This document discusses controlling Eclipse e4 applications with a Wii remote control. It begins with an overview of the Eclipse e4 application model, which defines applications using an EMF model rather than plugins. This initial model is static, but e4 allows changing the model at runtime using processors. The flexibility of modifying the application model at runtime enables novel approaches to application design and control, such as using a Wii remote.

1. Controlling your e4
application model ...
with a Wii remote control
(or how to use the
dynamic e4 model)
Lars Vogel
http://www.vogella.de
Twitter: @vogella

2. About Lars
Works for SAP as product owern of a
SCRUM team.
Privately active in the Open Source
Community
Eclipse committer, received the Eclipse
Top Contributor community award 2010
Webmaster of http://www.vogella.de with
more then 15 000 visitors per day
Lars Vogel
http://www.vogella.de
Twitter: @vogella

3. Agenda:
Summary of Eclipse e4
The static model
Dynamics during application start
Dynamics during application runtime
The Wii

4. Eclipse e4 summary
e4 defines a new programming
model for Eclpise plugins and RCP
application
The application is defined by an
EMF model
This model will be translated into
components via the e4 runtime, the
renderer and the associated classes
in the model.

5. e4 application

6. Initial Model is
static:
Application.e4xmi
Like plugin.xml and
its extension points

7. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ASCII"?>
<application:Application xmi:version="2.0" xmlns:xmi="http://www.omg.org/XMI"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:application="http://www.eclipse.org/ui/2010/UIModel/application"
xmlns:basic="http://www.eclipse.org/ui/2010/UIModel/application/ui/basic"
xmi:id="_4IOwcORpEd-fMJRHKmiOqA"
elementId="de.vogella.e4.model.sockets.application">
<children xsi:type="basic:TrimmedWindow" xmi:id="_I5-Z4ORrEd-fMJRHKmiOqA"
width="640" height="480">
<children xsi:type="basic:PartSashContainer" xmi:id="_TA_rAObNEd-WXfZJTihRKQ"
elementId="sashcontainer" horizontal="true">
<children xsi:type="basic:PartStack" xmi:id="_hA7ccOeEEd-4ONqqaPGGOw">
<children xsi:type="basic:Part" xmi:id="_7CuAEORzEd-fMJRHKmiOqA"
elementId="beautifuleyesview"
contributionURI="platform:/plugin/de.vogella.e4.model.sockets/de.vogella.e4.model.sock
ets.parts.MyView" label="MyView"/>
</children>
</children>
</children>
</application:Application>
New: Application.e4xmi + plugin.xml

8. Fragments
are xmi
snippets
which define
static
extensions
Again soooo...
similar to extension
points

9. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?eclipse version="3.2"?>
<plugin>
<extension
id="application"
point="org.eclipse.core.runtime.applications">
<application>
<run
class="de.vogella.databinding.person.swt.Application">
</run>
</application>
</extension>
<extension
point="org.eclipse.ui.views">
<view
class="de.vogella.databinding.person.swt.View"
id="de.vogella.databinding.person.swt.View"
name="name"
restorable="true">
</view>
</extension>
</plugin>
Old: plugin.xml

10. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ASCII"?>
<application:Application xmi:version="2.0" xmlns:xmi="http://www.omg.org/XMI"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:application="http://www.eclipse.org/ui/2010/UIModel/application"
xmlns:basic="http://www.eclipse.org/ui/2010/UIModel/application/ui/basic"
xmi:id="_4IOwcORpEd-fMJRHKmiOqA"
elementId="de.vogella.e4.model.sockets.application">
<children xsi:type="basic:TrimmedWindow" xmi:id="_I5-Z4ORrEd-fMJRHKmiOqA"
width="640" height="480">
<children xsi:type="basic:PartSashContainer" xmi:id="_TA_rAObNEd-WXfZJTihRKQ"
elementId="sashcontainer" horizontal="true">
<children xsi:type="basic:PartStack" xmi:id="_hA7ccOeEEd-4ONqqaPGGOw">
<children xsi:type="basic:Part" xmi:id="_7CuAEORzEd-fMJRHKmiOqA"
elementId="beautifuleyesview"
contributionURI="platform:/plugin/de.vogella.e4.model.sockets/de.vogella.e4.model.sock
ets.parts.MyView" label="MyView"/>
</children>
</children>
</children>
</application:Application>
New: Application.e4xmi + plugin.xml

11. So why did they do that?

12. Model available at runtime

13. Processors
Code which can change the
model at startup

14. Big deal, „at
startup“ you are
dynamic....
Impressive...Not!

15. with e4 you can
change the model
at any point in time

16. Summary
The flexibility of the e4
application model
allows complete new
approaches to
application design

17. e4: Where to go from here:
Eclipse e4 Wiki
http://wiki.eclipse.org/E4
Eclipse 4.0 Application Tutorial – Lars Vogel
http://www.vogella.de/articles/EclipseE4/article.html
Eclipse 4.0 Application Tutorial – Tom Schindl
http://tomsondev.bestsolution.at/2010/07/28/eclipse-4-0-and-tutorial-on-writing-e4-
rcp-application-released/

19. Thank you
For further questions:
Lars.Vogel@gmail.com
http://www.vogella.de
http://www.twitter.com/vogella

20. Photo credits
• Coffee Beans http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1209649
• Dotted guy http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1103660
• Guy http://www.sxc.hu/photo/423354
• Little thing http://www.sxc.hu/photo/125901
• Depair http://www.sxc.hu/photo/592305
• Thinking man http://www.sxc.hu/photo/ 324541
• Cool but hurts http://www.sxc.hu/photo/
906072
• Guy standing on the right side
• Happy figure http://www.sxc.hu/photo/125901
• Lock http://www.sxc.hu/photo/ 352344
• Life Cycle http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1265027
• Hand with key http://www.sxc.hu/photo/
1019542
• Corn picture http://www.sxc.hu/photo/570500
• Elephant http://www.sxc.hu/photo/103473
• Sad Lady http://www.sxc.hu/photo/232738
• Thank you picture http://www.sxc.hu/photo/
986313
• Runtime model http://www.sxc.hu/photo/
765733
• Praying Girl http://www.sxc.hu/photo/646227
• Smiling Face 884146
• Stacked stones
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/998524
• Thinking Guy http://www.sxc.hu/photo/130484
• Drawing Hand http://www.sxc.hu/photo/264208
• Waiter http://www.sxc.hu/photo/157966
• Dancing Girt http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1187376
• Books http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1184809

21. License & Acknowledgements
• This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
Germany License
– See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
nd/3.0/de/deed.en_US