Description yuhao 2006-08-01 06:01:02 EDT

Some libraries, such as builder classes in Apache Common-Lang project, use chain style method to simplify code, like following:

return new ToStringBuilder( this )
 	.append( "name", getName() )
 	.append( "category", getCategory() )
 	.append( "download", getDownloadUrl() )
 	.append( "detail", getDetailUrl() )
 	.append( "publisher", getPublisher() )
 	.append( "time", getPublishTime() )
 	.append( "users", getUsers() )
 	.toString();

In the code, each method call is on a new line. clearly as it is. But when using Eclipse JDT source editor to format this code, it is formatted into such an ugly like:
 
return new ToStringBuilder( this ).append( "name", getName() ).append(
"category", getCategory() ).append( "download", getDownloadUrl() )
.append( "detail", getDetailUrl() ).append( "publisher",
getPublisher() ).append( "time", getPublishTime() ).append(
"seeds", getSeeds() ).append( "users", getUsers() ).toString();

 
I've studied options on Preferences -> Java -> Code Style -> Formatter page, but there seemed that nothing is used to determine whether you can put each chain-style method call on a new line.

I know that there may be questions about what means "chain-style". For example, the following code

getWorkbenchWindow().getActivePage().openEditor( ... )

This may be looked as a chain-style; but, as it isn't a very long statement, and could be filled in a single line, so this code can be formatted as normal.

There is a another way that I prefer: I enter some special markers in my code, and Eclipse source formatter could ignore formatting when it found these markers----Then I'm responsible for format the code by hand. e.g:

// @region(do-not-format)
return new ToStringBuilder( this )
 	.append( "name", getName() )
 	....
// @end-region

Anyway, my wish is there should be some way to support chain-style coding.