Re: [gef-dev] Zest feature

["Nick Boldt" <codeslave@xxxxxxxxxx>]

For PDE to automatically bundle things together in a zip, the main feature (Zest SDK, GEF SDK) has to include all the features you need, and those features must include all their subfeatures and plugins. For example, the EMF SDK contains the EMF runtime feature, doc feature, and source feature; the doc feature in turn includes the doc plugin, and the runtime feature includes the smaller features, like 
o.e.emf.ecore; that feature, o.e.emf.ecore, then includes its plugins. 

Packaging can be done many different ways, but the fastest method is to build an uberfeature ("all") which includes everything else, then repackage that zip's contents into other, smaller zips (SDKs, runtimes, examples, etc.) This is *almost* what EMF does -- we actually have 5 feature-builds: emf-sdk, sdo-sdk, xsd-sdk, examples, tests. The models zip isn't built with PDE proper, just a simpler ant-based packaging process. From the 3 SDKs, we then extract the runtimes. Finally, the emf-sdo and emf-sdo-xsd combined SDKs are assembled by just copying from their source zips to new ones. (Yes, there's still some unnecesary overhead in there.)

All of this is possible for GEF too, though with a single "uberfeature" it can be done more simply. ;-) The uberfeature is also the first step toward jar signing as it allows you to provide a single zip to be signed instead of a handful. 

Regarding the questions of what zips and features should contain which other features, and what the dependency chain is for the update site, I'll let you guys figure that one out. Do you want to provide 3 main runtime features, gef, draw2d, zest? Or more? Should the GEF SDK include both GEF and Draw2D? Should the Zest SDK include both Zest and Draw2D? And does anyone really use zips anymore anyway? I find the granuality and ease of use of an update site to be much more powerful, allowing users to pick Zest and 'select required' to get any/all deps they might not know they need. Much easier IMHO that making people download a zip w/ more than they want, or several to assemble the runtimes / sources / docs they need. 

$0.02,

Nick

On Dec 15, 2007 3:43 PM, Ian Bull <irbull@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I haven't done Eclipse Releng stuff before, so I bear with me :-)

It seems that both the GEF SDK and Zest SDK don't include Draw2D
(although the D/L page says they do).  I think this is just a matter of
including the Draw2D Feature in the GEF and Zest SDK features.  Should
they include Draw2D?

Also, is the "ALL" defined as a feature? Or does this just get packaged
as build time?

Cheers,
Ian

--
R. Ian Bull
PhD Candidate, University of Victoria
http://www.ianbull.com
http://irbull.blogspot.com/


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