Jonas, Maximilian & Philip

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2024-11

We are happy to announce the eighth Eclipse Theia community release “2024-11”, version 1.55.x!

Eclipse Theia 1.56 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.56 release! The release contains in total 62 merged pull requests. In this article, we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse Theia 1.55 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.54 release! The release contains 82 merged pull requests. In this article, we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Introducing Custom Chat Agents in Theia IDE: Automate Your Workflows with Ease

The Theia IDE, built on modern web technologies, is at the forefront of open innovation for developers, providing cutting-edge capabilities, including experimental AI support powered by Theia AI. Theia AI is an extensible framework that helps tool builders create AI-powered solutions tailored to their users’ needs. As part of Theia AI’s vision for flexibility and openness, the latest feature in Theia IDE takes automation a step further by introducing custom chat agents.

Building AI-Powered Tools and IDEs: Practical Techniques

Are you ready to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into your custom tools or IDEs? In our latest video, we explore practical steps for building advanced, AI-powered functionality for IDEs and domain-specific tools. While we demonstrate using the Theia AI framework, the advice, techniques, and insights shared are designed to be universally applicable—no matter what platform or technology you’re working with. Whether you’re developing a specialized code editor, a domain-specific modeling tool, or a toolchain for engineers, these strategies will help you transform AI into a valuable, context-aware assistant for your users.

Eclipse Theia 1.54 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.54 release! The release contains 59 merged pull requests. In this article, we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Introducing AI Support in Theia IDE: The First Open, Transparent AI-Enhanced Development Environment

In recent years, the rise of AI-powered code development tools has introduced new possibilities for significantly improving developer productivity and streamlining workflows. However, most of these solutions come with significant trade-offs: they are closed, proprietary, and offer little transparency into how the AI operates (see also our previous article). Users are often left in the dark about what data is shared, which AI models are being used, and how prompts are constructed. This lack of control not only raises concerns about data privacy and vendor lock-in but also limits users’ ability to customize their tools.

Introducing Theia AI: Build AI-Enhanced Tools with Ease!

There is a growing demand for powerful tools and IDEs that seamlessly integrate AI capabilities across all industries. However, creating such AI-powered tools from scratch involves significant effort. Even aside from developing reliable prompts, augmenting them with the adequate context, and potentially fine-tuning AI models, integrating LLMs into existing tools, handling data interactions, and ensuring a smooth user experience can be daunting. For many tool builders, this means investing valuable time and resources into foundational work, instead of focusing on the unique AI features that make their tools stand out and that really help boosting the productivity of their tool users.

Theia AI Sneak Preview: Powerful AI integration paired with the most flexible tool platform

Do you want to integrate AI assistance into a custom tool? Are you looking for a platform that is flexible enough to support building a custom AI-augmented tool or IDE without restrictions, tailored to your individual domain and requirements, beyond “just” code editing? In this article, we offer a sneak preview of Theia AI:, a framework for building AI-powered tools and IDEs, as part of the Theia platform. Theia AI is seamlessly integrated into the Theia platform, an open, flexible, and extensible framework designed for efficiently developing and delivering Cloud & Desktop IDEs and tools using modern web technologies. This powerful combination allows tool builders to create specialized solutions without limitations, all while maintaining strategic independence from any single vendor.

Theia AI Sneak Preview: Let your agents talk to each other!

Collaboration between multiple, specialized AI agents is often handled as the next step in the evolution of AI assistance in tools and IDEs. Yet, in many tools and IDEs, users have to explicitly address their requests to specific agents that are specialized on a specific topic. Wouldn’t it be nice, if you do not have to know which agent to ask for help? In this article, we show an example of how you let your agents interact with each other with Theia AI, a fully open AI framework for building AI-assistance for tools and IDEs. We will highlight one of the core principles, Flexibility for Tool Builders at the example of an agent that orchestrates various other agents to find the best suitable candidate to answer a users request.

Theia AI Sneak Preview: Custom Part Renderer and actionable responses

Do you want to augment your tool or IDE with AI assistance and go beyond just a simple chat interface? Do you want to assist users with actual workflows and boost their efficiency by making AI support actionable, such as with links, buttons, or other interactive UI controls? In this article, we show an example of how you very easily create actionable AI support in your tool with Theia AI, a fully open AI framework for building AI-assistance for tools and IDEs. We will highlight one of the core principles, Tailorability and Extensibility for Tool Builders at the example of an agent for executing arbitrary commands in the Theia IDE.

Theia AI Sneak Preview: Create your own AI assistance!

Do you want to augment your tool or IDE with AI assistance? In this article, we show an example of how easy it is to create custom AI agents with Theia AI, a fully open AI framework for building AI-assistance for tools and IDEs. We will highlight one of the core principles, Tailorability and Extensibility for Tool Builders at the example of an agent for finding arbitrary commands in the Theia IDE.

Theia AI Sneak Preview: Transparent variables and tool functions

For AI-assisted tools and IDEs, variables and tool functions play an essential role in enhancing the context and enabling dynamic interactions with the tools at hand. Variables allow AI agents to augment the context of user requests, e.g. with the content of a file. Tool functions serve as the bridge between the AI and the tools it operates, they allow the AI to request information, invoke actions or manipulate data in the tool. Despite their significance, many existing solutions suffer from a lack of control in their use of variables and functions, leaving tool builders and end users uncertain about how data is handled and how the AI interacts with their tools.

Theia AI Sneak Preview: Choose your own LLM

Most commercial AI-driven tools and IDEs provide you with a preset LLM that you cannot influence as a user or adopter. Usually, this is even combined with a mandatory subscription model and sometimes, the LLMs actually used underneath are even unknown black boxes.

Theia AI Sneak Preview: Open and Transparent AI-driven Code Completion

Do you use AI code completion and are you interested in what data is actually sent and received to the underlying LLM. And do you feel that sometimes you would like to add your own 2 cents to the prompt and influence how the LLM is generating results?

The Vision of Theia AI: Empowering Tool Builders with full control over AI Solutions

In recent years, the trend toward open-source platforms for developer tools is more and more undermined by the rise of proprietary AI integrations. Tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor IDE, or Codeium, while innovative, are not designed to be customizable and often lack extensibility, openness, transparency and flexibility. This shift introduces challenges for tool builders and developers, not only in terms of customizability and data privacy but also in terms of a strong dependency on proprietary platforms of a single vendor.

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2024-08

We are happy to announce the seventh Eclipse Theia community release “2024-08”, version 1.52.x!

Eclipse Theia 1.53 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.53 release! The release contains 48 merged pull requests. In this article, we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Structured Outputs in OpenAI API: A Game-Changer for AI Integration in Tools and IDEs

Integrating AI into tools and IDEs has become a critical component in many of our customer projects. In these integrations, we frequently depend on LLMs to generate machine-processible outputs, which are essential for steering user requests to specific context retrieval strategies or translating LLM responses into actionable commands within the tool. However, achieving consistently structured outputs from LLMs has often posed challenges. The variability in responses can result in cumbersome code for parsing the LLM’s responses and inconsistent outcomes, complicating the development process.

Eclipse Theia 1.52 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.52 release! The release contains 47 merged pull requests. In this article, we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

AI Context Management in Domain-specific Tools

Integrating AI into custom tools and IDEs is transforming productivity in many industries. However, the true effectiveness of these AI integrations relies not just on the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) but also on the efficient management of context within these tools, as outlined in a recent blog post.

