Chapter 20.  Integrating Code Libraries - Eclipse Rich Client Platform: Designing, Coding, and Packaging Java Applications

Chapter 20. Integrating Code Libraries

Even the most Eclipse-biased developer would concede that the majority of Java libraries out there are not shipped as plug-ins. This chapter discusses the integration of these libraries into Eclipse.

In Part II, you saw that the Smack messaging library proved to be very useful for Hyperbola. In Chapter 10, "Messaging Support," we used the term bundling to capture the idea of adapting or integrating one or more libraries (i.e., JARs) into Eclipse. We also showed you how to use PDE to convert Smack libraries into a bundle.

Bundling is typically a straightforward process, but there are choices to be made and issues to be resolved. In this chapter, we discuss the different bundling variants and common problems that arise when using existing code within Eclipse. In particular, we show you how to:

• Structure plug-ins differently.

• Bundle by injectionAdd bundle metadata to existing JARs.

• Bundle by wrappingWrap JARs with bundle metadata.

• Bundle by referenceAdd bundle metadata beside existing JARs without affecting the JARs, their original location, or their surrounding directory structure.

• Solve common classloading problems.