Bug 298533 - 'Unconvert' a PDE project
Summary: 'Unconvert' a PDE project
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: PDE
Classification: Eclipse Project
Component: UI (show other bugs)
Version: 3.6   Edit
Hardware: PC Windows 7
: P3 enhancement (vote)
Target Milestone: ---   Edit
Assignee: PDE-UI-Inbox CLA
QA Contact:
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Keywords: bugday, helpwanted
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2009-12-25 23:21 EST by Prashant Deva CLA
Modified: 2015-09-17 04:20 EDT (History)
3 users (show)

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Description Prashant Deva CLA 2009-12-25 23:21:42 EST 
The PDE plugin does allow one to convert a normal java project to a PDE project, but if at some future point if one decides to have a project no longer be a plugin and convert back to a normal java project, there is no easy way to do that. One has to manually edit a whole bunch of eclipse config files.

There should be a UI/menu item to do this easily.
Comment 1 Ankur Sharma CLA 2009-12-26 01:15:59 EST 
Since you already know the exact files to be updated, how about submitting a patch as well?
Comment 2 Prashant Deva CLA 2009-12-26 01:38:11 EST 
Its the .project file that needs to be updated but I dont know PDE code well enough to submit a patch
Comment 3 Ankur Sharma CLA 2009-12-26 04:37:44 EST 
Its more than just .project file. The conversion logic is in ConvertProjectToPluginOperation in org.eclipse.pde.ui
Comment 4 Chris Aniszczyk CLA 2009-12-26 17:08:16 EST 
It's pretty difficult to "unconvert" a project. Are you saying that whatever is on your bundle classpath (including dependencies) gets put on the normal JDT classpath when uncoverted?
Comment 5 Prashant Deva CLA 2009-12-26 17:48:12 EST 
well basically once i get rid of the plugin.xml and manifest.mf i see all kinds of errors in the error log view cause pde expects those files for a plugin project.

i have to manually 'unconvert' to get rid of those errors
Comment 6 Prashant Deva CLA 2009-12-27 02:36:29 EST 
Also note that sometimes even after manually editing the .project file, I had to delete the project from the workspace and re import it get it to build without errors.
Comment 7 Ankur Sharma CLA 2009-12-27 04:56:53 EST 
Thats right. Because a plug-in project is not just meta-inf and .project file. A lot more goes with them like classpath settings, dependent plug-in resolutions. When you uncovert how to deal with extensions, extension point, API tooling, etc. I don't see a business use case to go through all this trouble. And since all the committers are occupied with priority stuff so I don't see anyone picking it up anytime soon.
Comment 8 Lars Vogel CLA 2015-09-17 04:20:14 EDT 
We currently have no plans to provide this feature. A plug-in is always also a valid Java project and the manual process is relatively easy.

1.) Remove nature from .project
2.) Remove OSGi entries from MANIFEST.MF
3.) Delete build.properties