[news.eclipse.platform] P2 and unresolved dependencies

[Roy Paterson <roy.paterson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm having a problem with P2 and unresolved dependencies.  I make a 
product which is packaged as an Eclipse feature that my customers 
install in to their existing Eclipse installs.  My product integrates 
with several 3rd-party team provider plugins, e.g. CVS (from Eclipse), 
Subclipse, P4WSAD, Clearcase, etc...

Various bits of my code depend on code in those 3rd-party plugins. 
Typically a customer will only have one team plugin installed, for the 
SCM system they're using.  To support this my feature includes "adapter" 
plugins, one for each of those 3rd party plugins.  My "adapter" plugins 
each require one of the 3rd-party plugins.  My core plugin provides an 
extension point which my adapter plugins implement.  In a typical 
installation, only one of my 3rd party plugins would resolve, and my 
core code would use that one.

This pattern worked fine in Eclipse 3.0 - 3.3, but seems to have 
problems with Eclipse 3.4, specifically with P2.  I am able to install 
my feature with no errors and it works fine.  However if I then try and 
install anything else P2 gives me lots of "Unsatisfied dependency" errors:

Cannot complete the request.  See the details.
Unsatisfied dependency: [com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.accurev 
5.0.5001.1048] requiredCapability: osgi.bundle/com.accurev.eclipse/0.0.0
Unsatisfied dependency: [com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.perforce 
5.0.5001.1048] requiredCapability: osgi.bundle/com.perforce.team.core/0.0.0
Unsatisfied dependency: [com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.perforce 
5.0.5001.1048] requiredCapability: osgi.bundle/com.perforce.p4api/0.0.0
Unsatisfied dependency: [com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.perforce 
5.0.5001.1048] requiredCapability: osgi.bundle/com.perforce.team.ui/0.0.0
Unsatisfied dependency: [com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.perforce 
5.0.5001.1048] requiredCapability: osgi.bundle/com.perforce.team.core/0.0.0
Unsatisfied dependency: [com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.perforce 
5.0.5001.1048] requiredCapability: osgi.bundle/com.perforce.team.ui/0.0.0
Unsatisfied dependency: [com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.perforce 
5.0.5001.1048] requiredCapability: osgi.bundle/com.perforce.p4api/0.0.0
Unsatisfied dependency: [com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.accurev 
5.0.5001.1048] requiredCapability: osgi.bundle/com.accurev.eclipse/0.0.0
Unsatisfied dependency: 
[com.smartbear.collaborator.base.feature.feature.group 5.0.5001.1048] 
requiredCapability: 
org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu/com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.accurev/[5.0.5001.1048,5.0.5001.1048]
Unsatisfied dependency: 
[com.smartbear.collaborator.base.feature.feature.group 5.0.5001.1048] 
requiredCapability: 
org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu/com.smartbear.collaborator.ui.perforce/[5.0.5001.1048,5.0.5001.1048]

P2 is correct in a sense - those 3rd-party plugins ARE required by my 
plugins, and they can't resolve.  But this is working as designed, and 
was not a problem before P2.

So how should this work?  Is there a different way I should be 
implementing this 3rd-party-plugin integration pattern?  At any rate it 
seems like a bug for P2 to allow my plugin to install and work, but then 
complain later when I try to install something unrelated.

Thanks,
Roy Paterson
Smart Bear Software