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At EclipseCon2006's BOF session of BIRT, there is community feedback on packagaing of BIRT: "Better packaging in the run time engines (charts and engine) to make it easier to deploy and use, the biggest complaint was the use of the plug in architecture, which is great in Eclipse, but not so good in other apps." The benefit we have from using OSGi/Eclipse plugin architecture is to allow developer to code one plugin that will work on both desktop and in app servers. Various ODA drivers, Chart report items, and report output format emitters have used this architecture to achive the goal of one code both work on both environemtns. Without this architecture, BIRT will need to invent a new extension discovery mechanism outside of Eclipse, and the component developers will need to implement and test two code path. Given these benefits, we are likely to continue to use the plugin framework, but we are definitly open to make it easier to use outside of Eclipse. Some usage scenrio that shows the problem and difficulties would be a great help for finding a solution.
In particular, my comment at the BOF was directed at the charting package(s). You guys have done such a great job with this charting engine, that it should be in widespread use by other eclipse projects. Unfortunately it isn't that easy to get started with if you simply have a wack of data that you want to chart so many developers turn to other packages that aren't complete, don't support SWT (ie using SWING/AWT display) or roll their own. A first step to alleviate this situation would be: - Create a standalone plugin that contains the dependant jars all conveniently packaged into one location. - Create a section on the BIRT site devoted to charting screenshots and samples (to get a better exposure of what it can/can't do) - Start work on a simplified layer targetted at the the SWT use cases.
There are some improvement in this area, for example a separate chart download package, a new chart example plugin. There are a tutorial and a long talk on the charting package in the upcoming EclipseCon2007. need to check: 1. an all-in-one download for chart? 2. dedicate content/pages in Eclipse BIRT area?
We now have a more complete chart download that includes: - runtime jars for java applications - a war file for web deployment - runtime plugins for eclipse applications - SDK tools to help developers build any type of charting application (with source code, docs, examples, wtp extension) Note there is also a SWT examples view integrated in eclipse that both gives code samples for creating charts and is a typical application of a chart embedded in an Eclipse view. And so can serve as a starting point for such integration in other eclipse projects. I reassign this bugzilla entry to Jason to complete the chart screenshots and samples section on the BIRT web site.
mark this bug as fixed as more chart packages are provided, details in comment #3.
Jason will add more chart examples on the web site. Close this bug.
