| Re: [e4-dev] AJAX-based Eclipse Project Explorer |
Hi Christoph,
Would you be able to join us at irc://irc.freenode.net/#eclipse-e4 for some higher-bandwidth communication, with the goal of getting you started? See http://wiki.eclipse.org/IRC for how to connect.
I've tried to answer some question inline below:
Christoph Dorn wrote on 01/20/2009 12:13:45 PM:
>...
> The AJAX-based project explorer could be a big step towards making
> eclipse an IDE on the web. The only thing you have locally is the
> eclipse + plugins (similar to browser + extensions). All project
> data comes from the cloud.
>
> Is it already possible to run _javascript_ plugins in eclipse?
Yes, at least in the e4 context. The support is very rudimentary, using Rhino as the _javascript_ engine. We also did some experiments with using an embedded web browser (e.g. Firefox) which is probably what we would need for what you have in mind.
>...
> If anyone is interested in being my contact and does not mind doing
> some hand-holding in the beginning, please let me know.
Sure, ideally I would do some hand-holding over IRC if that's possible for you.
> I have plans to develop the _javascript_ and server side of things for
> this explorer throughout the year anyway (to be used as an extension
> to Firefox). It would be great to bring along eclipse support at the
> same time, but as mentioned before, for me to try and build this
> into eclipse is like climbing a 100 foot wall at the moment.
Do you think the server side would be implemented in _javascript_ as well, or Java, or some other language?
> Has anyone thought about the development lifecycle of building UI
> _javascript_ plugins for eclipse especially when it comes to
> debugging? One idea might be to build a bridge between eclipse and
> Firebug (running in Firefox) where eclipse instead of sending and
> receiving events to and from it's own JS container could instead
> proxy them to and from a container running within firefox as an
> extension. The advantage would be the ability to use Firebug to
> debug and develop eclipse plugins which may reduce the barrier to
> entry significantly.
>
> I am involved with the Firebug Working Group to build an extension
> ecosystem for firebug and could help in bridging between the two projects.
This is an excellent idea. I have used Firebug but don't know anything about how it works, and would be interested in learning something about this from you.
>...
Boris