Product Description

Eclipse, a platform for building applications, was originally aimed at Web

application and image manipulation. With the release of Eclipse 3.0 there has

been a shift to the use of Eclipse as a Rich Client Platform (RCP). In other

words, using Eclipse as a base for everyday generic applications from media

players to productivity and desktop applications. Thinking of Eclipse as not

just an IDE but a platform for all application building is an evolution for the

platform and significantly extends its reach to developers. In this book the

designers of Eclipse as an RCP introduces the reader to the RCP concept and

walks them through a set of scenarios and examples using Eclipse to solve real

world, application problems. This will appeal to all developers who want to

develop and deploy world-class applications with rich, native GUIs.

Development areas that are already using Eclipse RCP include bio-medical,

embedded technology (handhelds, etc), enterprise and productivity applications

and banking.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #246581 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 552 pages

From the Back Cover

Build Powerful, Cross-Platform Rich Client Applications

Eclipse is more than a state-of-the-art IDE: its Rich Client Platform (RCP) plug-ins form an outstanding foundation for any desktop application, from chat applications to enterprise software front-ends. In Eclipse Rich Client Platform, two leaders of the Eclipse RCP project show exactly how to leverage Eclipse for rapid, efficient, cross-platform desktop development.

In addition to explaining the power of Eclipse as a desktop application development platform, the authors walk step-by-step through developing a fully featured, branded RCP application. They introduce a wide range of techniques, including developing pluggable and dynamically extensible systems, using third-party code libraries, and packaging applications for diverse environments. You'll build, refine, and refactor a complete prototype; customize the user interface; add Help and Update features; and build, brand, and ship the finished software.

• For every Java developer, regardless of previous Eclipse experience

• Thoroughly covers Eclipse 3.1's new RCP features and its extensive new tools for designing, coding, and packaging RCP applications

• Presents techniques for branding and customizing the look and feel of RCP applications

• Shows how to overcome the challenges and "rough edges" of RCP development

• Discusses the similarities and differences between RCP and conventional plug-in development

• Includes an overview of OSGi, the base execution framework for Eclipse

If you want to develop and deploy world-class Java applications with rich, native GUIs, and use Eclipse RCP—get this book.

CD-ROM contains the Eclipse 3.1 SDK, Eclipse 3.1 RCP SDK, and Eclipse 3.1 RCP Delta Pack appropriate for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It also contains all the code samples developed in the book.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Jeff McAffer leads the Eclipse RCP and Runtime teams and is one of the Eclipse Platform's original architects and committers. Prior to his work at IBM's Ottawa Software Lab, he was a developer at Object Technology International focusing on areas such as distributed/parallel OO computing, expert systems, and meta-level architectures. Jeff holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo.

Jean-Michel Lemieux has been a committer on the Eclipse team and CVS component since its inception. Before joining IBM's Ottawa Software Lab to work on Eclipse, Jean-Michel built real-time SS7 monitoring systems and real-time modeling tools.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Nice book, but utterly obsolete
Previously this was The book for getting up to speed with developing RCP applications using Eclipse. Sadly the book is written for Eclipse 3.1 while the latest version, and the one you're most likely to have, is 3.2. Much of the code is contrary to the use of generics in Java while the processes it describes are not compatible with the latest version of the IDE. The authors have provided 3.2 compatible example code on the book's website but using this negates the purpose of the book as a aid for learning.

Unless an update is produced for the book, either as a list of changes on the website or as a new edition, an Eclipse RCP neophyte would be better off with IBM's free tutorials. Given the book's reputation I was very disappointed with the it's lack of relevance and unnecessary obsolescence.

One-stop shopping for learning Eclipse RCP
Having read "Eclipse RCP" in its entirety as a manuscript reviewer, I can tell you that this is a superb book. The authors have done a splendid job of creating a technical book that serves well as both a tutorial and as a reference.

Through the development of a single example, the book covers everything you need to get started building and packaging an Eclipse RCP application. The book even includes a CD containing all the software you'll need to work through the tutorials and build your own RCP applications.

While a single book could never describe every aspect of the Eclipse Platform, this book is certainly all you need to get started with Eclipse RCP, and then once you've found your feet, there are other books in the Eclipse Series that will help expand your knowledge of the Eclipse Platform and Eclipse plug-in development.

This book has been produced extremely well: The text is well written, the pages are full of easy to follow code snippets, and there are sidebars that share best practices and handy tips, as well as plenty of good quality screen shots and diagrams.

Buy this book. Read this book. You'll be glad you did.

One-stop shopping for learning Eclipse RCP
Having read "Eclipse RCP" in its entirety as a manuscript reviewer, I can tell you that this is a superb book. The authors have done a splendid job of creating a technical book that serves well as both a tutorial and as a reference.

Through the development of a single example, the book covers everything you need to get started building and packaging an Eclipse RCP application. The book even includes a CD containing all the software you'll need to work through the tutorials and build your own RCP applications.

While a single book could never describe every aspect of the Eclipse Platform, this book is certainly all you need to get started with Eclipse RCP, and then once you've found your feet, there are other books in the Eclipse Series that will help expand your knowledge of the Eclipse Platform and Eclipse plug-in development.

This book has been produced extremely well: The text is well written, the pages are full of easy to follow code snippets, and there are sidebars that share best practices and handy tips, as well as plenty of good quality screen shots and diagrams.

Buy this book. Read this book. You'll be glad you did.