PDE Usage Scenarios

The following set of scenarios are designed to assist the Eclipse user community explore and test the Plug-in Development Environment (PDE).

Note that the different scenarios are independent of each other and can be executed in any sequence.

If you find a problem with a scenario step:

  1. Open a Bugzilla defect against the PDE/UI component.
  2. Include the build number (e.g. RC1, RC2 etc.).
  3. Always prefix the Summary of the defect with the step number.

Setup


Scenario A: Your first plug-in in less than 10 minutes

Objective:  This is the out-of-the-box experience scenario. We will create a new plug-in, test it and deploy it in less than 10 minutes.

A0. Start the clock

A1. Creating a new plug-in project

A2. Testing the Plug-in

A3. Deploying the Plug-in

A4. Stop the clock


Scenario B:  Variations in Plug-in Project creation

B1. Creating a plug-in with a special encoding

B2. Creating a plug-in with a MANIFEST.MF file

B3. Converting a Java project to a plug-in project

B4.  Manifest files on demand


Scenario C: Plug-in Import and Export

C1. Importing a single plug-in

C2.  Importing plug-ins required by org.eclipse.pde.ui

C3.  Importing with links

C4.  Exporting plug-ins en masse as a directory structure

C5.  Exporting plug-ins in a zip via the wizard and via an Ant task


Scenario D: Plugins View and Dynamic Classpaths

D1.  Opening Files in the Plug-ins View

D2.  Plug-ins View and Target Platform

D3.  Dynamic Classpath


Scenario E: Debugging and Tracing

E1. Transparent Debugging

Objective:  In this scenario, we will demonstrate how you can set breakpoints in source files, class files, linked libraries, external libraries that are part of the Java model, external libraries that are NOT part of the Java model, and how you will be able to debug, step in and out of any file transparently without you being aware where the file is coming from.

E2.  Tracing

E3.  Fine-grained control over the runtime classpath


Scenario F: Search

F1.  Expanding the Java search scope

F2.  Plug-in Search

F3.  Dependency Analysis


Scenario G:  Features and Update Sites

G1.  Feature Creation

G2.  Update Site Creation


Scenario H: Manifest Editors

Testing all the manifest editors that PDE provides (plugin, feature, fragment, site, and schema) exhaustively will quadruple the length of this testing document and consequently quadruple the amount of time it takes to complete the testing of PDE on each platform.

Therefore, I recommend to do adhoc testing on the editors (2-3 minutes on each), mainly to make sure that Eclipse Forms look good on all platforms.