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[eclipse-dev] Let's revive the scripting project

I propose reviving the effort to bring scripting (including macros, keydefs, automation, etc.) to the Eclipse Platform. This is one of the four "grand challenges" I've identified for Eclipse (see http://www.eclipsepowered.org/archives/2004/11/30/eclipse-grand-challenges/). Of the four, scripting is arguably the most enabling, i.e., it opens up many possibilities to do more with the platform than what was originally envisioned.

There are numerous bugzilla entries that cover scripting, including:

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=8519
	Keystroke macros recording and playing capability

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=35949
 	[Commands] macros: Allow key bindings to execute multiple commands in series.

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=36163
   	Feature suggestion: IDE/plugin scriptability through built-in Javascript

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=37680
	[Plan Item] Add Eclipse automation

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=37936
 	[Plan Item] Allow automation of common tasks

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=44156
 	[Commands] parameters: provide M-x-like command interface

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=57105
 	Macro Recorder like in Microsoft Office

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=78637
	Patches to allow scripting plug-ins to build in 3.1


Current work includes:

- Some scripting plug-ins already exist in CVS from Eclipse 1.0 but they were abandoned in 2.0 (see http://dev.eclipse.org/viewcvs/index.cgi/%7Echeckout%7E/platform-scripting-home/main.html and https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=78637). There have only been 2 messages in the past 3 years in the platform-scripting-dev mailing list (http://dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/platform-scripting-dev/maillist.html). As far as I can tell, nobody is reading the bugzilla platform-scripting-inbox.

- According to the Dec 8, 2004 planning meeting notes there is some work going on in recording and playback for use in cheatsheets (http://dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/eclipse-dev/msg06717.html).

- The Sunshade BSF project on sourceforge (http://sunshade.sourceforge.net/) can associate scripts with keybindings and launch variables and bundles a javascript interpreter.

- The Autoeclipse project on sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/autoeclipse) is a research project to add BSF scripting to Eclipse platform.

- The Groovy project has an Eclipse plug-in for editing, building, and running groovy programs (http://groovy.codehaus.org/Eclipse+Plugin).

- CodePro Studio from Instantiations has the ability to run any Workbench Action from the Scheduler (http://www.instantiations.com/codepro/ws/docs/features/scheduler/).

- Netbeans dropped DynamicJava, BeanShell, and Jython (http://scripting.netbeans.org/) and added support for groovy (http://scripting.netbeans.org/servlets/NewsItemView?newsID=489). Perhaps this could be an area where Eclipse and Netbeans could cooperate (an "IDE-DOM" if you will).


Call to action:

- If you can commit development time and expertise to this effort, post a message on the scripting list or drop me a line. I will coordinate if nobody else wants to.

- Review scripting related bugzilla entries and update them with your current use cases and requirements, or create new entries to capture your requirements. Reopen any that need to be reopened, close any that need to be closed, link any that need to be linked, and dup any that are duplicates.

- Help keep the discussion focused and the design simple, elegant, and powerful. It would be nice to have some preliminary things working for M5 to allow a lot of community feedback and iterative improvement.

- Followups to platform-scripting-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx .

--Ed


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