The Theia IDE vs VS Code

The landscape of integrated development environments (IDEs) continues to evolve, offering developers an array of choices tailored to various needs. This article focuses on a comparison between two prominent options: the Theia IDE and Visual Studio Code (VS Code). We’ll explore their similarities, differences, and unique features to help you understand which might be the best fit for your development needs.

The Rise of Closed Source AI Tool Integrations

Software development tools and IDEs have traditionally leaned towards openness and transparency. Much like a mechanic who tunes and customizes their own car for optimal performance, this trend has empowered developers to understand, modify, and improve their tools, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. However, a concerning shift has emerged in recent years with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into these tools.

Eclipse Theia 1.51 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.51 release! The release contains 55 merged pull requests. In this article, we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Why Good Context Matters for Efficient AI Assistance in Tools and IDEs

Recently, AI assistants have revolutionized how users interact with their Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) and tools. By leveraging large language models (LLMs), these assistants can help with coding, creating diagrams, models, and assisting with complex configurations. At EclipseSource, we specialize in deeply integrating AI into custom tools and IDEs across various domains. One of the most important aspects of a great tool integration, in our experience, is their ability to identify and provide the LLM with the right context and to mold this context into a prompting strategy that is optimized for the task at hand. With the right context and the right prompting, the quality and accuracy of responses delivered by state-of-the-art LLMs can be amplified significantly.. This augmentation and prompting is often even more crucial than the actual choice of the LLM itself. This blog explores why identifying the right context is one of the most important aspects for AI assistance in tools and IDEs and how it can significantly enhance performance.

Introducing the Theia IDE

The official release of the Theia IDE opens a new chapter in the area of integrated development environments (IDEs) at Eclipse, moving beyond its beta phase in June 2024. Created based on the robust Theia Platform, which has been available since 2017, the Theia IDE now adds another important cornerstone to the Eclipse Cloud DevTools ecosystem. It is created for developers seeking a modern, open, and flexible tool for their coding pursuits. This blog post explores the Theia IDE, the journey leading towards it, the vibrant community behind its ecosystem and ways for developers to use it and contribute to its success.

Zero Set-up Development Environment with Dev Containers

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, achieving a consistent development environment across different machines has always been a challenging task. The age-old adage “It works on my machine” has frustrated developers for decades, leading to inefficiencies and delays in project timelines. Cloud-based IDEs promise to solve this issue. They are on a rise, but are not yet ubiquitously deployed. However, a lesser-known but powerful feature, dev containers, offers a pretty pragmatic and robust solution to the developer environment set-up issue.

Eclipse Theia 1.50 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.50 release! The release contains 67 merged pull requests. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2024-05

We are happy to announce the sixth Eclipse Theia community release “2024-05”, version 1.49.x!

Eclipse Theia 1.49 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.49 release! The release contains 53 merged pull requests. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Enhancing Modeling Tools with AI: A Leap Towards Smarter Diagrams with Eclipse GLSP

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with IDEs, as exemplified by tools like Github Copilot, Codeium, Tabine, ChatGPT and more, has opened new horizons in software development. It is evident that AI will have the same transformative potential for graphical languages and modeling tools too. Imagine for example just describing a business process with a few words and an AI Assistant creates the corresponding BPMN model for you! At EclipseSource, we work on various integrations of AI into domain-specific tools for our customers and this process poses unique challenges. In this blog post, we explore how LLMs and GPTs can enhance GLSP-based diagram editors, making them not just modeling tools but intelligent partners in the modeling process.

Eclipse Theia 1.48 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.48 release! The release contains 53 merged pull requests and we welcome two new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse Theia 1.47 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.47 release! The release contains 64 merged pull requests and we welcome four new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Join Us: Reminder for the Eclipse Theia Community Call! March 14th

As the date approaches, we want to extend another warm invitation to the Eclipse Theia Community Call scheduled for March 14th, 2024, 4pm CET. It’s a great opportunity to dive deep into the world of Theia, share insights, and collaborate on shaping its future.

Why Every Tool and IDE Project Should Care About AI Integration

For creators of custom tools and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), AI integration is not just a fleeting trend or an additional feature to consider. It is a paradigm shift, capable of revolutionizing user interaction and exponentially boosting productivity. At EclipseSource, we have observed a growing demand in tool projects to develop strategies that harness the benefits of AI. In this article, we will explore why AI is essential in tools and IDEs and the important initial considerations for its integration.

Real-time Collaboration on Diagrams with Eclipse GLSP

In our globalized era, seamless collaboration is more important than ever, especially in complex fields like modeling and diagram editing. With this in mind, we’re thrilled to introduce a new extension for Eclipse GLSP: real-time synchronous diagram collaboration. This feature works like the collaborative functionality of Google Docs and is designed to transform the experience of working with GLSP-based diagrams. Developed in collaboration with Dr. Dominik Bork from the Business Informatics Group at Vienna University of Technology, and the talented Markus Hegedüs, a master’s student, this extension aims to significantly improve collaborative efforts in diagram editing.

Rock-solid Diagram Editors: End-to-end Testing with Eclipse GLSP

Industrial-grade diagram editors are intricate, filled with advanced functionalities and complex logic. It’s clear then that automated testing isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential for maintaining a high-quality product. The architectural design of Eclipse GLSP, with its clear separation of concerns and dependency injection, greatly facilitates unit and integration tests. However, the pinnacle of the testing hierarchy—end-to-end tests—has always been a steep hill to climb, as it involves complex SVG interaction within automated tests. That is, until the advent of glsp-playwright.

Building Custom C/C++ Tools: CDT Cloud and Eclipse Theia in Action

Are you looking for the best way to create a custom C/C++ development tool that perfectly matches your specific requirements, hardware, or tool-chains? Check out our recent session at TheiaCon! We’ve explored the capabilities of CDT Cloud and Eclipse Theia, a powerful combination for those who want to develop specialized IDEs for C/C++ development needs.

Eclipse Theia 1.46 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.46 release! The release contains 69 merged pull requests and we welcome four new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2024-02

We are happy to announce the fifth Eclipse Theia community release “2024-02”, version 1.45.x!

Accessibility in Diagram Editors with Eclipse GLSP

In an exciting collaboration with Dr. Dominik Bork and master student Aylin Sarioglu at the Business Informatics Group at Vienna University, we’ve achieved a new pivotal capability in GLSP 2.0: an innovative take on accessibility in diagram editors. These advancements make diagram editors more accessible and user-friendly for all users, a focus we are particularly excited about in this blog post.

Eclipse GLSP 2: Elevating Web-based Diagram Editors

We are excited to announce the recent release of Eclipse GLSP 2! This new major release marks a significant advancement in the domain of web-based diagram editors offering an impressive array of new features and improvements that cater to a broad range of modeling and diagramming needs. We are immensely grateful for the exceptional work of overall 37 contributors, whose dedication and expertise have significantly advanced GLSP. Their collective efforts further strengthened GLSP’s position as one of the leading open-source frameworks for developing modern web-based diagram editors.

