Installing Eclipse Plugins

  1. Installing Eclipse Plugins
    1. Git Version Control Plugin
      1. Git plugin (EGit) on Ubuntu
      2. On other systems (or if you want newer version on Ubuntu)
      3. Using EGit
        1. Changing credentials
    2. Optional Plugins
      1. Make Eclipse run the currently open test
      2. PyDev
      3. oXygen XML editor
      4. CMakeLists.txt editor
      5. CellML metadata editing
    3. Old SVN Instructions (for Eclipse Ganymede onwards, and some user projects)
      1. Subversion support: subclipse
    4. Installing plugins in CLPC machines (Oxford Dept. of Computer Science only)
    5. Even Older Instructions

See also SetupEclipse (for user settings once plugins are installed).

Git Version Control Plugin

EGit is the official Eclipse Git plugin: ​http://www.eclipse.org/egit

Git plugin (EGit) on Ubuntu

  1. Installation sudo apt-get install eclipse-egit

On other systems (or if you want newer version on Ubuntu)

  1. Use the Install New Software menu option inside Eclipse, and add 
    http://download.eclipse.org/egit/updates

as a remote update site.

N.B. this only works if you have a relatively up to date version of eclipse, you might need to use ​older update sites for of EGit to work with ​older versions of eclipse.

Using EGit

  1. Re-start eclipse
  2. Open perspective: Window -> Open Perspective -> Other -> Git Repository Exploring
  3. Clone: select "Clone a Git Repository and add the clone to this view" with https://chaste.cs.ox.ac.uk/git/chaste.git
  4. You might want to store your Chaste username/password at this point (if you are on your own private machine)
  5. You might want to only toggle the develop branch
  6. Select destination directory within the eclipse workspace: $HOME/eclipse/workspace/Chaste or similar. (If you want to reuse the old location for the Chaste code then make sure that you move/erase it from Eclipse.)
  7. (Back in the Git repository explorer) Select "Import Projects -> Import as existing projects"
  8. Switch to C/C++ perspective

Notes:

  • git commit is on Team -> Commit (or CTRL-#)
  • git push is on Team -> Push to Upstream.
    • If you don't have username set or you are attempting to push into the wrong place (MASTER) then you don't get a helpful message and it's not easy to reconfigure. If this is the case, then drop to the command line.
  • There's problem with the symlinks in app/texttest/weekly. This is a known bug which has ​workaround.

Changing credentials

EGit seems to be incapable of prompting for username/password when it doesn't have it. I've no idea how we can manage this is we're to use it for paired-programming. Store your credentials:

  1. In the Git repository explorer open "Remotes -> origin -> red arrowed url -> Change credentials"
  2. Enter new username/password
  3. You need to store this permanently with a master password. If you get No secure storage modules found. then go "Window -> Preferences -> General -> Security -> Secure storage" and in "Password" tab ensure that "UI Prompt" is toggled.

Optional Plugins

These aren't essential for Chaste development, but are very useful for editing some of the non-C++ files.

Make Eclipse run the currently open test

You may also want to set this up MakeEclipseBuildTheTestThatIsOpen.

PyDev

There is a plugin for python development, called PyDev. The remote site is at ​http://pydev.org/updates

To use it you need to go to Window->Preferences and expand the Pydev section.

  • You'll want to change at least the 'Interpreter - Python' subsection to add a new interpreter /usr/bin/python.
  • Check the 'Pydev->Editor' settings to make sure you're using spaces not tabs.
  • It's also worth going to 'General->Editors->File Associations', adding File types 'SConscript' and 'SConstruct', and associating the Python Editor with them.

Also go to Project->Properties, select the "PyDev - PYTHONPATH" section, and Add source folders "Chaste/python" and "Chaste/python/pycml". This will enable more static checking of Python code.

oXygen XML editor

This is very helpful for editing XML schemas and parameters files. It can be downloaded as a separate Java program from ​http://www.oxygenxml.com, and an eclipse plugin is available for newer eclipse versions (follow instructions as for subclipse above, but use the remote site ​http://www.oxygenxml.com/InstData/Author/Eclipse/site.xml) ​some more instructions here. Oxford has a site licence, available from ​https://register.oucs.ox.ac.uk/self/software, which should cover the latest version.

