[eclipse-dev] Launch Configurations

[Darin_Wright@xxxxxxx]

The debug plug-in now officially supports launch configurations (as of integration build 20020326). For the next few weeks, the debug plug-in will support the old style launching (surfaced in the UI as wizards) and launch configurations (surfaced in the UI as a launch configuration dialog). The intent is to phase out the old style of launching by milestone 5, and thus we encourage you to start using launch configurations. Please file bugs and usuability problems with the Debug component (or Java debug component).

There is a preference that controls the "style" of launching, found at "Workbench -> Preferences -> Debug". The preference is at the top of the page. Please switch to "Configuration based" launching. (If you are using a new workspace, you will get this behavior by default).

To create a launch configuration:
* When you press the run or debug button, the launch configuration dialog will appear
* Select the type of launch you would like, for example "Runtime Workbench" for self-hosting, and press "New"
* A set of tabs will appear in the dialog, allowing you to configure the lanuch (defaults usually suffice)
* You can give the configuration a name, and launch it by pressing "Run/Debug" at the bottom of the dialog

Configurations that are launched will appear in the launch history menus in the toolbar. You can organize "favorite" launch configurations via preference settings "Workbench -> Preferences -> Debug -> Launch Configuration History", or via the "Common" launch configruation tab in the launch configuration dialog. Favorite configurations remain in the launch history (i.e. are not cycled as you perform many launches).

Relaunching works as before - via the history menu, and F9 (relaunch last).

There is also a "Single Click" launching mode (enabled via the debug preferences). When this mode is enabled, the debug plug-in does its best to create a launch configuration for the selected element in the workspace, and launch it. We resolve a launch configruation type for a selected resource in the following (prioritized) way:
(1) Checking the resource's default launch configuration type (settable via the property dialog for a resource). If no default is specified, try (2)
(2) Walk the resource's container chain, until a default launch configuration type is found (perhaps on a project or folder). If no default type is specified, try (3)
(3) Check the default launch configuration type associated with the resource's file extension (settable in debug preferences). If no default is specified, give up.


Happy launching,

Darin