Register a new product definition in the RCP project: edit plugin.xml and insert the following product definition.But first we have to prepare a few other things.

In this file we will later put all the fancy model definitions of our RCP application.

Add an e4 application model file to the RCP project: File > New > Eclipse 4 > Model > New Application Modeltest.rcp as container, give it the name Application.e4xmi, and check Include Default Addons.

Yet some parts can be defined by the e4 model and become a lot easier. This solution has the drawback that some parts of your RCP application have to be defined in code. Instead, we use a classical application (backed by Eclipse 4.X plugins) and add an “ e4 aware product” on top of it. e4 does not allow to pin the “Compatibility Layer”. The product defines the look and feel of the RCP, the application provides the “framework” on which this look and feel can be pinned.

An Eclipse RCP consists of two things: an application, and a product. To use the “Compatibility Layer” of Eclipse 4, do not run an e4-based application, but run a classical Eclipse application.To get a code-base to try out the things I talk about next, create a new RCP project using File > New Project > Plug-In Project, give it a name (let’s call it test.rcp here), and pick the Hello RCP Template to create the project. Please consult a more complete tutorial such as to get into the topic or refresh some details. Here is what I figured out and works for me.įor the rest of this tutorial I assume you are familiar with building Eclipse 3.X RCP applications. So I went for the usual approach in the Eclipse-verse: trial and error. But none showed me how to add a Project Explorer and all the IDE views that I needed for my projects ( and in case you want to know). There are a few quite instructive tutorials out there on how RCP applications with e4 work, for instance. However, I could not find a site that tells me how to use it. While this is neat, the caveat is that e4 currently (August 2012) does not provide views for a number of core features of the old Eclipse 3.x platform including things like the Project Explorer, a Properties View and the like.Įclipse 4.2 comes with a “Compatibility Layer” that makes all the old features that were not ported yet to e4 available. This tutorial shows step-by-step how to add classical Eclipse 3.x views like Project Explorer and the Properties View to an Eclipse e4 Rich Client Platform (RCP) Application.Įclipse 4.2 was released a few weeks ago with the new e4 platform that basically uses an EMF model to describe how your application looks and feels.

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