[eclipselink-dev] EclipseLink Workbench Utility Proposal

["Doug Clarke" <douglas.clarke@xxxxxxxxxx>]

EclipseLink Developers,

 

We have received permission to check-in the Workbench code under parallel IP review. The only thing we are missing is a location to put it and maintain it. Originally I had proposed creating a separate component but now feel we should take a more generic approach. Since EclipseLink is primarily a runtime project and the Workbench will be a design-time utility (Very rich and valuable utility) I propose we create a Utils component and make the Workbench the first resident of this component.

 

<TRUNK/BRANCH>/utils/eclipselink.utils.workbench

 

Since components last forever and persistence tooling is becoming more IDE dependent based on the use of annotations with XML this gives us a more future looking structure. Components are forever. The only challenge this offers proposal offers is that customers will only be able to file bugs against the Utils components and we will have to use a naming convention in the subject line of the bug to be able to locate bugs of a specific Util (i.e. bug subject lines start with WORKBENCH).

 

NOTE: If there is general agreement with the creation of the Utils component we will need to follow the Eclipse Foundation's procedure to add a new component.

 

In the future I see us adding additional utilities to this component. These are just suggestions at this point to illustrate what the structure might evolve like.

 

<TRUNK/BRANCH>/utils/eclipselink.utils.migration.toplink

<TRUNK/BRANCH>/utils/eclipselink.utils.migration.toplink-essentials

<TRUNK/BRANCH>/utils/eclipselink.utils.migration.common (package re-namer)

 

<TRUNK/BRANCH>/utils/eclipselink.utils.webclient

 

We also must think about how we package the utilities within the shipped ZIP file(s). Do we offer:

 

eclipselink-incubation.zip (runtime)

+

eclipselink-with-utils-incubation.zip (complete)

or

eclipselink-utils-incubation.zip (just utilities)

or

eclipselink-workbench-incubation.zip (separate zip available per component)

 

The packaging decision does not need to be made in today's meeting. As the workbench approaches readiness for use with EclipseLink we can decide. I just wanted to get everyone thinking about what the utils component would mean and also indicate that packaging will need to be decided along the way.

 

Doug

 

Doug Clarke | Principal Product Manager, Oracle 
TopLink 
Oracle Server Technologies
45 
O'Connor, Suite 4000 | Ottawa, ON  K1P 
1A4 Canada