| Re: [equinox-dev] RequiresBundle, ImportPackage and virtual providers |
Alex Blewitt wrote:
I was speaking with John Fallows after the conference regarding the differences between Requires-Bundle and Import-Package, and what they can/can't be used for. From what I currently understand, Requires-Bundle allows an ordering between two implementations such that one implementation must be brought up/started before another; and that regardless of the contents of the bundle, I get access to only what that bundle provides to me.
To me it seems like there is some confusion here between deployment-time and run-time dependencies. Both Import-Package and Require-Bundle deal with deployment-time dependencies, neither have anything to do with run-time dependencies...unless I have completely forgotten it...which is not impossible. :-)
From my understanding, it is perfectly reasonable to require a bundle that has not been started and it is not necessary to start the target of the require-bundle in order to use its classes in the dependent bundle.
-> richard