PDE API Tools
Introduction to API Tools
API tooling will assist developers in API maintenance by reporting API defects such as binary incompatibilities, incorrect plug-in version numbers, missing or incorrect @since tags, and usage of non-API code between plug-ins.
The tooling will be integrated in the Eclipse SDK and will be used in the automated build process.
Specifically, the tooling is designed to do the following:
- Identify binary compatibility issues between two versions of a software component or product.
- Update version numbers for plug-ins (bundles) based on the Eclipse versioning scheme.
- Update @since tags for newly added classes, interfaces, methods, etc.
- Provide new javadoc tags and code assist to annotate types with special restrictions.
- Leverage existing information (in MANIFEST.MF) to define the visibility of packages between bundles.
- Identify usage of non-API code between plug-ins.
- Identity leakage of non-API types into API.
Get involved!
If you are interested in participating in the development of the API Tools component, check out the developer's mailing list: pde-dev@eclipse.org. Chat with people there about your problems and interests, and find out what you can do to help.