as the Eclipse IDE is running: File -> Import projects -> Existing Projetcs into Workspace. Set eclipserunnerplugin/git/eclipserunnerplugin as the root directory and finish the import (only import the com.eclipserunner.* projects).

9. Window -> Preferences -> Plug-in Development -> Target Platform and select com.eclipserunner.target_platform.

Debug the plugin

To debug the plugin you can start a new Eclipse instance (sometimes called "Runtime Eclipse") from your running Eclipse IDE instance (sometimes called "Development Eclipse").

In order to do so right-click on the com.eclipserunner.plugin project -> Debug As -> Eclipse Application. Configure the launch configuration as follows:

1. Set the location of the workspace data to ${workspace_loc}/../workspace_runtime_eclipse/.
2. The program to run should be set to Run an application -> org.eclipse.ui.ide.workbench.
3. The location of the configuration area should be set to ${workspace_loc}/../conf_area_runtime_eclipse.

Or you can just use the provided launch config (Runtime_Eclipse_With_Runner_Plugin.launch).

You can the import the projects located at eclipserunnerplugin/git/eclipserunnerplugin/testprojects/. These projects contain a set of launch configurations you can use when working on the Eclipse Runner Plugin.

History

2021-05-11 Version 1.3.6 various changes

• Update target platform to latest Eclipse release.
• Do not use custom bundles for hamcrest / mockito anymore (see #4).

2020-06-08 Version 1.3.5 various changes

• Update target platform.
• Fix launch action not usable for configuration without run mode (see #2).

2016-06-23 Version 1.3.4 build system improvements

• Fix automatic builds on Travis CI.

2016-06-21 Version 1.3.3 build system improvements

• Introduce Maven Tycho build system: Headless builds are now supported. See e.g. Travis CI.
• Move unit tests to their own fragment: Unit tests are now run automatically as part of the build process using the Tycho Surefire Plugin.
• P2 update site is now automatically generated (see com.eclipserunner.p2_site project).

2014-09-13 Version 1.3.2 minor bug fixes

• help added
• removed warnings on stdout
• removed "Filter active working set", because it had no effect
• fixed persistence of collapse/expand all

2014-07-18 Version 1.3.1 bug fixes and usability improvements

• dynamically use the launch image form the launch configuration
• made node expansions persistent
• do not close all nodes when a launch configurations change
• added a drop-down for the launching in the view tool bar
• check mark the default launch configuration in context menu (the one called on double click)
• show only supported launch configurations in context menu
• remember the last launch type per configuration
• removed dependencies to JDT
• fixed resource leak

Older releases

• 2014-03-23 Version 1.3.0.1 released Support for other launch types

• 2011-10-22 Version 1.3.0 released. See change log for more info.

• 2011-05-27 Version 1.2.0 released. See change log for more info.

• 2011-05-16 Eclipse runner supports installation via Marketplace in Eclipse >3.5

• 2011-05-15 Version 1.1.0 released. See change log for more info.

• 2010-03-29 Version 1.0.0 released.

• 2010-03-21 Initial Version