Eclipse RCP : make a standalone plugin extending an existing standalone one

Question

I have extended via extension point (add menus and functionnalities) an already existing plugin which has it's own product definition file and it's own class Application implements IApplication. I want to create a Product Configuration(customize splash screen,etc...). Does my plugin need an Application class? I want my plugin to be independant, Standalone with a launcher. Not a fragment. Do I have to inherit already existing plugin Application? Thanks for the tips and tricks.

Answer 1

You should be able to declare your own product (using the org.eclipse.core.runtime.products extension point) specifying the existing application id.

So, for example, to can declare your product like this:

<plugin>
   <extension
          id="product"
          point="org.eclipse.core.runtime.products">
       <product
             name="My product name"
             application="org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.swt.E4Application">
     .... more ....

This example is using the existing application id for the Eclipse E4 application declared in an existing plugin using the org.eclipse.core.runtime.applications extension point.

If the application you are extending is based on Eclipse 4 your product definition will need to include a property for the application XMI file:

<property
       name="applicationXMI"
       value="plugin id/Application.e4xmi">
 </property>

You will need to look at the existing product definition to find the location of the XMI file.

You may also need properties for the CSS file, theme and resources.