Running Eclipse Theia without a backend

When hosting cloud-based tools and IDEs, backend efficiency and cost-effectiveness are a key consideration. We are excited to present an ongoing development in the Eclipse Theia project that not only reduces the resource requirements of the tool backend, it makes it completely unnecessary! Surely, this deployment variant can’t fulfill all requirements, but there are certainly several important use cases that are unlocked by this exciting development.  If you want to learn how you can run Theia based tools and IDEs without a backend, read on!

Hosting IDEs and tools online - lessons learned

The transition to cloud-based tools and IDEs is reshaping the landscape of software development. However, the details of hosting tools and IDEs online present unique challenges. If you’re considering or already on this journey, read on! In the video below, we share our experiences with hosting IDEs and tools in the cloud.

CDT Cloud Blueprint: Tracing with TraceCompass Cloud

In the world of C/C++ development, especially when doing performance tuning, tracing plays a pivotal role. CDT Cloud Blueprint, the web-based C/C++ development environment, provides advanced Tracing Support, seamlessly enabled by the TraceCompass Cloud project. Dive in for an insightful overview!

The Choice of an IDE and Tool Platform: Eclipse Theia vs. Code OSS

Building custom tools and IDEs are strategic and long term investments. Choosing the right platform for building custom tools and IDEs is a critical decision for stakeholders.

The Eclipse Theia Project Update 2023

2023 has been an extraordinary year for the Eclipse Theia project, marked by significant community advancements and key feature enhancements such as the improved startup performance, the introduction of Remote SSH Support, and the addition of Notebook Editor support. In this article, we delve deep into the latest advancements and undertakings in the Theia project and its surrounding ecosystem.

Eclipse Theia 1.45 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.45 release! The release contains 28 merged pull requests and we welcome four new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Building cloud-native (modeling) tools

Are you on the journey to develop a domain-specific (modeling) tool based on modern web technologies? Curious about the latest tech innovations and their seamless integration for cloud efficiency? We’ve been there and have some insights to share.

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2023-11

We are happy to announce the fourth Eclipse Theia community release “2023-11”, version 1.43.x!

Collaborative, Testable and Accessible diagrams with Eclipse GLSP

Modern web-based diagram editors are not only about shapes and edges; they’re about creating an interactive, collaborative environment that elevates user experience and productivity. With technologies such as Eclipse GLSP you can significantly enhance your diagram editors with cross cutting features such as collaboration, accessibility and testability.

Eclipse Theia 1.44 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.44 release! The release contains 37 merged pull requests and we welcome three new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Discover the Real-World Power of Open Source and Collaboration

Open source and collaboration are buzzwords in every industry, but what does it mean in the real world? Who are the people behind these projects, and how are they funded? What motivates stakeholders to invest in open source, and how do they persuade others to join in? And perhaps most intriguingly, how can even competing companies collaborate openly and effectively?

CDT Cloud Blueprint: Memory Inspector

When it comes to C/C++ development, especially in the world of embedded development, in-depth memory analysis is often key to efficient and effective programming. CDT Cloud Blueprint, an open and web-based C/C++ development tool, offers the enhanced Memory Inspector for exactly this task. For more details, read on!

Web-based Tools and IDEs: Accomplishments and Opportunities

The landscape of tool creation projects has been significantly reshaped by the advent and rise of web-based tools and integrated development environments (IDEs). This field, though relatively new, has seen phenomenal growth and continues to evolve dynamically to align with contemporary needs.

How to get visible as a Theia adopter and contributor

In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, visibility and collaboration are key drivers of success. For companies leveraging Eclipse Theia, the open-source cloud & desktop IDE platform, getting listed as an adopter offers a unique dual benefit. This blog post delves into why and how companies should not only adopt Eclipse Theia but also actively contribute to and promote their engagement with this vibrant ecosystem.

CDT Cloud Blueprint: Detaching Views

Looking for a modern, web-based IDE for C/C++ development or aiming to develop a custom C/C++ tool? Dive in! In this article we will demonstrate advanced workbench layouting capabilities of CDT Cloud Blueprint including detaching views to a secondary window.

Eclipse Theia 1.43 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.43 release! The release contains 40 merged pull requests and we welcome three new contributors. In this article, we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

CDT Cloud Blueprint: Debugging

Looking for a modern, web-based IDE for C/C++ development or aiming to develop a custom C/C++ tool? Dive in! This blog post highlights the debugging features of CDT Cloud Blueprint.

Eclipse Theia 1.42 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.42 release! The release contains 21 merged pull requests and we welcome three new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

CDT Cloud Blueprint: Try it Online! (...or offline)

Are you looking for a modern, web-based C/C++ IDE that seamlessly operates within your browser as well as a conventional desktop application? Whether you aim to create a tailored, domain-specific C/C++ IDE or a cloud-based service with local installation capabilities, this article explores the deployment possibilities of CDT Cloud Blueprint – an extensible and customizable all-open-source C/C++ IDE designed for both offline and online scenarios.

Using Theia Cloud to end-to-end test Theia-based applications

Do you develop a Theia-based application and you want an easy way to end-to-end test new versions of it. Do you want to dynamically deploy new versions of your Theia application, ideally on every new pull request? In this article, we demonstrate how to set up Theia Cloud so that your Theia-based application is fully deployed on a real cluster on every pull request. You can even click a link and test the latest state of the PR live as part of the review process.

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2023-08

We are happy to announce the fourth Eclipse Theia community release “2023-08”, version 1.40.x!

Eclipse Theia vs. VS Code OSS

Do you want to build a custom tool or IDE offering and were wondering which web-based platform to choose? Are you evaluating Eclipse Theia against Code OSS (the open source project behind VS Code)? In this article, we compare Eclipse Theia to Code OSS with regards to being used as a platform for building a custom tool or IDE.

Eclipse Theia 1.41 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.41 release! Even though we are still in vacation season, the release contains 50 merged pull requests and we welcome three new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse Theia 1.40 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.40 release! Even though we are in vacation season, the release contains 33 merged pull requests and we welcome two new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse Theia 1.39 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.39 release! The release contains 41 merged pull requests and we welcome two new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

CDT Cloud Blueprint: Coding

Are you looking for a modern, web-based IDE for C/C++ development? Do you want to build a custom, domain-specific C/C++ IDE or tool? Then read on. In this article, we will demonstrate the language editing support for C/C++ in CDT Cloud Blueprint, including features such as auto-completion, code refactoring, and navigation.

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2023-05

We are happy to announce the third Eclipse Theia community release “2023-05”, version 1.37.x!

Eclipse Theia 1.38 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.38 release! The release contains 48 merged pull requests and we welcome six new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

CDT Cloud Blueprint: Dynamic Toolbar

Are you looking for a modern, web-based IDE for C/C++ development? Do you want to build a custom, domain specific C/C++ IDE or tool? Then read on. In this article we´ll show how to use the dynamic toolbar in CDT Cloud Blueprint.

CDT Cloud Blueprint: Getting started

Are you looking for a modern, web-based IDE for C/C++ development? Do you want to build a custom, domain specific C/C++ IDE or tool? Then read on. In this article, we’ll show you how to get started with CDT Cloud Blueprint.

Eclipse Theia 1.37 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.37 release! The release contains 39 merged pull requests and we welcome one new contributor. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse Theia 1.36 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.36 release! The release contains 50 merged pull requests and we welcome two new contributors. In this article, we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Welcome to our new website!

