[news.eclipse.platform] Re: External Plug-in Modification

[Paul Webster <pwebster@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob wrote:
> The reason I'm looking into this is that our eclipse installation has an ftp 
> client and my target has changed port numbers. I've found the file FTP.java 
> down in a source tree under org.apache.ant_1.5.3 . This file defines the 
> standard port of 21 for the ftp port. I simply desire to change this port 
> number and re-build, create the .jar and put it into my plugins directory 
> under my eclipse installation so that my client will have a different port 
> number. I'm having trouble building this source though.

Why not just set the port in the ant task?

> First off, can this be done with external plugins that come with the 
> installation. I figured that if the source comes with it, then it can be 
> built, but I noticed a line in the PDE guide under the Fragments section 
> that says:
>
> "Since external plug-ins cannot be changed inside the workbench, the 
> environment inherently supports the fact that the fragment should be 
> developed without modifying its target plug-in. "

This is talking about plugin jars that are actually in your 
eclipse/plugins directory.  Normally you would update certain types of 
resources (like language packs) by adding a fragment to the main plugin.

For most external plugins, you can import the plugin as a source plugin, 
make a change, use File>Export...>Deployable plugins and fragments to 
generate a new .jar file.  Then you copy that into your eclipse/plugins 
directory, and restart eclipse with -clean, and you will have a 
"patched" version of eclipse.


> When I import the plugin by Import->External Plug-ins and Fragments
> And then select the ant plugin with added required plugins and choose 
> extract source (because the source in zipped) It build with a ton of errors.


The ant plugin is different, since we take an ant distribution and 
package it as a plugin.  You would probably have to:

1) unjar the plugin.
2) find the ant jar that contains the Ftp.class file
3) replace it with your Ftp.class file (magically generated by you)
4) rejar the plugin, and copy it back into eclipse/plugins directory 
(saving the original, of course)
5) restart eclipse with -clean


I'd really suggest changing the port in the ftp ant task.  Use a 
property that can be given the default, 21, so that if somebody just 
runs it they get 21 and if you pass in your -Dftp.property=8001 you'll 
get your port.

Later,
PW