CMakeLists.txt editor

Install ​CMakeEd to get syntax highlighting and context-sensitive help for editing CMakeLists.txt files. The update site is http://master.dl.sourceforge.net/project/cmakeed/eclipse/site.xml

CellML metadata editing

These plugins are useful for editing source:trunk/python/pycml/oxford-metadata.ttl​.

See ​Xturtle installation instructions. You may need to use the update site https://cdn.rawgit.com/AKSW/Xturtle/gh-pages/site.xml for Xturtle itself - their non-oomph instructions look a little out of date! You also need http://download.eclipse.org/modeling/tmf/xtext/updates/composite/releases/ for Xtext Redistributable.

You may need to update preferences General -> Editors -> File Associations to associate .ttl files with the Xturtle Editor by default.

Old SVN Instructions (for Eclipse Ganymede onwards, and some user projects)

You can also download eclipse with support for C++ already set up. To check if your Eclipse has C++ support look for "Window->Open Perspective->C/C++". If this menu option is missing (it might be just hiding in the "Window->Open Perspective->Other..." section, this is fine) then follow the instructions for installing the CDT plugin at the bottom of this page first. If you do have a C++ perspective you don't need 'CDT' and you can continue with this section.

If your Eclipse is new enough to have the Eclipse Marketplace feature, then that provides an easier installation route for many plugins (including subclipse, subversive & pydev). Go to Help -> Eclipse Marketplace...

Subversion support: subclipse

Edit Nov 2012: It appears that Eclipse's official SVN plugin (​subversive) works fine too, and may be supported better in the future. Below are instructions for the old plugin, subclipse.

Note that official instructions for this can be found at ​http://subclipse.tigris.org/servlets/ProjectProcess?pageID=p4wYuA

Before you start go to the terminal and type in "svn --version", make a note of the version number!

On Ubuntu (14.04) before installing the subclipse plugins it's worth first installing. 

sudo apt-get install libsvn-java

If you don't install this and then attempt to connect to an SVN repository, you will get errors about libsvnjavahl not being in the Java search path. Do not be tempted to install the Ubuntu eclipse-subclipse package because it has a history of requiring an older version of Subversion than the one provided in the distribution.

From the menu: "Help->Install New Software". Next to the "Work With" box press "Add".

Type in:

NB - you do put ".x" at the end and don't match it to your svn version! All of the above seem to work with eclipse 3.2 onwards.

Click on the small triangles to the left of the sites to expand the lists and Tick:

  • Subclipse

Click "Next" and accept the license agreements and click "Next" and then "Finish". Next click "Install". Restart your Workbench.

(If you get errors, the Nov 15th 2011 reply on ​this page may be useful).

You should now have an extra menu "Team" when right clicking files in the Navigator/Project? Explorer that lets you do SVN operations, like update, commit etc.

Follow ChasteGuides/AccessCodeRepository (and InstallGuides/CheckoutUserProject if needed).

Installing plugins in CLPC machines (Oxford Dept. of Computer Science only)

The version of Eclipse installed in CLPC machines (Fedora Eclipse) doesn't seem to like the previous way of installing plugins.

An alternative is to use yum: 

sudo yum install eclipse-subclipse
sudo yum install eclipse-cdt-sdk

Even Older Instructions

Historial note: for older installations you had to be root the first time you installed Eclipse plugins: 

su -
eclipse

or 

sudo eclipse

Nowadays Eclipse can install plugins happily in your HOME folder.

Install the following plugins by following the directions below:

  • CDT 3.1.1
  • Subclipse 1.0.3

From the menu: Help->Software Updates->Find and Install

Click Search for new features to install

Click New Remote Site and Enter:

  • Name=CDT
  • URL=download.eclipse.org/tools/cdt/releases/callisto

Repeat the above 3 steps with:

  • Name=subclipse
  • URL=subclipse.tigris.org/update_1.0.x (if your command line svn --version is 1.4.whatever or lower)
  • OR URL=subclipse.tigris.org/update_1.4.x (if your command line svn --version is 1.5.whatever)
  • OR URL=subclipse.tigris.org/update_1.6.x (if your command line svn --version is 1.6.whatever)

NB - you do put ".x" at the end and don't match it to your svn version!. All of the above seem to work with eclipse 3.2 onwards.

Click on the small triangles to the left of the sites to expand the lists and Tick:

  • CDT Main (or CDT Tool-Chain in some versions)
  • Subclipse

Click Next and accept the license agreements and click Next and then Finish.

Next click Install

Restart your Workbench (or logout if you're installing as root).