We’re excited to welcome you to the new EclipseSource website! We have rebuilt it from the ground up utilizing the latest trends in website technology. We are very happy with the result and hope you enjoy the new user experience!

Diagram Editors in Theia with Eclipse GLSP

Eclipse GLSP became the default solution for diagram editors for many web-based tool projects. Although GLSP can be used independently, Eclipse Theia is the reference target for GLSP. We recently gave a talk providing an overview about Eclipse GLSP and how to efficiently implement diagram editors with it. In case you missed it, please find the recording below.

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2023-02

We are happy to announce the second Eclipse Theia community release “2023-02”, version 1.34.x!

Eclipse Theia 1.35 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.35 release! The release contains 45 merged pull requests and we welcome two new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Introducing Theia Cloud

Do you want to host your Theia-based application in the cloud and allow your users to use your custom IDE or tool from anywhere, just using a browser? In this article, we introduce Theia Cloud, a light-weight and Kubernetes-centric framework for deploying and running Theia-based IDEs and tools to and in the cloud.

Eclipse Theia 1.34 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.34 release! The release contains 51 merged pull requests and we welcome eight four new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Getting started with Theia - The nextGen Eclipse Platform

Are you looking for a modern platform for building a custom tool or IDE that runs in the cloud but also as a desktop application? Do you maintain an existing project based on the Eclipse tools platform, but want to migrate to the next generation tech stack?

Diagram Editors with GLSP: Why flexibility is key

Are you wondering how you should nowadays develop diagram editors to be durable, given the innovative and fast moving world of web-based technologies and cloud IDEs? The answer is clear: build them to be open for adaptation from top to bottom and make it easy to change certain parts without impacting all other parts. In this article, we describe how to build diagram editors which are loosely coupled and how to stay agile to adapt and benefit from the innovations of the new age of tool development.

Eclipse Theia 1.33 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.33 release! The release contains 27 merged pull requests and we welcome eight four new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

The Eclipse Theia Update 2022

It has been an amazing year for Eclipse Theia, the next-gen Eclipse platform for building tools and IDEs. 2022 brought many new adopters and contributors, as well as numerous improvements and new features. Let’s look back at an exciting year and summarize the highlights!

Happy Birthday, Eclipse Theia!

Eclipse Theia celebrates its 5th birthday! It is amazing to see how fast Eclipse Theia has evolved to become the next generation of the Eclipse Platform for building modern web-based tools and IDEs.

Introducing CDT cloud Blueprint

Are you looking for a web-based IDE for C/C++ development? Do you want to build a custom, domain specific C/C++ IDE or tool? Then read on. In this article we will introduce you to CDT cloud Blueprint, a template for building web-based C/C++ tools.

Eclipse Theia 1.32 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.32 release! The release contains 48 merged pull requests and we welcome eight four new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse Theia 1.31.1 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.31.1 release! The release contains 34 merged pull requests and we welcome eight new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

The Eclipse Theia Community Release 2022-09

We are happy to announce the first Eclipse Theia community release “2022-09”, version 1.29.1! This release marks the beginning of a new release cycle, which is provided by the Theia project in addition to the monthly releases. Every three months from now on, Theia will publish a new Community release.

Eclipse Theia 1.30 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.30 release! The release contains 49 merged pull requests and we welcome eight new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Introducing the Eclipse Theia Community Test Suite

In this article, we introduce the Eclipse Theia Community Test Suite. It provides adopters of Theia the ability to periodically execute  end to end tests on the latest versions of Theia. By adding tests, adopters are enabled to detect regressions or significant changes of Theia that are relevant to their Theia-based products as early as possible in the process of adopting new Theia versions. All adopters are invited to contribute to it and benefit from this joint effort!

Eclipse Theia 1.29 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.29 release! The release contains 53 merged pull requests and we welcome eight new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Introducing the Eclipse Theia Community Release

In this article, we will introduce the Eclipse Theia Community Release. Theia follows a monthly release cycle and will continue to do so. In addition, Theia will declare every third release as a “community release” with additional focus on stability and compatibility. The goal is to ease the adoption of Theia as a platform for adopters with a lower update cadence. If you are adopting Theia or if you are developing a technology integrating with Theia, please check out the details described in this article!

Eclipse GLSP 1.0: Documentation, getting started and examples

In the article, we highlight an area of improvement for the Eclipse GLSP 1.0 release: The enhanced documentation, getting started tutorials and template projects. For a general overview of the GLSP 1.0 release and other notable features, please see the GLSP 1.0 release announcement.

Eclipse Theia 1.28 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.28 release! The release contains 47 merged pull requests and we welcome eight new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse GLSP 1.0: Separation of concerns and flexible data sources

In this article, we highlight a new feature of the Eclipse GLSP 1.0 release: The flexible architecture to integrate arbitrary data sources and model management frameworks. For a general overview of the GLSP 1.0 release and other notable features, please see the GLSP 1.0 release announcement.

Eclipse GLSP 1.0: Improved integration in IDEs and websites

In this article, we will highlight a new feature of the Eclipse GLSP 1.0 release: The improved support for integrating a GLSP diagram editor into IDEs such as Eclipse Theia, VS Code, Eclipse desktop or alternatively into web pages. For a general overview of the GLSP 1.0 release and other notable features, please see the GLSP 1.0 release announcement.

Eclipse GLSP 1.0: TypeScript support for GLSP server implementations

In this article, we highlight a new feature of the Eclipse GLSP 1.0 release: Support for TypeScript based diagram server implementation. For a general overview of the GLSP 1.0 release and other notable features, please see the GLSP 1.0 release announcement.

Eclipse GLSP 1.0: Leading-edge diagram editor support

In this article, we will highlight an area of improvement for the Eclipse GLSP 1.0 release: The leading edge support for diagram editors on the web. For a general overview of the GLSP 1.0 release and other notable features, please see the GLSP 1.0 release announcement.

Eclipse Theia 1.27 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.27 release! Just before summer, this is a big one again, the release contains 76 merged pull requests and we welcome four new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse GLSP 1.0 Release is here!

Three years of active development, 22 Contributors and ~1000 commits: We are happy and proud to announce the 1.0 release of Eclipse GLSP, the next generation framework for building modern diagram editors based on web technologies!

Moving Tools to the Cloud: Challenges and Best Practices

Are you interested in moving tools and IDEs into the cloud? Do you want to learn about challenges, best practices and current trends? During the recent Cloud IDE days 2022, there was a panel discussion around exactly these topics and more. In case you missed it, here is a recording:

Building Custom C/C++ Tools in the Web

Do you want to develop a customized tool for C/C++ development in the web/cloud? Do you wonder which open source components are available and how to combine them into a deployable IDE? We recently gave a talk providing a state-of-the-art overview and recommendations about available tools, extensions and frameworks for building web-based C/C++ tooling. Furthermore, we introduce CDT Cloud Blueprint, a template tool for C/C++ development based on open source components. If you missed the talk at Cloud IDE Days 2022, please find the recording below.

Eclipse Theia 1.26 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.26 release! This release contains 50 merged pull requests and we welcome ten new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Getting started with Eclipse Theia

Are you interested in building a custom IDE or tool for your domain that runs in the cloud but also as a desktop application? We recently gave a talk introducing you to Eclipse Theia, the next generation open source platform for building custom tools and IDEs! In case you missed it, please see the recording below.

