The Spaces team has set up a chat "support center" on IRC (irc.mainloop.net, channel "spaces") to help out if you get stuck. (If you depart from the explicitly supported use cases, there’s a good chance you will. After all, you're using M1 code!)

We're manning the support channel roughly 24/7 from March 6 through the end of EclipseCon. You'll need an IRC client to reach us: we suggest ECF, Chatzilla or Trillian. If you're using Chatzilla, enter url irc://irc.mainloop.net/spaces in the Firefox browser url and you'll be live on IRC.

How to Consume a Space

Plug-ins can be published at Spaces as binary-only (just the executable plug-in for installation in Eclipse), or source-only (just the source code for materialization in an Eclipse workspace), or both.

Consuming a Binary Plug-in

The most common way to install a binary Spaces-published plug-in is to use the classic Eclipse update manager:
  1. Open the Update Manager
    "Help" > "Software Update" > "Find and Install" > "Search for New Features To Install"
  2. Add a Remote Site
    Press "New Remote Site" and enter "My Friend's Space" and enter the Space Update Site URL that they provided

  3. Install from that Remote Site
    1. Check-select that box and press "Finish"
    2. Check-select the feature(s) you want to install from the Space
    3. Step through the install dialog, answering all the questions, etc.
    4. Restart Eclipse
  4. The Plug-ins are Installed
    That's all there is to it - the plug-ins from Spaces are now installed in your Eclipse and ready for you to use and enjoy.

Consuming a Source Plug-in

To materialize the source for a Spaces-published plug-in, you use the Spaces import wizard: (of course the Space must include source)
  1. Install the Spaces plug-in in your Eclipse.
  2. Open the Import Wizard
    "File" > "Import" > "Import from Spaces extended Update Site"
  3. Materialize the Source Plug-in(s)
    1. Enter the Space Update Site URL and select "Installing all bundles as workspace projects"
    2. Press "Finish"
  4. The Source Projects are in your Workspace
    That's all there is to it - the source projects from Spaces are now in your workspace and ready for you to examine, modify, patch, use, and enjoy.
Incubation
Incubation