[platform-core-dev] Bundle of questions

["Ed Burnette" <Ed.Burnette@xxxxxxx>]

The platform-core-home/runtime/adoption.html document says:

"The OSGi specification mandates the use of manifest.mf files to define the execution of a plug-in. This conflicts with the Eclipse notion of plugin.xml as far as <runtime> and <requires> elements are concerned. The easiest way to update your plugin.xml or fragment.xml is to use the PDE Migration Tool (PDE Tools->Convert to OSGi bundle).

"Current build structures (e.g., PDE, custom builds done by product teams, ...) are based on plug-ins, fragments and features. While the new runtime supports these components, it is bundle based. To support existing build structures we (and other bundle developers) must take care to include plugin.xml and fragment.xml files (as appropriate) for all bundles.

"By maintaining the plugin.xml content, tooling and build mechanisms will continue to function. As these are updated to handle the new structures, the need to maintain plugin.xml and fragment.xml files will diminish."


Ignoring the compatability layer, the way I read this is that plugin.xml and fragment.xml are being deprecated in favor of manifest.mf. Is this correct? What is the plan for the PDE manifest editor - will it be changed to edit manifest.mf instead of or in addition to plugin.xml for pure 3.0 and RCP applications? Can bundles be updated by an update site? Where does branding info go in the new scheme?

Thanks,
--Ed