Diagram Editors in Cloud IDEs

The support for textual programming languages is excellent in modern, web-based IDEs, such as Eclipse Theia and VS Code. The hugely popular language server protocol (LSP) and its integration with the Monaco code editor enabled lifting great code editing experience to the web. However, what about diagram editors and graphical languages? Such diagram editors play a key role in domain-specific tools, modeling suites, and low-code platforms. How can a modern diagramming experience be achieved in cloud-based tools?

Eclipse Theia 1.25 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.25 release! This release contains 48 merged pull requests and we welcome eight new contributors. In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse Theia 1.24 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.24 release! This release contains an amazing number of 78 merged pull requests including a major update of the Monaco code editor! In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Eclipse Theia is the next generation Eclipse RCP?!

Do you want to migrate your existing Eclipse RCP (Rich Client Platform) desktop application to a modern web-based technology stack and run it in the browser? Is Eclipse Theia maybe the next generation Eclipse Rich Client Platform and therefore a good technology to replace Eclipse RCP for  your project? Let’s have a detailed look at this question!

Eclipse Theia is the Next Generation Eclipse Platform for IDEs and Tools!

Do you wonder what platform to use when migrating your existing Eclipse desktop tools to the web/cloud. Is Eclipse Theia the next generation of the Eclipse IDE and Eclipse Tool platform? In this article, we take a close look at Eclipse Theia and whether it can be considered a worthy  successor of Eclipse desktop.

Eclipse Theia 1.23 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.23 release! This monthly release contains an amazing number of 59 merged pull requests, including support for a flexible toolbar! In this article we will highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview of the latest news around Theia.

Theia Playwright - End-to-end testing Theia applications

Are you developing a custom tool with Eclipse Theia and are in need of a comprehensive test strategy? A test strategy that covers not only unit and integration testing but also verifies the expected behavior for the most important user flows? Then Theia 🎭 Playwright – a recent contribution to Theia – has you covered!

Building tools with EMF.cloud - an experience report

Do you want to build a web-based tool with more than just a code editor? Is your domain-specific tool based on a complex data model including form-based UIs, model validation and even a DSL? Do you wonder how to replace Eclipse RCP in the web and preserve your EMF domain models? We have good news for you, all this is possible, read on!

Eclipse Theia 1.22 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.22 release! This monthly release contains 39 merged pull requests, including a major upgrade of Electron. In this article we highlight some selected improvements and provide an overview about the latest news around Theia.

How to adopt Eclipse Theia

Do you want to build a custom IDE or tool based on Eclipse Theia? Are you interested in adopting Theia to migrate your existing tools to a modern, web-based technology stack? Do you have open questions and are not yet familiar with this new vibrant area of the Eclipse ecosystem? Then read on!

Eclipse Theia - a platform for more than just code editors!

Are you interested in building a tool based on modern web technologies which is more than just a code editor? Are you looking for a solid framework to build a toolchain including graphical views, form-based editors and a complex data model? Do you want to deviate from the typical code-centric UX that tools such as VS Code provide? Then read only, Eclipse Theia might perfectly suit your needs!

Model validation, diffing and more with EMF.cloud

Do you want to build a domain-specific tool or IDE based on web technologies and embedded in Eclipse Theia or VS Code? Is your existing tool based on EMF and you want to migrate it to the cloud? Then this article is for you.

Papyrus UML - the first stage of a journey to the cloud

Are you looking for a powerful UML tool suite in the web/cloud? Are you a user of Eclipse Papyrus and do you wonder what the tool could look like in the future based on modern web technologies? Read on to get a sneak preview of Papyrus running on the web!

Eclipse Theia 1.21 Release: News and Noteworthy

We are happy to announce the Eclipse Theia 1.21 release! This monthly release contains 36 merged pull requests and provides lots of improvements.In this article, we highlight some selected features and fixes.

CDT Cloud - An overview about C/C++ tooling in the web

Do you want to build a custom tool for C/C++ development based on a modern technology stack? Do you want to migrate an existing C/C++ desktop tool to electron or the browser? Then read on.

Migrating Eclipse-based Tools/Plugins to Eclipse Theia or VSCode

Do you have an existing tool based on Eclipse RCP or a plugin for the Eclipse Desktop IDE? Do you wonder how you can evolve your project to web-based platforms such as Eclipse Theia or VS Code? Then read on!

Diagram editors with Eclipse GLSP - towards 1.0

Eclipse GLSP is a framework for building web-based diagram editors. These diagram editors can be embedded into Eclipse Theia, into VS Code or into any web application. Therefore, GLSP enables great flexibility concerning your target tool platform and also is a great replacement of GEF or GMF when migrating tools to the web/cloud.

Getting started with Eclipse Cloud Developer Tools

Are you interested in building web- and cloud-based tools? Are you wondering what Eclipse Theia is, how it compares to VS Code or how LSP is related to all this? It can be easy to lose the overview of this vibrant ecosystem and with lots of innovative, emerging technologies. But help is at hand. Read on, we might be able to help you!

CDT Cloud? C/C++ tooling in the web/cloud

Are you looking to build a custom C/C++ tool using modern technologies? Do you have an existing Eclipse CDT-based toolchain and are looking for a migration path to the cloud? Then read on. In this article, we will share our experience with building custom and domain-specific C/C++ tools based on web technologies and running them either on the desktop or in the cloud. We will introduce an example tool called CDT Cloud Blueprint that combines best-in-class open-source C/C++ tool technologies and provides a starting point for your own domain-specific tool.

Register for TheiaCon 2021 now!

EclipseCon 2021 has just closed its doors and we are happy to already announce the next highlight of the year, TheiaCon 2021! It will be a two day virtual event with fully focused on Eclipse Theia, the next generation framework for building tools and IDEs.

A hands-on tutorial for Eclipse GLSP

Do you want to learn how to implement diagram editors using Eclipse GLSP? Then please read on. We have just published a first beta version of a fully interactive tutorial demonstrating the basic steps on how to implement a web-based diagram editor with GLSP!

Eclipse Theia Blueprint Beta 2 is released

We are happy to announce the beta 2 release of Eclipse Theia Blueprint. Theia Blueprint is a template application allowing you to easily consume and evaluate Theia. It’s shipped as a downloadable installer. It is also designed to be a blueprint for building your own custom applications baked on Theia. Please see this article for more information and this page for the download links.

Web-based modeling tools with EMF.cloud

Do you want to build a domain-specific tool running in the browser? Do you require features such as form-based editors, tree views, graphical editors, model comparison, model validation, model analysis or even code generation? Then read on.

Migrating Eclipse plugins to Eclipse Theia or VS Code

In this article, we provide a guideline on how to approach a migration of existing desktop Eclipse plugins to Eclipse Theia or VS Code. We focus on providing an overview about the most important technology and architecture decisions.

Diagram editors in Theia and VS Code with Eclipse GLSP

Do you want to implement a diagram editor to be embedded into VS Code, Eclipse Theia, a website or any other tool like Eclipse desktop? Then watch the video below!

