Supercharge Your IDE with the Google Plugin for Eclipse
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Bringing the Cloud to Eclipse
- New Features of the Google Plugin for Eclipse
- Getting Code from Google Project Hosting into Eclipse
- Using Google APIs in Your Project
- Deploying Your Project to Google App Engine
- Integration with SpringSource
- Rollback Functionality
- Importing External Projects
- Integration with Maven and Ivy
Bringing the Cloud to Eclipse
In this article, we will discuss the Google Plugin for Eclipse and its role in bringing the cloud to your IDE. We will explore the new features of the plugin, including the ability to easily import code from Google Project Hosting, utilize Google APIs in your project, and deploy your project to Google App Engine. Additionally, we will touch on integration with SpringSource, the availability of rollback functionality, the ability to import external projects, and integration with Maven and Ivy.
Introduction
The Google Plugin for Eclipse (GPE) is a collection of plugins that seamlessly integrates with the Eclipse platform, allowing developers to write web applications using the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) and App Engine for Java. It provides a user-friendly interface for developers to Create and develop web apps, making use of the powerful tools and features offered by Eclipse. GPE works with Eclipse versions 3.4 through 3.6, with support for Eclipse 3.7 coming soon.
New Features of the Google Plugin for Eclipse
The latest version of GPE, version 2.4 beta, introduces several new features that enhance the development experience for GWT and App Engine projects. These features include improved integration with Google Project Hosting, the ability to easily leverage various Google APIs in your project, and support for deploying to App Engine backends. These new features make it easier than ever to develop cloud-Based web applications using GWT and App Engine.
Getting Code from Google Project Hosting into Eclipse
Google Project Hosting is a version control platform in the cloud that provides developers with features such as repository hosting, issue tracking, and project management. GPE allows developers to easily import code from Google Project Hosting into Eclipse by providing a simple interface that connects to the cloud-based repository and retrieves the code. This feature streamlines the process of bringing code from Google Project Hosting into your Eclipse project, saving developers time and effort.
Using Google APIs in Your Project
Google offers a wide range of APIs that developers can leverage to enhance the functionality of their web applications. With GPE, developers can easily add these APIs to their projects with just a few clicks. GPE provides a list of available Google APIs, along with a description and version information, allowing developers to choose the APIs that best suit their needs. Once an API is selected, GPE handles the installation and configuration of the API, making it ready to use in the project. This feature simplifies the process of integrating Google APIs into your web application, giving developers access to the powerful capabilities offered by these APIs.
Deploying Your Project to Google App Engine
Google App Engine is a cloud computing platform that allows developers to write and deploy web applications in Java or Python. With GPE, deploying your project to App Engine is a simple process. GPE automatically handles the deployment of your project, including the compilation and packaging of your code, and uploads it to the App Engine platform. Once deployed, your application will be accessible through a unique URL provided by App Engine. This feature makes it easy for developers to build and deploy web applications that can Scale with the demands of their users.
Integration with SpringSource
GPE also offers integration with SpringSource, a popular dependency injection framework for enterprise Java applications. This integration allows developers to build GWT and App Engine projects using the powerful tools and features provided by SpringSource. While the integration between GPE and SpringSource is still a work in progress, the goal is to provide developers with an efficient and seamless development experience when using these technologies together.
Rollback Functionality
GPE provides rollback functionality in the event of an incomplete or failed deployment. If a deployment is interrupted, GPE Prompts the user to run a command line utility to Roll back the changes made during the deployment process. This ensures that the project is reverted to its previous state and prevents any potential issues caused by incomplete or failed deployments.
Importing External Projects
GPE currently allows developers to import their own projects into Eclipse for development. However, there is limited support for importing external projects, such as projects found on code.google.com. Developers are currently unable to import and explore these projects in Read-only mode without committing changes. This is an area that GPE could improve upon in the future, to provide developers with more flexibility in exploring and experimenting with external projects.
Integration with Maven and Ivy
GPE currently supports importing Google APIs into Maven and Ivy projects. When adding a Google API to a Maven project, GPE will automatically add the necessary dependencies to the project's pom.xml file. However, full support for Maven and Ivy, including the ability to automatically manage dependencies and configure the build path, is still a work in progress. GPE aims to simplify the integration of Google APIs with popular build and dependency management tools, providing developers with a seamless development experience.
In conclusion, the Google Plugin for Eclipse is a powerful tool for developers looking to harness the potential of the cloud in their web applications. With features such as integration with Google Project Hosting, support for Google APIs, and seamless deployment to Google App Engine, GPE enables developers to build and deploy scalable and feature-rich web applications with ease. Furthermore, the integration with SpringSource, rollback functionality, and planned improvements in the integration with Maven and Ivy help make GPE a comprehensive and user-friendly development environment.
FAQ:
Q: Can I import and explore external projects from code.google.com in read-only mode?
A: Currently, GPE only allows the import of your own projects. Importing and exploring external projects in read-only mode is not supported at this time.
Q: Is there support for Maven and Ivy integration in GPE?
A: GPE currently supports importing Google APIs into Maven projects. However, full support for Maven and Ivy, including automatic dependency management, is still in development.
Q: How can I rollback an incomplete or failed deployment in GPE?
A: GPE provides a rollback functionality that allows you to revert the changes made during a deployment. When a deployment is interrupted or unsuccessful, GPE prompts you to run a command line utility to perform the rollback.
Q: Is the integration between GPE and SpringSource still in progress?
A: Yes, the integration between GPE and SpringSource is still being developed. While GPE currently supports Roo-generated GWT apps and is compatible with SpringSource Tool Suite, future updates may provide further integration and features.