You are here: ProjetSEG Web>QuickEclipseResourcesFacts (30 Jan 2005)
I read through the chapter on resources in the Eclipse book I have here. Here are the main discoveries.

  • The term 'workspace' has two definitions
    1. file system folder
    2. the main UI container in Eclipse

  • A workspace contains 0 to many projects. A workspace cannot contain anything else than projects.
  • Projects contain folders and files.
  • Folders contain folders and files.

  • When dealing with resources in Eclipse, you have to deal with (simultaneously):
    1. The file system
    2. The resource API
  • The resource API contains a set of interfaces and classes to manage the workspace.
  • Everything starts with the IWorkspaceRoot. All resources (including the workspace root) are IResources.
  • There can only be one workspace root at a time in Eclipse.
  • You must always use the resource API to take advantage of the event notifications.

  • The file system and resource API are not synchronized automatically. A file can exist on disk but not be in the workspace and an IFile can be in the navigator but not yet exist on disk.
  • Your goal is to manage both, in a consistent fashion.
  • There are function calls to refresh/synchronize both.

  • An example (imperfect but acceptable) workflow would be:
    1. get file handle (IFile f = folder.getFile("blah.txt");)
    2. if (f.exists()) // in workspace
      • write to it (stream of bytes)
    3. else if (file exists in file system)
      • error .. blind overwrite? synch?
    4. else
      • create the file in the workspace (will create for you on disk)

  • the .getFile() method above will always return an IFile, even if it isn't in the workspace.
  • if you want to know if something is in the workspace, use the findXXX() methods (which returns null if not found).

  • Resources can be derived, meaning built by something else. Won't be stored in the repository.
  • Resources can be read only. File system properties will be propagated automatically.

  • Resources have properties. 1. Session: until the resource is deleted, the project is closed or eclipse is closed 1. Persistent: until deleted.
  • From my (limited) understanding, neither are versioned. They are stored in the .metadata folder.

  • There exists an extensive framework for change listeners, change deltas, visitors for change delta trees.
-- Jason Kealey - 31 Jan 2005
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Topic revision: r1 - 30 Jan 2005 - 19:25:08 - Jason Kealey
 
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