A diagram editor framework for VS Code

Do you want to extend VS Code with a custom diagram editor? In this article we will introduce you to Eclipse GLSP, an open source framework to efficiently implement powerful diagram editors directly embedded into VS Code (via an extension). As the name suggests, it works very similar to the language server protocol (LSP), but for graphical diagram editors.

A custom dashboard for Eclipse Che

Do you want a workspace management server for your cloud development environment such as Eclipse Che, but also require a custom dashboard? Do you want to integrate user features, such as the creation of workspaces into your existing web presence? Then read on. Eclipse Che actually provides the essential features of cloud workspace management via a headless API. In this article we introduce “Che Zero”, an example application, which provides workspace management with Eclipse Che with a lean and customizable user interface.

Web-based modeling tools with EMF.cloud

Do you want to build a domain-specific tool running in the browser? Do you require features such as form-based editors, tree views, graphical editors, model comparison, model validation, model analysis or even code generation? Then read on.

VS Code extensions vs. Theia extensions

If you develop a custom web-based tool or an IDE extension these days, you might wonder whether to go for a VS Code extension or whether to use Eclipse Theia extensions. In this article we provide a quick guideline and a simple decision tree on how to decide between developing a VS Code extension vs developing a Theia extension for particular use cases. Please note that this is not about the decision whether to use Eclipse Theia or VS Code, especially, because VS Code extensions can be used in both.

A minimal diagram editor example for Eclipse GLSP

In this article, we introduce a minimal example for a diagram editor developed with Eclipse Graphical Language Server Platform (GLSP). GLSP is an open source framework to efficiently implement web-based diagrams. These diagrams can be used stand-alone (on a web page) or embedded into an IDE, such as VS Code, Eclipse Theia or Eclipse (see this blog post).

A property view for Eclipse Theia

In this article, we introduce the new, extensible property view that has recently been contributed to Eclipse Theia, the open platform for building web-based tools and IDEs. The property view is capable of showing arbitrary properties of a selected element. It is extensible in terms of which properties to show for specific elements and how to display the properties.

Building diagram editors in Eclipse Theia with GLSP

Do you want to implement a diagram editor in Eclipse Theia? The Eclipse Graphical Language Server Platform (GLSP) allows you to very efficiently create your own web-based diagram editors. It also comes with an out-of-the-box Theia-integration, which lets you integrate a diagram editor into an existing Theia workbench. In this article, we focus on the integration points with Eclipse Theia.

The EMF.cloud Model Server

Do you want to build a web-based tool based on a domain-specific data model? Do you need to connect client-side editors or cloud-based services to an instance of your data model and enable command-based modification, change propagation and undo/redo? In this article, we introduce the EMF.cloud model server, which fulfills exactly these requirements.

The workflow diagram example for Eclipse GLSP

Do you want to see Eclipse GLSP, a framework for web-based diagram editors in action? In this article, we present a full-fledged example of a diagram editor implemented with GLSP that is available open source and on all supported platforms including VS Code, Eclipse Theia, Eclipse desktop and plain websites. You can even try the example in an online demonstration.

Web-based diagram editor features in Eclipse GLSP

The article provides an overview of the most important diagram editor features of Eclipse GLSP. The Eclipse Graphical Language Server Platform is a framework for efficiently implementing web-based diagram editors, e.g. for VS Code, Eclipse Theia or in any web application. In this article, we provide a quick overview of the user-visible features that GLSP enables. We explicitly skip details as well as features that users don’t see directly. Please visit the GLSP website for more detailed information about GLSP.

How to build a tree editor in Eclipse Theia

Are you interested in creating an editor displaying data as a tree structure with a detail form in Eclipse Theia, such as the screenshot shown below? In this article we introduce the tree editor framework for Eclipse Theia, which supports exactly that. The framework provided by the EMF.cloud project provides all the basic requirements out-of-the-box so you only need to implement the domain-specific part, e.g. what icons to use, how the hierarchy of the tree is derived from the data or how the detail form is layouted.

GLSP: Diagrams in VS Code, Theia, Eclipse and plain HTML

Eclipse GLSP is a framework to build diagram editors based on web technologies. These diagram editors can be embedded into any web page, but also into web-based IDEs such as VS Code or Eclipse Theia. By using a browser widget, the diagram editors can even be used in desktop tools such as the Eclipse IDE.

EMF JSON mapper at EMF.cloud!

Do you want to convert EMF model instances into JSON or vice versa? Do you want to make EMF data available via REST services? Then carry on reading. In this post, we introduce the EMF JSON Jackson mapper that has been contributed to EMF.cloud!

Eclipse Che vs. VS Code (online|codespaces)

Have you heard about Eclipse Che and wonder how it compares to VS Code Online or “VS Code Codespaces”? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Are you confused what the role of Eclipse Theia is in this comparison? Then keep on reading!

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.25.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Eclipse Release 2020-09, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.25.0!

A web-based modeling tool based on Eclipse Theia

Are you interested in implementing a new domain-specific tool in the cloud and based on Eclipse Theia? Or do you want to migrate an existing modeling tool for engineers into a web-based solution? Does your tool require features such as diagrams, code generators, a textual DSL, a form-based editor and model analysis, all in the browser/cloud? Do you have doubts about what is possible, which technologies to use and especially how to integrate with frameworks, and with existing tools? Then keep on reading!

How to create/develop an Eclipse Theia IDE plugin

This article provides an overview on how to develop a Eclipse Theia plugin and thereby extend the Theia IDE with new and custom features. Please note that there are two ways of extending Eclipse Theia: plugins and extensions. This article focuses on plugins, please also see our related articles for a comparison of Theia plugins and extensions and on how to develop extensions for Theia.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.24.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Eclipse Release 2020-03, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.24.0!

Eclipse Theia - FAQ

In this article we´ll answer the most frequently asked questions about Eclipse Theia, the open source platform for building web- and cloud-based IDEs and Tools. This article provides an overview, quick answers and references to follow up reads.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.23.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Eclipse Release 2019-12, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.23.0!

Introducing EMF.cloud

Do you want to build a web-based modeling tool? Do you know the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) and want to use its benefits in the browser? Do you want to migrate an existing EMF-based tool to the cloud? Then keep on reading!

The Eclipse Theia IDE vs. VS Code

Note: Time has passed since this blog post was published, and several important aspects are now outdated. Both VS Code and the Theia platform have evolved, and there is now a new generic IDE based on Theia: the Theia IDE. For the latest insights, check out our updated blog posts on this topic: VS Code vs Theia IDE and Eclipse Theia vs. VS Code OSS.

How to create/develop an Eclipse Theia IDE extension

In this article, we provide an overview on how to extend the Eclipse Theia IDE with custom extensions. We will show how to create a Theia extension, how it is structured and how to develop it by adding your own features. Please note that there are two ways of extending the Eclipse Theia IDE, one being extensions, the other one being plugins. This article is focussed on extensions, please see this article for a comparison of Theia plugins and extensions.

How to install/run/try Eclipse Che

In this article series we provide an overview of how to get started with Eclipse Che. In this first part, we will describe how to easily install it and launch your own instance of Eclipse Che. If you are interested and want to try out Eclipse Che and see it in action, keep on reading. In case you are wondering what Eclipse Che is, please see here for an introduction and a description of the relationship of Eclipse Che with Eclipse Theia.

