IDE setup

Pre-requisites

You need to install a JDK (Java Development Kit). The usual JRE needed to run and use Freeplane is not sufficent to make developments on Freeplane.

Eclipse package

Like Freeplane, Eclipse is based on an OSGI kernel. For this reason Eclipse provides very good support for developing OSGI applications:

• All Bundle properties can be managed via the project properties.
• One launch configuration for eclipse in the Freeplane sources, freeplane_devresources/eclipse/freeplane-osgi.launch, uses Eclipse' standard OSGI implementation.

Note: Unlike in the "real application" it's necessary to list all plugins to load in the launch configuration. In the regularly deployed application all plugins in the plugin subdirectory are loaded. (By the way also the user's Freeplane directory is scanned for plugins in a plugin directory if this exists.)

Therefore you need an eclipse version with Plug-in Development Environment (PDE), for example Eclipse for RCP and RAP Developers

Getting Started Working with Freeplane Within the Eclipse IDE

Setup

Specify a path to your JDK in eclipse.ini setting -vm option as described at http://wiki.eclipse.org/Eclipse.ini#Specifying_the_JVM

Make sure you have a copy of the Freeplane code - see the Git How To for more information.

Firstly grab a copy of the newest version of Eclipse from the Eclipse homepage Eclipse Home.

Start up Eclipse - It should prompt you for a workspace (This is an area where your projects will be stored) have this where you set up your git home directory.

Importing The Projects

Before we can start working with Freeplane we have to "import" it as a new project:

• Goto : File -> Import...
• Under "General" -> Existing Projects into Workspace
• Select root directory should point to the git working directory. At this point a project list should appear ("note" if you are not developing for Apple Mac you can deselect the freeplane_mac project).
• Choose Finish. The projects should be added and the workspace will automatically "build".

Note: If at this point it complains about freeplane_ant this can also be removed as Eclipse does not ship with the correct ant version.

Compiling required jar files

Before the first run some auxiliary jar files should be compiled

• Run ant build in directory freeplane_framework/ant with target "build"
• Refresh all projects

Launching the Project

Now that The project has been imported we need to set up the launcher:

• Goto : Run -> Run Configurations
• Locate the OSGi Framework tab
• Make a local copy of the freeplane-osgi file. Call this freeplane-osgi local
• Upon clicking "Run" Freeplane should appear.

You are now ready for development/debugging within Eclipse.

Settings

In project freeplane_devresources you find

• some launch configurations for starting the application
• eclipse code-templates, formatter and clean-up configuration files which must be used if you contribute your code to the project.

Version control integration

You can use eclipse git plugin EGit. Look at Git howto for more information.

Useful Eclipse plugins

• For properties files, especially for language resources, the Properties Editor plugin is useful. Install the Properties Editor from the update site http://propedit.sourceforge.jp/index_en.html.