[platform-debug-dev] Extending launch configurations

["Setera, Craig" <csetera@xxxxxxxx>]

I'm working on the jMechanic profiler plugin for Eclipse.  (http://jmechanic.sourceforge.net)  I'm currently doing profiling as a completely different launch configuration type in order to get my own launch configuration tab into the dialog.  In addition, I have my own delegate to collect the profiler information and use it.  The data on my tab does two things:

1) Provides information to add VM arguments to the resulting command-line when starting the application for profiling.

2) Starts a new listener socket and thread to respond to the incoming data from the profiler.

This all works, but means that I am "stealing" a lot of the JDT code just to make some relatively minor additions to the Java Application launch configuration.  In addition, it implies that I will have to do the same amount of work for every other launch type that I would like to handle, including Applets (2.1), Runtime Workbench and Remote Application.  On top of that, with the focus on performance in 2.1, I'm afraid that hooking all of this up is going to force more plugins to load at an earlier time than I would like.

Thus, my question.  Is there another way to do what I need to in order to augment the functionality of an existing launch configuration?  I'm currently supporting 2.0.2 and up, but if there is new function in the 2.1 stream that would make this easier or better, I could consider only supporting the 2.1 versions.  If this support does not exist in any form, should it?  Is this something that others are going to want to do?

Thanks,
Craig

Craig Setera
Master Software Engineer, SPSS, Rochester MN

Sun Certified Java Programmer, Developer and
Web Component Developer