How to use Git in the Eclipse Theia IDE

This  series of articles  describes how to get started with the Eclipse Theia IDE. In this particular article, we provide an overview about  the Git support of the Eclipse Theia IDE. Please see previous articles on how to launch Theia, or how to use the Theia IDE and for a quick introduction of Theia.

Introducing the Graphical Language Server Protocol / Platform (Eclipse GLSP)

You want to build web-based, browser-based or cloud-based diagram editors for your graphical (modeling) language? You want to migrate an existing diagram editor to the web? Keep on reading!

Using VS Code extensions in Eclipse Theia

Eclipse Theia is an open source platform to build web- and cloud-based tools, as an alternative to VS Code. However, Theia is compatible to VS Code in terms of extensions. In this article, we describe how to install and use VS Code extensions in Eclipse Theia.

How to add extensions and plugins to Eclipse Theia

Eclipse Theia is an extensible platform to build web-based tools and IDEs. In this article, we focus on how to add new features to Theia by adding extensions and/or plugins. Please see this article for a comparison of Eclipse Theia extensions and Theia plugins, a quick introduction of Theia and learn more about frequently asked questions about Theia.

Eclipse Theia extensions vs. plugins vs. Che-Theia plugins

In this article, we compare Eclipse Theia plugins with Theia extensions and highlight the differences. In case  you are wondering what Eclipse Theia is, please head over to our introduction to Theia and have a look at the frequently asked questions about Eclipse Theia. Eclipse Theia is an extensible framework for building tools and IDEs. It can be extended by custom features. This can be done by adding existing or custom Theia extensions, Theia plugins or even VS Code extensions. That obviously leads us to the first interesting question, which we will cover in this article:

How to use Eclipse Theia as an IDE

This article provides an overview on how you get started with Eclipse Theia and how to use it as an IDE. In case you wonder what Eclipse Theia is, please see this blog post for an introduction and the frequently asked questions about Eclipse Theia. After we have described several options on how to launch Theia in the previous article, in this article we continue with the next logical question, which is:

EclipseSource Oomph Profile - updated to 2019-09

Last week, Eclipse 2019-09 has been released, a new version of the Eclipse IDE and platform. As 2019-06, the new release contains a lot of useful improvements and increases agin performance. Holger Voormann provides once more great videos summarizing the improvements in the Java IDE, the platform and in EGit, which we are happy to share (please see below)

How to launch Eclipse Theia

In this article, we provide an overview on how to get started with Eclipse Theia. If you’re new to Eclipse Theia, please check this blog post for an introduction and this FAQ about Eclipse Theia.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.22.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Eclipse Release 2019-09, we have also been able to ship EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.22.0!

Modeling Symposium @ EclipseCon Europe 2019

We are happy to announce that Ed, Philip and Jonas are organizing the Modeling Symposium for the EclipseCon Europe 2019 in Ludwigsburg. The symposium aims to provide a forum for community members to present a brief overview of their work. We offer 10 minute lightning slots (including set-up and questions) to facilitate a broad range of speakers. The primary goal is to introduce interesting, new technological features. This targets mainly modeling projects which are otherwise not represented at the conference.

Scaffolding a JSON Forms application with Yeoman

JSON Forms is a framework for efficiently developing form-based UIs based on JSON Schema.

EMF Forms 1.21.0 Feature: Multi Edit for Tables and Trees

EMF Forms makes it easy to create forms that are able to edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this article, we would like to outline a new feature in the 1.21.0 release: The support for simultaneously editing multiple EObjects in trees and tables (multi edit).

EclipseSource Oomph Profile - updated to 2019-06

Last week, Eclipse 2019-06 has been released, a new version of the Eclipse IDE and platform. The first notable improvement is the launch speed, especially if you run it with newer Java versions. So we recommend reviewing the Java JVM used to run Eclipse (not necessarily the same as used for compiling projects) and update e.g. to Java 11. Further, with 2019-06, you can launch Eclipse with a selected workspace directly from command line like you might be used to using VS Code just like this:

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.21.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Eclipse Release 2019-06, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.21.0!

One size fits all - Rendering Material Design with React and Angular

JSON Forms is a framework for efficiently developing form-based UIs based on JSON Schema.

Single-sourcing web & mobile forms with JSON Forms

JSON Forms is a framework for efficiently developing form-based UIs based on JSON Schema.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.20.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Eclipse Release 2018-03, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.20.0!

Strategies towards web/cloud-based tools and IDEs

There is currently a big hype surrounding web- and cloud-based tooling. New projects and frameworks are popping up and existing projects get more traction both in- and outside the Eclipse ecosystem, e.g. Eclipse Che, Eclipse Theia, Visual Studio Code, Atom, Eclipse Drigible, and Eclipse Orion.

EMF Forms 1.19.0 Feature: Data Templates for EObject Creation

EMF Forms makes it easy to create forms that are capable of editing your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this article, we would like to outline a new feature in the 1.19.0 release: The data template mechanism for creating new EObjects, which are based on templates, from within the UI.

JSON Forms goes Mobile with Ionic

The last couple of weeks we’ve been busy with completing an Ionic 3 based renderer set to JSON Forms. If you don’t know what Ionic is: Ionic is a cross-platform framework for building mobile apps. A new version, 4.x, currently in its beta and built on web components via Stencil, is available, while 3.x is considered stable and is built on Angular.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile - updated to 2018-12

Yesterday, Eclipse 2018-12 has been released, a new version of the Eclipse IDE and platform. It contains many useful improvements, so it is worth to update. It is the second release following the new release cycle with four equal releases per year.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.19.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Eclipse Release 2018-12, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.19.0!

Building web-based modeling tools - EclipseSource OS Week 2018

At EclipseSource, we continuously drive innovation in a variety of open source projects to built tools upon. Our goal is to create, adapt, enhance technologies fulfilling the requirements of our adopters and customers. As truly global company, we do that in a distributed way and in our days, we are blessed with the communication channels to efficiently do so!

Eclipse Che vs. Eclipse Theia

In this article, we compare Eclipse Che with Eclipse Theia and explain their relationship - their differences and their overlap. In fact - spoiler alert - both technologies do combine well and together provide a very powerful stack for cloud-based tooling. So let us start right ahead with the most interesting question:

EMF Forms 1.18.0 Feature: Label Layouting

EMF Forms makes it easy to create forms that are capable of editing your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we would like to outline a new feature in the 1.18.0 release: The improved label layouting.

How to inversify() in Eclipse Theia

In this article we will describe the basic concepts of dependency injection in Eclipse Theia using inversify. Dependency injection is used in Eclipse Theia to implement extensions. The main two use cases are (1) to use a service or a class provided by Theia and (2) to contribute an extension to the platform. In both cases, inversify is the glue between your extension and Theia. Therefore, this article is a good preparation in case you want to build your own custom extension for Theia.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile - updated to 2018-09

In September, Eclipse 2018-09 has been released, a new version of the Eclipse IDE and platform. It contains many useful improvements, so it is worth to update. It is the first release following the new release cycle with four equal releases per year. One of many noteworthy extensions is the new minimap view, which provides a complete overview of opened documents. It allows to browse files more efficiently and due to showing the selection, also identifying occurrences of certain expressions, e.g. usages of fields.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.18.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Eclipse Release 2018-09, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.18.0!

