Re: [platform-core-dev] On demand loading and installation of components

[Randy Hudson <hudsonr@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Couldn't you provide a fake PDE editor,
which is associated with the plugin.xml file, etc., but if you open it,
it is just a shell instructing you how to obtain the real PDE editor?
Once the real PDE editor is dynamically
downloaded, you then dynamically uninstall the fake one.

Jeff McAffer <Jeff_McAffer@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent by: platform-core-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx

04/06/2005 09:18 PM

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Subject	Re: [platform-core-dev] On demand loading and installation of        components

Peter, 

Unfortunately you missed EclipseCon!  We demonstrated Hyperbola (a
chat client) transparently downloading and installing multi-user chat capabilities
on-the-fly when the user was invited to a group chat for the first time.
 That is, Hyperbola noticed a new packet type (muc) and then discovered
a set of features that could handle muc packets.  It then downloaded
an installed the features and then instantiated the supplied handler to
handle the packet that triggered it all.  Of course it is proof of
concept only but in this case no runtime help is necessary.  Everything
is done using Update API. 

If you want your yet-to-be-installed function to have a presence in Eclipse
first and then be filled in later, that's a different story.  There
you have to start fooling a bunch of people with proxies and stubs.  In
essence you want to ship a hollow bundle that is, due to Heisenberg, magically
filled in just because someone cared to look.  If you want to investigate,
it seems like good places are 

1) how to fool the registry - This is relatively easy (theoretically) as
your hollow bundle can contribute all the same extensions and extension
points as the real one.  There will be issues around extension points
that eagerly call createExecutableExtension (naughty!!).  This will
also require plugins to be "dynamic aware" as the hollow plugin
will be updated (cycling the extensions) when it is filled in (see below)

2) how to deal with classloading - here you can supply you own "adaptor"
that subclasses the EclipseAdaptor.  In there, where we would normally
do the activation of the bundle,  you need ot trigger the "osgi
update" of the bundle being tickled.  The update should replace
the contents of the bundle but leave the bundle id etc intact.  There
will be some issues with version numbers and any bundle that was depending
on the replaced one will be stopped and started (that is likely ok in this
case as they are probably being installed too.  Or not!).  The
updated bundle then has code and you have to contrive to keep on going
where you left off. 

That enough to start with? 

Jeff 

p.s., cool problem eh?

Peter Manahan/Toronto/IBM@IBMCA
Sent by: platform-core-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx

04/06/2005 08:40 PM

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Subject	[platform-core-dev] On demand loading and installation of components

Hi, 
       I'm going to be looking at ways to implement the
following scenario it probably has a name already.  On demand install
? I'm using component to mean a unit of usable function (could contain
multiple features/plugins/bundles etc) 

User is using Eclipse based product. 
1.        During normal use enables something that
doesn't exist (say triggers the PDE capability) 
2.        However the PDE isn't installed. But some
"magic" happens. 
3.        This spell causes a sequence of events that
at the end installs the component that was missing.  (leave how it
installs it aside for now ) Now the user is happily using the PDE because
it is such a cool tool. 

The problem space  is a a set  products encompassing thousands
of plugins and features all using the same eclipse instance/runtime.

Expand the idea of a not installed component to a not-installed component
that also requires service to the product before it can be installed. So
rather than a straight download from an update site something like an install
program and the user popping CD's etc in may need to occur.

So this kind of capability requires support from the runtime.  Can
anyone point me in a direction to start looking at this?  Browsing
the runtime dev page the Dynamic Support and Stub Plugin thoughts look
promising so I expect this isn't a new topic of discussion.

Thoughts, opinions , pointers to some doc are all welcome.

Thanks,

-----------------------------------
Peter Manahan
IBM Rational Tools
Common Install
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