The Eclipse 4.x project aims to make development for Eclipse easier by providing a consistent way to define the user interface, easier styling of applications, and an easy way to use OSGi services. It models the Eclipse workbench and application framework in a way that supports dependency injection, styling with CSS, and a programming model focused on services. While Eclipse 4.x improves the architecture and capabilities, it does not change how developers build applications with Eclipse itself. The presentation provided an overview of the Eclipse 4.x framework and demonstrated features like dependency injection, styling, and compatibility layers.

1. Building Applications with
Eclipse 4.x (e4)
|
Lars Vogel Tom Schindl

2. About Tom
✤
CEO BestSolution Systemhaus GmbH
✤
Eclipse Committer
✤
e4
✤
Platform UI
✤
EMF
✤
Projectlead: UFaceKit, Nebula
✤ Member of the Architectual Council

3. About Lars
Works as independent Eclipse and Android Developer
and Trainer
Maintains http://www.vogella.de Java, Eclipse and
Android related Tutorials with ~40 000 visitors per day
Starting to publish (e)books at Amazon

4. Presentation
w
• Eclipse e4 Overvie
• Model
ion
• Dependency Inject
• Styling
r
• Compatibility Laye
e4
• JavaFX and Eclipse
• Q&A

5. What is the purpose of the
Eclipse 4.x project?

6. Eclipse e4 Scope
Make development for
Eclipse easier

7. It is not making development
with easier.
„Normal“ developer should
see no difference, except...

8. Eclipse 3.x - areas of improvement
• Testing
• Consistent way to define
the UI
• Styling the application
• Easy way to use OSGI
services

9. If I only had a
consistent view of
the Eclipse
workbench
9

10. The e4 Workbench Model
• Workbench window
– Menu with menu items
– Window Trim, e.g. toolbar
with toolbar items
– Parts Sash Container
• Parts
– Part Stack (CTabFolder)
• Parts
– Handlers
– Key Bindings
– Commands

11. Limits of the e4 application model
• Only models the Application (frame)
Modeled
Workbench
Content of the
individual Parts not
included in the
model

12. The e4 Programming Model

13. Dependency Injection in e4
• JSR 330 compatible injection
implementation
– @javax.inject.Inject – Field, Constructor and
Method
– @javax.inject.Named
• e4 specific annotations, e.g. @Optional

14. a
Jav s
Clas Services are injected
via the the e4
framework
public class ListView {
@Inject
private IEclipseContext context;
@Inject
private Logger logger;
@Inject
public ListView(Composite parent) {
// ...

15. e4 CSS Styling

16. How to enable CSS Styling
Property "cssTheme” for extension point
"org.eclipse.core.runtime.products" selects the initial theme
<extension
id="product"
point="org.eclipse.core.runtime.products">
<product
application="org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.swt.E4Application"
name="E4 Contacs Demo">
....
<property
name="cssTheme"
value="org.eclipse.e4.demo.contacts.themes.darkgradient">
</property>
....

17. Example CSS
Label {
font: Verdana 8px;
color: rgb(240, 240, 240);
}
Table {
background-color: gradient radial #575757 #101010 100%;
color: rgb(240, 240, 240);
font: Verdana 8px;
}
ToolBar {
background-color: #777777 #373737 #202020 50% 50%;
color: white;
font: Verdana 8px;
}

18. Eclipse 4.2
planned to be
the basis of
Eclipse Juno SDK
4.2 still has some issues
And there will be Eclipse 3.8

19. e4: Where to go from here:
Eclipse e4 Wiki
http://wiki.eclipse.org/E4
Eclipse 4.2 Application Tutorial – Lars Vogel
http://www.vogella.de/articles/EclipseE4/article.html
Eclipse 4.0 Application Tutorial – Tom Schindl
http://tomsondev.bestsolution.at/2010/07/28/eclipse-4-0-and-tutorial-on-writing-e4-rcp-application-released/

20. Plugins zur Produkt / Feature
• Fügen sie die folgenden Plugins Ihrem Feature
hinzu
– org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.addons.swt
– org.eclipse.equinox.ds
– org.eclipse.equinox.event
– org.eclipse.equinox.util
– org.eclipse.platform
– org.eclipse.ui.forms
– org.eclipse.ui.intro