Re: [platform-ui-dev] resource navigator

[John Arthorne <John_Arthorne@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with the end goal (eventual
complete replacement of RN with CNF), and deprecating the Java API in 3.5
certainly makes sense. However, withdrawing the Navigator's view contribution
in 3.5 seems to be a big change at this point in the release cycle. There
will be many perspectives out there that still contain the Navigator, and
products targeting 3.5 that for whatever reason will still using it in
their app layouts. Although it was never intended for use in RCP apps,
I know there are quite a few RCP applications out there that use it (or
at least used to). My suggestion for an orderly death would be:

 - Deprecate all APIs immediately
but leave everything in place. 
 - Make sure none of the SDK perspectives
contain the Navigator in their default layout.
 - Advertise that it is deprecated
and encourage people to move to CNF
 - Immediately after the 3.5 release,
split the navigator view and APIs out of org.eclipse.ui.ide into a separate
plug-in. 
 - At some point remove this plug-in
from the platform feature (perhaps in 3.6, or else in 4.0). org.eclipse.ui.ide
version would need to bump to 4.0 at this point.

This way the view is still available
for people who still need it for whatever reason. And, with the slightly
higher bar of having it in a separate bundle outside the platform, there
will be strong incentive for people to move to the Project Explorer.

Note there are likely bits and pieces
of API outside the navigator API package that will also need deprecating.
IPageLayout.ID_RES_NAV comes to mind, for example.

Next step: orderly death of the package
explorer :)

John

Francis Upton <francisu@xxxxxxxx>
Sent by: platform-ui-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx

02/05/2009 12:45 AM

Please respond to
"Eclipse Platform UI component developers list."        <platform-ui-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx>

To	"Eclipse Platform UI component developers list." <platform-ui-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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Subject	[platform-ui-dev] resource navigator

I am proud to be the new component owner for the resource
navigator (RN 
- org.eclipse.ui.views.navigator) and want to use the position to bring
it to an orderly death.

At this point, I think the common navigator (CNF - 
org.eclipse.ui.navigator) does pretty much everything done by the RN 
(one of the last major pieces was the just completed go into).  There
might be a couple more odds and ends, and I will check on all of the 
functionality, but certainly by M6 the CNF will be a superset of the RN.

I propose that we deprecate the RN for the 3.5 release.  This means
that 
we deprecate the API classes, and that we remove the RN view from the 
Show Views menu (alternatively we can leave the Navigator menu item ni
the show views but have it just create a Project Explorer).

To gain community support for this, I will make this proposal on my 
blog, cross-platform-dev, and the platform newsgroup to see if people 
have objections or issues with this.

I will also go through all of the existing bugs on the RN and either 
close them as wont fix or move then to the CNF if they make sense there.

When I mentioned this to Eric, he thought of one possible issue was 
getting access to manipulate raw resources with out interference from 
JDT UI for example.  You could use the RN for this purpose.  You
can 
also easily do this with the Project Explorer by turning off the Java 
content in that little menu on the top right (anyone know what those 
little menus are called?).

If anyone has any objection to this, or further questions, please let me
know.

If I don't hear anything in a couple of days, I will begin my evil plan.

Francis

-- 
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
- Dr Seuss, Oh the Places You'll Go

Francis Upton IV
francis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tel   510 835 3123
Fax   510 779 5226
Cell  510 432 1589
Skype francisupton

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