The document provides a comprehensive overview of the structure and components of an Eclipse plug-in, detailing essential files such as plugin.xml and manifest.mf, and their roles in both development and runtime. It categorizes plug-ins into jar-based and directory-based types while explaining various runtime files and development-time configurations. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of the build process and dependencies in creating functional plug-ins within the Eclipse framework.

1. The Structure of an Eclipse Plug-in
This is a detailed description of the different parts that makes up an
Eclipse plug-in. The module focuses on the purpose of the different files
of a plug-in such as plugin.xml and the OSGi manifest file, MANIFEST.MF.
The module also describes how plug-ins are developed in Eclipse with
PDE, the Plug-in Development Environment
Redistribution and other use of this material requires written permission from The RCP Company.
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2. Basic Eclipse File Structure
An Eclipse IDE or RCP-based product consists of a rather large number of
files
The more important are the following
 configuration/* – the configuration of the product
 configuration/config.ini – the master configuration file
 plugins/* – the plug-ins of the product
 features/* – the features of the product
 name.exe – the executable that starts the application
 name.ini – application options
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3. What is an Eclipse Plug-in
A plug-in is the smallest functionality that is managed in the Eclipse
platform
Plug-ins are described via a number of configuration files
Plug-ins have different forms under development and runtime
Plug-ins are sometimes deployed individually
 If you need update support, plug-ins must always be deployed as parts
of a feature
A fragment has the same structure as a plug-in with very few changes
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4. What Makes Up a Plug-in at Runtime?
Two types of plug-ins:
 Jar-based
 Directory-based
Directory based plug-ins used when
components outside the Eclipse run-time
component need access to files of the plug-in
This directory based plug-in consists of:
 about.html – textual description of the
plug-in
 junit.jar – archive that contains plug-in
code
 META-INFMANIFEST.MF – the identity of
the plug-in
 plugin.properties – localized strings
 plugin.xml – extension points and
extensions
 In this case the jar file must be accessible
from the tested application
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5. Runtime Files of a Plug-in
OSGi files
 META-INF/MANIFEST.MF – description of OSGi bundle
 .options – options for this specific plug-in
General plug-in files
 plugin.xml and fragment.xml – description of extension points and
extensions of a plug-in
 plugin.properties and fragment.properties – localized strings for the
previous files
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6. Runtime Files of a Plug-in
Product-specific files
 splash.bmp – splash screen used at product start-up
 about.ini – description of a product
 about.properties – localized strings for about.ini
 about.mappings – very simple macro facility for about.properties
 about.html – additional information about plug-in including licensing
 plugin_customization.ini – options for different plug-ins
 plugin_customization.properties – localized strings for
plugin_customization.ini
*.jar – jar files with typically 3rd party functionality
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7. Development-time Files of a Plug-in
Eclipse Project files:
 .project – basic description of Eclipse project
 .classpath – the Java class path for a Java Eclipse project (and thus also
a PDE project)
 .settings – preference store for project level preferences – includes all
property settings for the project
Product specification files
 *.product – product declaration files
Build declarations
 build.properties – build information for Ant with content of the
resulting jar files for the project
Extension Points
 *.exsd – extension point declaration files
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8. MANIFEST.MF File
The OSGi manifest file describes the identify of the plug-in and the
dependencies on other plug-ins
Manifest files are very seldom edited directly!
Manifest-Version: 1.0
Bundle-ManifestVersion: 2
Bundle-Name: %pluginName
Bundle-SymbolicName: com.rcpcompany.training.cm33.core; singleton:=true
Bundle-Version: 2.1.0
Bundle-ClassPath: .
Bundle-Vendor: %providerName
Bundle-Localization: plugin
Bundle-RequiredExecutionEnvironment: J2SE-1.5
Export-Package: com.rcpcompany.training.cm33.core,
com.rcpcompany.training.cm33.core.util
Require-Bundle: org.eclipse.core.runtime,
org.eclipse.emf.ecore;visibility:=reexport
Bundle-ActivationPolicy: lazy
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9. plugin.xml File (3.2 edition)
<extension point="org.eclipse.ui.actionSets">
<actionSet
label="Sample Action Set"
visible="true"
id="Demo.actionSet">
<menu
label="Sample &amp;Menu"
id="sampleMenu">
<separator
name="sampleGroup">
</separator>
</menu>
<action
label="&amp;Sample Action"
icon="icons/sample.gif"
class="demo.actions.SampleAction"
tooltip="Hello, Eclipse world"
menubarPath="sampleMenu/sampleGroup"
id="demo.actions.SampleAction">
</action>
</actionSet>
</extension>
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10. plugin.xml File (3.3 or later edition)
<extension point="org.eclipse.ui.commands">
<command
id="com.rcpcompany.demo.menu33.commands.HelloWorld"
name=”&amp;Sample Action” />
</extension>
<extension point="org.eclipse.ui.commandImages">
<image
commandId="com.rcpcompany.demo.menu33.commands.HelloWorld"
icon="icons/sample.gif” />
</extension>
<extension point="org.eclipse.ui.handlers">
<handler
class="demo.actions.SampleHandler"
commandId="com.rcpcompany.demo.menu33.commands.HelloWorld” />
</extension>
<extension point="org.eclipse.ui.menus">
<menuContribution locationURI="menu:org.eclipse.ui.main.menu">
<menu
id="sampleMenu"
label="Sample Menu"
mnemonic="M">
<command
commandId="com.rcpcompany.demo.menu33.commands.HelloWorld"
id="com.rcpcompany.demo.menu33.commands.HelloWorld.mc.sampleMenu” />
</menu>
</menuContribution>
</extension>
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11. Plug-in Editor
Double-click on the plugin.xml or MANIFEST.MF
opens the editor
Almost all plug-in details can be changed in the
editor
Overview page displays basic plug-in
information
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12. Dependencies Page
Displays dependant plug-ins
 Created by tools when the plug-in type is
chosen
 New dependences can be added
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13. Runtime Page
Displays runtime information such as plug-in
classpath
Populated by the tools based on inputs from
wizards
Additional libraries can be added to the
classpath
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14. Extensions Page
Displays plug-in extensions
 Created by the tool based on the plug-in
type
 Extensions can be added
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15. Extension Points Page
Displays plug-in extension points
 This example is taken from the
org.eclipse.ui plug-in
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16. Build and build.properties Pages
Interface to the build.properties file
 specifies which .jar files to generate
Also describes which non-Java files that are part
of the generated .jar file
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17. Development Time and Runtime
The format and content of a plug-in differs slightly between development
time (in PDE) and runtime
 A development time plug-in is valid as a runtime plug-in
 A runtime plug-in does not include any sources – whether they are Java
or XML files
 Normally a runtime plug-in is packaged as a single jar file, except

when the plug-in contains multiple jar files – e.g. 3rd party

when the plug-in contains writable files – almost never
 The exact content of the runtime edition of a plug-in is controlled in the
Build tab of plugin.xml editor

If your icons are red and translations are missing, then you probably
forgot to tick files in the Build tab…
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18. More Information
Platform Plug-in Developer Guide
 http://help.eclipse.org/help33/index.jsp
OSGi Specifications
 http://osgi.org/osgi_technology/download_specs.asp?section=2
“OSGi Bundle Manifest Headers”
 http://help.eclipse.org/ganymede/topic/org.eclipse.platform.doc.isv/
reference/misc/bundle_manifest.html
“Eclipse Plug-in Migration Guide”
 http://help.eclipse.org/ganymede/nav/2_3
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