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Home » Newcomers » Newcomers » Extending Java, thus extending Plugs In
Extending Java, thus extending Plugs In [message #152652] Mon, 15 May 2006 20:07 Go to next message
Eclipse UserFriend
Originally posted by: marcos.diez.fibertel.com.ar

Hello folks,

I am developing a set of extensions for the Java language to add features
taken from the Icon and Parrot languages: declarative, goal oriented
programming, automatic process/data backtracking, assignable generators
(methods able to return a sequence of values, and to eventually modify the
returned value source data), partial co-expressions support, a BNF
resembling syntax to build parsers taken from Icon and extended with
pattern matching cuantifiers, alternatives commitment to control
backtracking and markers to prevent infinite left recursion).

By now these features are being implemented by means of a Java code
generator which transforms them, but lacks integration with the Java
compiler and it isn't user friendly at all.

One of my goals is to support the language in an IDE like Eclipse, but I
realized much of the generator code work may be done from within the
Eclipse framework, I mean:

Given the ogiginal source code in this new language, this theoretical
plug-in should:
1) translate the propietary features to Java in a .java source,
2) deal wth the .java source as Eclipse usually does BUT:
3) The references for errors and from the debugger would have to be
"mapped bak" to the original language source code (perhaps aided by tags
added into the .java code?).

The idea is avoid the programmer to deal with the Java translated program
version (at least as the default behavior).

I guess it'd be easiest to extend the current Java plug-in to specalize
the behavior when in front of the new language files, than to start over
from the scratch.

Besides this, the current lack of integration with the compiler comes from
the complexity certain dependences have, related to the "generator" and
"assignable generator" new type of methods that the Class interface isn't
enough to support (i.e. how to know when a compiled class method is a
generator), something that today relies in some heuristics.

I am planning to open this project, perhaps at SourceForge, because so far
I did this alone and I am looking for collaboration, but I am a newbie
both for SourceForge and for Eclipse, and I am needing help.

So my questions are:
A) What I want to do, can be succesfully done whith Eclipse, with the
current tools?
B) If someone did something like this before, the effort saved with this
approach worth the work overload that would mean both to start over and to
integrate the desired features within the IDE?
C) Where would you suggest me to start gathering the information required
for a developer to accomplish this goal? (there is a roadmap?)
D) How to get in touch with current Eclipse plug-ins developers as to see
f someone get interested in this project, or to find if this project
resembles another one of their own being currently developed, and
ultimatelly to seek for collaboration?

Thank you very much, an I appologize for the long post.
Re: Extending Java, thus extending Plugs In [message #152660 is a reply to message #152652] Mon, 15 May 2006 20:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Eclipse UserFriend
Originally posted by: jefmyers.us.ibm.com

I'd suggest looking at how the Web Tools Project's JSP editor works. It
too is backed by generated Java and is able to correspond line numbers
in the JSP source to errors, debug, etc. Sounds pretty similar to what
you're trying to accomplish.

Hope this helps,
- Jeff
Re: Extending Java, thus extending Plugs In [message #152781 is a reply to message #152660] Tue, 16 May 2006 15:29 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Eclipse UserFriend
Originally posted by: marcos.diez.fibertel.com.ar

Jeff,

Thank you very much, it helps a lot.

You're right, JSP is the perfect model for my project.

There's a question that remains unanswered yet, because as far as I know,
JSP code transformation rely on an external engine. However, for the tool
to be able to correspond line numbers in JSP code, it should "understand"
this correspondence, thus the JSP syntax and semantics. It seems to me
that the ability to transform JSP into Java code is just at one step of
distance from here, and I don't know if the Web Tools Project's JSP editor
already does these transformation or still rely on the external engine (or
if it's integrated), sice this would be my purpose.

The question then would be: how "long" is this step to acomplish from
within the tool? In your opinion, doest it worth the effort to try this
approach?

Thanks again.
Marcos
Re: Extending Java, thus extending Plugs In [message #152824 is a reply to message #152781] Tue, 16 May 2006 18:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Eclipse UserFriend
Originally posted by: jefmyers.us.ibm.com

Marcos,

I don't know enough about the JSP editor to answer your question
properly. Maybe you should ask it on the eclipse.webtools newgroup?

- Jeff
Thank you - Re: Extending Java, thus extending Plugs In [message #153465 is a reply to message #152824] Fri, 19 May 2006 22:39 Go to previous message
Eclipse UserFriend
Originally posted by: marcos.diez.fibertel.com.ar

Jeff,

Thank you very much.


-Marcos
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