Tersus: How to setup a Plug-in Development Environment

How to setup a Plug-in Development EnvironmentDate: Jan 7, 2009

Step 1: Install Java JRE/SDK:

Versions tested: 5-6

Go to the Java SE Downloads page.
Scroll down to the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6ux section.
Click the Download button to select the appropriate version for your platform, accept the license, and download.
Install the JRE as per the Installation Instructions.
Make a note of the JRE installation directory, we shall refet to it later as [JRE root].

Versions tested: 1.0.2-1.1

Go to the JAF download page.
Scroll down, click the Download button, and follow the instructions to accept the license and download the archive.
Extract the archive and copy jaf-1.1/activation.jar to [JRE root]/lib/ext.

Versions tested: 1.3.3-1.4

Go to the JavaMail API download page.
Scroll down, click the Download button, and follow the instructions to accept the license and download the archive.
Extract the archive and copy javamail-1.4/mail.jar to [JRE root]/lib/ext.

Go to the Java Advanced Imaging (JAI) API download page.
Scroll down, to the CLASSPATH section, click the Download button, and follow the instructions to select your platform, accept the license and download the CLASSPATH install.
Extract the archive and copy the contents of the lib/ subdirectory (JARs and DLLs/SOs) to [JRE root]/lib/ext.

Step 2: Install Eclipse SDK, GEF SDK and Tersus

Download Eclipse SDK (version 3.2 and up are supported) from the Eclipse web site.
Install GEF SDK:
1. Start Eclipse.
2. Select Help -> Software Updates -> Find and Install ... to open Install/Update wizard.
3. In the Feature Updates step, select the Search for new features to install option and click Next >.
4. In the Updates sites to visit step, check the box next to: Graphical Editing Framework (GEF) Update Site and click Finish to search the update site.
5. In the Search Results step, check the Graphical Editing Framework SDK 3.3.2.xxxx branch, and click Finish.
6. Follow the instructions given to you in order to download and install the updates. Note that while installing, one or more Feature Verification warnings will be displayed, in response to which, you may safely click the Install button.
7. When the installation is complete, restart the workbench (Eclipse) as prompted.

Install Tersus by following the instructions in Tersus Studio - Cross Platform Installation - In the Installing Eclipse section, ignore the GEF section.
Make sure your Eclipse recognize the new Java extensions:
1. Select Window -> Preferences... to open the Preferences dialog.
2. In the Java -> Installed JREs category, double click the currently checked
3. Make sure the newly added jars (in section 1.2-4) appear under JRE system libraries. If for some reason they (mail.jar, jai_core.jar, jai_codec.jar, milbwrapper_jai.jar) do not appear add the by clicking on Add External JARs, and select the missing JARs - they should be in: [JRE root]/lib/ext.

Step 3: Test the installation

Run eclipse, switch to the Tersus Modeling perspective, and make sure you can create a simple Tersus project.

Step 4: Insall Subclipse

Start Eclipse.
Select Help -> Software Updates -> Find and Install ... to open Install/Update wizard.
In the Feature Updates step, select the Search for new features to install option and click Next >.
In the Updates sites to visit step, click the New Remote Site... button, enter http://subclipse.tigris.org/update_1.2.x as the new update site's URL and click OK.
Check the box next to the site you have just added and click Finish to search the update site.
In the Search Results step, check the Subclipse 1.2.4 branch, and click Finish.
Follow the instructions given to you in order to download and install the updates. Note that while installing, one or more Feature Verification warnings will be displayed, in response to which, you may safely click the Install button.
When the installation is complete, restart the workbench (Eclipse) as prompted.

Step 5: Import projects (tersus.library & tersus.library.tests) from the Sourceforge Subversion Repository

Switch to the Plug-in Development perspective.
From the menu, choose File -> Import -> Other -> Checkout Projects from SVN.
In the page Create a new repository location, enter the following details:
url: https://tersus.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/tersus/platform/trunk
Select the project tersus.library and tersus.library.tests.
Click Finish to import the projects.

Step 6: Build the tersus.library library file

In the Navigator view, expand the tersus.library project and select the file build-library.xml
Right Click and select Run As -> Ant Build

Step 7: Make sure that the unit tests run properly

Step 8: Make sure you can debug plugins

Open any of the Java classes in the project tersus.library (e.g. tersus.plugins.collections.Appears)
Put a breakpoint in the first statement of the start method.
From the menu, choose Debug->Debug...
Choose the the Tersus Plugin Tests configuration, and start debugging.

The program should stop in your breakpoint at least once (unless there is no test for this plugin - there are a few plugins that don't have a test).

What's next?

To start developing tersus plug-ins, you should acquaint yourself with the Tersus Plug-in development methodology (outlined in this pdf).