Description Kevin Goeser 2006-06-20 01:21:23 EDT

Support of multiple pages is required for complex applications or application suites. E.g. for encapsuling several modules for different administrative tasks of a complex system - each with a more or less complex UI - with its own editor area (and editors) and its own views.

The usage of perspectives are not applicable in this case (neither programmatically nor from the point of usability).

Using the RCP, the only way to cleanly separate the implementations is an own window for each module. But handling multiple windows is not a good solution for the user:
- switching a module programmatically:
  => a new window appears or a formerly opened window suddenly is activated.
- activating an open module by hand:
  => the user is required to use the system's window and task management to find out if the module is open, then activate it.

Allowing multiple pages within one window would allow for 
- a cleaner separation of the modules;
- an application specific UI for the management of those modules.

Even though the usage of multiple pages may not be usable for specific applications like the Eclipse IDE, the feature should be available on API platform level.

The feature existed up to (not including) Eclipse 2.0 - I think for RCP applications it should be reconsidered.