Re: Re: [platform-update-dev] Non plug-in data that is part of a feature

["Foster, Susan B" <susan.b.foster@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dejan,

So in a case where I want to install a non-plug-in executable that my
plug-in depends on, or a set of data files (lets say gcc, for example),
and I need to use a custom install handler (that I will write by
extending org.eclipse.update.core.DefaultInstallHandler) AND I want to
make it available both as a zip file and through the update site, I must
do the following:

Make sure that the zipFiles directory and its contents are included in
the zip file
Make sure they are not included in the JAR file if I want to make is a
small, easily downloadable archive (in other words, change the feature
project depending on how I want to export the feature)
Make sure that the files are copied correctly to the
com.xyz.update/features/com.xyz.featues_1.1.0/zipFiles directory on the
web site where it is deployed.

If I add something to the zip directory, I have to add it to 2 separate
file locations, and then do 2 exports.

I understand that you want the archives to be small and downloadable,
but I am going to have to download these zip files whether or not they
are part of the feature.jar, or not part of the feature.jar, so it
doesn't save me anything.  It's also not at all clear in the
documentation that you have to implement differently depending on if you
are exporting a feature to a zip, or to a jar for the update site.

Susan
email: susan.b.foster@xxxxxxxxx
phone: 480-552-0927



Susan,

Your theory is correct: you must package the zip file SEPARATELY from
the
feature archive and place it on the server as specified in the spec.

Here is the rational for it: features are meant to be small, easily
downloadable archives. They contain only the required  information to
present features in the UI and make computations like dependencies,
references etc. The actual data is packaged outside of the features.
Typically, the data is packaged as plug-in archives (one per plug-in).
You
can create one or more non-plug-in archives that you place as specified.
These archives may be very large and we didn't want to have a design
where
they make features large and very slow to download only to present them
in
the UI.

Regards,

Dejan Glozic, Ph.D.
Manager, Eclipse Platform Components
D2/MY7/8200/MKM
IBM Canada Ltd.
Tel. 905 413-2745  T/L 969-2745
Fax. 905 413-4854