Eclipse "New and Noteworthy" Template

Last revised 2010-11-30.

This is the template for the "New and Noteworthy" document that accompanies each Eclipse project milestone build.

Note: This template document is XHTML 1.0 Transitional. Please use the W3C XHTML Markup Validation Service to check your document's markup before submitting. This will detect screwed up HTML tags, images without an "alt" attribute, and other tedious little details.

Instructions
Item title, in sentence style, no trailing punctuation, with unique id attribute on <tr> A blurb pitched to the Eclipse community (not just to members of the Eclipse Platform development team). Tell end users about changes they'll see in the UI. Tell component writers about changes they'll see at the client- and server-side APIs. Try to generate some excitement; save the boring details for the manual. The description should be complete sentences, with trailing punctuation.

Use active voice (say "you", not "the user"), and follow other advice in the Topic Content section of the Eclipse Doc Style Guidelines.

Stick to the default font and size. Make command names (Quick Fix), keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+1), and preference page paths (Preferences > General > Keys) bold.

Do not enclose the first paragraph of an item in <p></p> tags.

Screenshots If a small image sheds light, place it below the description, in a separate paragraph. Regular screen snapshots should be done on Windows XP. Crop out any extraneous stuff to focus the reader's attention on your new feature. The image should be no more than 519 pixels wide and in PNG format (as opposed to GIF, TIF, BMP, or JPG). Use PNG-8 if your image doesn't have a lot of color, or PNG-24 if the screen shot uses enough color to warrant additional color depth. See also the Graphics section of the Eclipse Doc Style Guidelines.

Microsoft Paint actually saves to PNG on Windows XP and can easily be used to crop and save screenshots:

  • Arrange the windows for the shot
  • Use the Print Screen key (or Alt+Print Screen) to capture the screen
  • Open Paint (under All Programs > Accessories)
  • Ctrl+V to paste
  • Select the area you want to keep
  • Ctrl+C to copy it
  • Ctrl+N to create a new canvas (ok to discard old one)
  • Ctrl+V to paste selected portion
  • Save As > PNG

Name the file is a way that is appropriate and specific to the item (e.g., key-bindings.png, rather than something generic like image.png). Use all lowercase letters in the image file name, including the ".png" file extension. As a separator, use hyphen "-" rather than underscore "_".

Put all the images in a sibling directory named "images". This gives HTML like <img src="images/foo.png" alt="The Foo View" />. Include a suitable alt property (which is mandatory in XHTML 1.0). Do not embed the width and height of the image.

The images should be left justified (as opposed to centered).

Use the W3C XHTML Markup Validation Service to check your document's markup before submitting.

Platform
First item Item blurb.
Second item Item blurb.

Platform 4.1

JDT

PDE
PDE migrated to Git repository All PDE code has been migrated from CVS to a Git repository.

PDE UI and API Tools code can be accessed at git://git.eclipse.org/gitroot/pde/eclipse.pde.ui.git

PDE Build code can be accessed at git://git.eclipse.org/gitroot/pde/eclipse.pde.build.git

PDE UI and API Tools code can be accessed at git://git.eclipse.org/gitroot/pde/eclipse.pde.incubator.git

Bundle classpath resolution API The org.eclipse.pde.core.bundleClasspathResolvers extension point allows you to dynamically add additional content to the runtime classpath and source lookup path of workspace plug-ins at launch time.
Import from repository in Package Explorer view By using File > Import... > Import Plug-ins and Fragments you can import the source code for a plug-in from your installation if the plug-in has the necessary manifest header. Now you can access this functionality directly from the Package Explorer and Project Explorer views by right clicking on a plug-in in a project's Plug-in Dependencies classpath container and selecting Import from Repository....

Import from repository in package explorer view

The import operation is also available from the Target Platform State, Plug-in Dependencies views. When right clicking on an item in those views, if PDE is able to import them there will be an Import menu.

Import from repository in target platform state view