Eclipse Extension Pts in Rational Team Concert

[dathree]

Hello,

I am working with an IBM tool called Rational Team Concert (RTC).  It is being used primarily as a source control application but since it is based on Eclipse, it can also handle code editing functions; ergo I bought the plugin.

The plugin itself works fine, but once it is loaded into the framework, it interferes with the display of some of the other windows in RTC.  These other windows are not code files but present project information.  The windows are typically drawn with frames to separate and present the information.

I first called IBM's tech support because I thought it was a problem with RTC.  After a lot of experimenting and working with their rep it appears that the SE plugin becomes the default for all file types and SE cannot render RTC specific windows.  The experiments included the following:

• Start RTC with no windows open.  Open WorkItem first.  Success; WorkItem view is displayed correctly.
• Start RTC with no windows open.  Open CPP file first.  Open WorkItem.  Failure; WorkItem view is NOT displayed correctly.
• Start RTC with no windows open.  Open CPP file first.  Close CPP file.  Open WorkItem.  Failure; WorkItem view is NOT displayed correclty.
• Start RTC with CPP window open.  Open WorkItem.  Failure; WorkItem view is NOT displayed correctly.
• Start RTC with WorkItem open.  WorkItem is displayed correctly.  Open CPP file.  Both WorkItem and CPP file are displayed correcly.  Close WorkItem and re-open it.  Failure; WorkItem is NOT displayed correctly.

Essentially, it appears that the RTC specific views are fine until the SE component is loaded.  The IBM tech support person had some previous experience with the Eclipse framework and believes that the problem might lie within the way that SE implements the file association part of the framework.  I have included his 'guess' below.


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Based on what we observed during the web session, it is pretty clear to me the problem is caused by the interference of the SE editor plugins.

The way eclipse framework works, on top of the foundation plugins that it provides, it also provide a set of extension points, to allow third party vendors to contribute their own features/plugins by implementing the corresponding extension point. RTC itself is actually a set of eclipse plugins, and some of them (e.g. the work item editor plugin) implement some of the extension points.

Because eclipse framework allows multiple implementation of the same extension point, so essentially, you can have different vendor plugins implementing the same *editor* extension point, a many to one situation. BTW, there could be different types of *editor* extension point, not just one.

In this case, the SE editor plugin must have implemented the same *editor* extension point that RTC work item plugins implements. Normally it should be OK, as long as each plugins behaves itself. But in this case, it seems that the SE editor plugin overwrites the RTC plugin extension.

Since RTC is free to download from jazz.net, I would suggest you post this problem to their forum by suggesting their development to download RTC and debug their plugin along with RTC. It is likely that one of the plugin configuration corresponding to the "editor" extension that has been defined incorrectly, causes the problem.

That is all I can share based on my old eclipse knowledge .
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I have also attached a few pictures showing the WorkItem displayed properly, when it is not, the File Associations and the installed components.  Let me know what else I can do to help.

Thank you for your support.

[Ryan]

I think the problem might just be that these work item files are extensionless, and we have a setting in our plugin to force extensionless files to open by default with the SlickEdit editor.  Try turning this to False at Window > SlickEdit Preferences > File Options > Load > Open extensionless files with SlickEdit.  Does this make a difference?

- Ryan

[dathree]

WOW!!!

I love the simple solution.  That worked great!

Thank you so much.

 

[pbrightly]

  Try turning this to False at Window > SlickEdit Preferences > File Options > Load > Open extensionless files with SlickEdit. 

I had the same exact problem.  I'm new to RTC, but an old slick-bigot.  This was a very disconcerting problem to hit the first time I used the trial plugin.  Is there any way the installer can detect RTC and just....turn extension-less default off?  It sounds like an easy way to make the first impression a good one.

[Ryan]

We might just end up turning this option off by default for our upcoming 3.7.0 release.

It is great to have for people working with extensionless source files (like extensionless C/C++ header files, for example) because Eclipse has no way of assigning a default editor to extensionless files.  Constantly trying to open these files with SlickEdit becomes a real pain.

We have had a few reports of people having problems with this, though, when dealing with "special" files within Eclipse-based products that need to be opened with a specific editor, and are extensionless.  I think I am leaning towards just making this false by default, and hopefully making it visible enough so that those who need it can find it.  As you said, first impressions are important.  Thanks for the feedback.

- Ryan