HOWTO: Install features/plugins without using the p2 UI
One simple scenario for all you “I like to just unzip stuff” people out there, who don’t want/need p2’s ability to resolve dependencies a la Synaptic / apt-get / yum. If you find the new p2 UI is overkill for your needs, you can still kick it old-school:
- Download the latest Eclipse SDK or EPP bundle
- Download your add-on SDKs, eg., EMF, Mylyn
- Unpack Eclipse into your folder of choice, eg., ~/eclipse/eclipse34/
- Unpack your add-ons into the dropins folder, eg. ~/eclipse/eclipse34/dropins/emf/, ~/eclipse/eclipse34/dropins/mylyn/
- Start up Eclipse. p2 will discover anything you’ve added in the dropins folder, and load them up. To remove extensions, just remove them from the dropins folder. That’s it!
You can also combine zips with update sites for a more complex install, like for installing PDT 1.1 from a Nightly zip + the Ganymede update site.
Of course, if you have issues w/ the new p2 UI, report it! Over 600 squashed bugs this year alone…
Posted May 21st, 2008 by in category: ganymede, p2, update manager, workflow
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5 Responses to “HOWTO: Install features/plugins without using the p2 UI”
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Kristoffer Peterh?nsel Says:
May 21st, 2008 at 07:22 am
Personally I want a way to install Eclipse once and run several configurations from it - with different plugin sets. I have yet to see anywhere that tells me how to do that.
Todd E. Williams Says:
May 21st, 2008 at 09:44 am
Kristoffer,
>Personally I want a way to install Eclipse once and
>run several configurations from it - with different
>plugin sets. I have yet to see anywhere that tells
>me how to do that.
Since it sounds like you’re looking for precisely what we’ve delivered I’ll simply suggest you give our free Pulse service a try: http://www.poweredbypulse.com
Several “walk-thrus” are available on the Pulse blog: http://www.jroller.com/pulse/
Regards,
Todd
VP Technology - Genuitec LLC
Flash demos are here:
Andrew Niefer Says:
May 21st, 2008 at 11:36 am
>Personally I want a way to install Eclipse once and
>run several configurations from it - with different
>plugin sets. I have yet to see anywhere that tells
>me how to do that.
I recently needed to test a launcher problem on motif. We have 3 motif platforms that I need to try (linux.x86, aix.ppc, hpux.ia64_32). Rather than have 3 separate installs of eclipse, I instead used the p2 admin UI (http://wiki.eclipse.org/Equinox_p2_Admin_UI_Users_Guide) to install the first platform from http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/testUpdates/ using a bundle pool separate from the installation directory. I then installed the other 2 platforms using the same bundle pool. (This was all done in a mounted directory accessible from all of my linux, aix, & hp machines).
The 2nd and 3rd installs literally took 5 seconds each because 99% of the bits already existed in the bundle pool. So while I may have done 3 installed instead of the 1 you asked for, it was trivially easy.
Alexandre Portal Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 05:43 am
I would like to know how to change the install/update location of addons.
I have installed Eclipse and some addons declared with “.link” files. If i want to update addons, P2 doesn’t install updates in the addons directories defined in “.link” files but in its main plugins directory.
Is there a way to choose the install location like in Europa ?
Nick Boldt Says:
July 22nd, 2008 at 09:28 am
Yes. See the following articles for your various options.
http://wiki.eclipse.org/Equinox_p2_director_application
http://wiki.eclipse.org/Equinox_p2_Admin_UI_Users_Guide
http://wiki.eclipse.org/Starting_Eclipse_Commandline_With_Equinox_Launcher/p2_Admin_UI#Admin_UI_Eclipse_Perspective
http://wiki.eclipse.org/Equinox_p2_director_application/Examples/Install_into_dropins_with_link_file