1, Eclipse and RCP overview
(1) What is RCP
l RCP (RICH Client Platform) provides a universal Eclipse workbench that allows developers to extend and construct their own applications.
l An RCP application includes at least one custom plugin while using the same user interface element as Eclipse 3.0 IDE.
(2) SWT and JFACE
l SWT (Standard Widget Toolkit): Provides a set of API-independent APIs, closely integrating with the local window environment of the operating system; SWT methods provide developers to use cross-platform API to implement "Feel-Like" solutions; The toolbox overcomes many design and implementation weighing developers in using Java AWT or JFC.
l JFACE: Provides a user interface API that is not related to the platform; it extends SWT and interact with the SWT; the library provides a range of components and utilities to simplify many public tasks in the development of the SWT user interface; The boxes include many tool classes that extend SWTs to provide data view, wizard, and dialog assembly, text operation, and image and font components.
l SWT and JFACE are already included in Eclipse 3.0, which can use SWT and JFACE in the development of RCP applications.
(3) Eclipse's plugin architecture
l In addition to forming the basic files of the Eclipse platform, all other features of Eclipse are implemented by using plugins.
l Plugin is the basic construction block used by the developer to add new features to the environment.
l Eclipse runtime environment is responsible for managing the life cycle of internal plugins in the table
l All plugins of specific environments are located in the plugin folder of the RCP application directory structure.
l When performing actions, the Eclipse runtime environment will find all available plugins and use this information to create a global Plugin registry.
l Let the plugin participate in the table, the plugin must define a set of expansions
l Extensions can directly add functions to the basis, or expand other existing extensions.
l Each extension is defined in the inventory file of the plugin, which describes how all the extensions in the Eclipse run are interoperable and define the necessary dependencies.
