Target Platform location with remote artefacts and configurable destination folder

[al-popa]

Hi,

I am looking for a way to use artifacts in Target Platform that are downloaded from some repository (p2, Maven) and stored in a folder inside Eclipse workspace but outside of .metadata to be easily reusable.

From different location types I can see in Target Platform editor, the most appropriate seem to be:

• Software Site, which stores downloaded plugins in <workspace>/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.pde.core/.bundle_pool/ (inside .metadata),
• Maven, which stores downloaded plugins in <home>/.m2/repository/ (outside <workspace>).

Of course, I can use some combined technique to achieve the desired result. But I would like to avoid modifying / adding the existing code for Target Platform infrastructure. Can you please give me advice how can I better proceed?

[laeubi]

I'm not completely sure what you want to archive and how you mean "sharing". Both Software Site and Maven are "shared" already.

So as always better describe the problem your are facing instead of some kind of solution you think will solve it.

[al-popa]

Well, same is true also with Maven locations within Target Platform. The problem with just sharing of artifacts is the necessity to update their contents each time I switch Target Platform from one to another. I want to be able to quickly (without heavy download) modify one of them to match another without altering the initial one.

EDIT: However I see Oomph targlets can be used to configure storage location of their contents via URI. I will look at this if it can cover my needs. Thank you.

[merks]

With the targlet support (and I imagine it would be similar too for maven location because of the .m2 cache) resolving a new/different target platform in any workspace when all the artifacts are already in the pool from previous uses (in any other workspace) is lightning fast...

All this is not to argue that being able to configure and share the pool used by PDE wouldn't be useful too...

[laeubi]

All this is not to argue that being able to configure and share the pool used by PDE wouldn't be useful too...

PDE since a while uses the ommph cache as well as any cached date from any other workspace bundle pool.

[al-popa]

PDE since a while uses the ommph cache as well as any cached date from any other workspace bundle pool.

Can you please elaborate on this? I am using Eclipse 2024-03 but 2025-03 is considered. Are there any changes in the location where the PDE Target Platform content is stored (different hardcoded place or configurable place)?

[laeubi]

According to the history this was added on Jan 7, 2024 so it should be part of 2024-03 or higher releases.

Are there any changes in the location where the PDE Target Platform content is stored (different hardcoded place or configurable place)?

PDE Target Platform does not store any content anywhere. The caching of already downloaded artifacts is done by the individual locations, that is for maven the local (usually shared) maven repository and for P2 the (shared) bundle pools of all workspaces and the oomph global bundle pool.

[laeubi]

The problem is necessity of different workspaces that use different Target Platforms, but large part of their content is the same. I want to be able to just copy the downloaded Target Platform artifacts from one workspace to another (and only download the difference between them) instead of downloading whole content again from repository.

This already happens automatically (assuming your are using a recent PDE version). So there is no need for copy anything around manually or modify any target location, PDE is smart enough to find the already downloaded artifact.

[al-popa]

PDE Target Platform does not store any content anywhere. The caching of already downloaded artifacts is done by the individual locations, that is for maven the local (usually shared) maven repository and for P2 the (shared) bundle pools of all workspaces and the oomph global bundle pool.

So, the question is not about using the right version of Target Platform, but rather about using the right ITargetLocation, right? I see Maven cache is in <home>/.m2/repository and p2 pool is in <home>/.p2/pool, right? Are these locations configurable (they are shared among all workspaces)? What mechanism places the content of IUBundleContainer in <workspace>/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.pde.core/.bundle_pool?

[laeubi]

Maven location is configured through maven settings, P2 is not configurable. As mentioned all this is shared over different workspaces.