How to deploy Eclipse Theia on a Raspberry Pi

Eclipse Theia is a platform to create IDEs and custom (modeling) tools based on  web technology (Typescript, CSS and HTML). Please see this article for details about this new Eclipse project.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile - updated to Photon

Last week, Eclipse Photon has been released, a new version of the Eclipse IDE and platform. It contains many useful improvements, so it is worth to update.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.17.0 released!

We are happy to announce that with the Photon release train, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.17.0!

Eclipse Insight on Building Modeling Tools in Munich on September 3rd

We are happy to announce the first Eclipse Insight on Building Modeling Tools in Munich, on September 3rd (5.30 pm - 9 pm), registration see here.

What is Eclipse Theia?

In this article, we provide an overview about Eclipse Theia, an open source platform for building web- and cloud-based IDEs and domain-specific tools. We describe the basic features of Theia and compare it with relevant technologies including the classic Eclipse platform. So if you are new to Eclipse Theia and want to learn what this is all about, keep on reading!

Web-based vs. desktop-based Tools

It is clear that there is an ongoing excitement surrounding web-based IDEs and tools, e.g. Eclipse Che, Eclipse Theia, Visual Studio Code, Atom or Eclipse Orion. If you attended recent presentations or read current announcements, you may get the feeling that desktop IDEs have already been deprecated. But is this really true? If you ask developers for the tools they use in their daily work, you will rarely find someone already using web-based development tools in production.

Eclipse Target Platform Definition DSL and Generator

Target Platform definitions are a way to define from where Eclipse-based projects obtain their dependencies. They provide many benefits, but in case you still need more convincing please see this tutorial.

EMF Forms 1.16.0 Feature: Improved Template Model Tooling

EMF Forms makes it easy to create forms that are able to edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we would like to outline a new feature in the 1.16.0 release: The improved template model tooling. A template model allows you to customize the way in which EMF Forms displays form-based UIs. Therefore, you can adapt EMF Forms to fit your requirements, often even without implementing custom renderers.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile – updated to Oxygen.3

This week, Oxygen.3 has been released, a new version of the Eclipse IDE and platform. It contains useful improvements, especially in terms of performance, so it is worth to update.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.16.0 released!

We are happy to announce with the Oxygen.3 release train, we have also shipped EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.16.0!

JSON Forms 2.0 reaches Orbit

Today, we are happy to announce the the 2.0 release of JSON Forms. This release is a major milestone for us as it is the result of several months of work during which we did a lot of exploration, prototyping and finally implementation.

Join the virtual Che Conf 2018 tomorrow, February 21st

See you at the Che Conf 2018

The Che Conf 2018 will take place tomorrow, Feb 21st starting at 10 am EST. For Europeans, it is a nice evening event to watch. The good thing about this conference is that it is free to attend and you can join it from your desk or even from your couch.

EMF Forms 1.15.0 Feature: Enhanced Table Renderer

EMF Forms makes it easy to create forms that can edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we would like to outline a new feature in the 1.15.0 release: The enhanced table renderer. The enhanced table renderer adds useful features, such as filtering, column visibility, and several style options to the Nebula Grid based table renderer.

EDAPT 1.3.0 released!

We are happy to announce that, we have released EDAPT 1.3.0!

We want to thank all committers and contributors for their work as well as all users and adopters for the feedback and support!

SWT Spy - debugging SWT layouts

Do you have to debug an existing SWT view and you are not sure what elements are really on screen? Are you tired of manually coloring composites to find out what’s wrong in your layout?

EclipseSource Oomph Profile - updated to Oxygen.2

Yesterday, Oxygen.2 has been released, a new version of the Eclipse IDE and platform. It contains many useful improvements, so it is worth to update.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.15.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Oxygen.2, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.15.0!

Eclipse DemoCamp Munich on 4th of December 2017 - Final Agenda

The Eclipse Democamp December in Munich will take place on upcoming monday and we are looking forward to meet you there!

EMF Forms 1.14.0 Feature: Enhanced Input Validation

EMF Forms makes it simple to create forms which edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we would like to outline a new feature in the 1.13.0 release: The extended input validation. With this, you can forbid illegal values from being entered into a form and can support the user, with live validation while entering data.

Modeling Symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2017 – Slides

Thanks for attending the modeling symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2017

Thank you for the positive feedback and thanks to all the speakers.

Eclipse DemoCamp Munich: Registration opens today

Eclipse Democamp Munich 2017

Registration (for December 4th 2017) opens today!

Save the date: Eclipse DemoCamp Munich on 4th of December 2017

We’re pleased to invite you to the Eclipse DemoCamp Munich 2017

Like in the past years, we continue in our tradition of hosting a “Christmas DemoCamp”. Please save the following date and mark your calendars on December 4th 2017 for the next Eclipse DemoCamp in Munich!

Modeling Symposium @ EclipseCon Europe 2017

I am happy to present the selected talks for the Modeling Symposium @ EclipseCon Europe 2017. It is scheduled for the second day of the conference, i.e., Wednesday, October 25th, 4.30pm (see the schedule). The symposium aims to provide a forum for community members to present a brief overview of their work. We offer four 10-minute lightning slots to facilitate a broad range of topics. The primary goal is to introduce interesting new technology and features.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.14.0 released! - Join us at EclipseCon Europe 2017

We are happy to announce that together with Oxygen.1, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.14.0!

EMF Support for Che - Day 6: Adding your own editor

In this blog series, we share our experiences extending Eclipse Che to add EMF support. The first post covers our goals. In the last post, we have focused on how to extend Che by adding a custom plugin. So far, we have registered a file extension for +.ecore files and can control the editor to be opened for this file type. We still can open a plain text editor for Ecore files.

Façade-Based EMF Compare: Partial Façades

Façade-Based Compare/Merge: Partial Façades

This post is an instalment in a series about a new initiative in the EMF Compare project: Façade-based compare/merge. The purpose of this effort is to enable extenders to plug in façade models that provide an alternative view on the models that a user is comparing and merging, especially for models described by domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) such as might be implemented with UML profiles. The goal is to remove the need for, or at least to simplify, the various extensions that are required to customize the compare/merge experience for DSMLs by having the compare/merge framework operate on a façade that more precisely implements the domain-specific semantics for comparison.

Mountain Office for one week: Our OpenSource Week August 2017

At EclipseSource, we are continuously developing open source software as committers and contributors for projects at Eclipse.org (e.g. EMF Forms) or on GitHub (e.g. JSON Forms). In fact, contributing to open source projects and in turn making them ready for professional use is our core business. Therefore, much of the work completed in these projects is driven by our customers requirements and provides direct value in adopters projects.

EclipseCon Europe 2017, Modeling Symposium

Ed, Philip and I are organizing the Modeling Symposium for the EclipseCon Europe 2017 in Ludwigsburg. It is scheduled for the second day of the conference, i.e., Wednesday, October 25th, 2017. The symposium aims to provide a forum for community members to present a brief overview of their work. We offer 10 minute lightning slots (including questions) to facilitate a broad range of speakers. The primary goal is to introduce interesting, new technological features. This targets mainly modeling projects which are otherwise not represented at the conference.

EMF Forms 1.13.0 Feature: Export to JSON Forms

With Oxygen, we released EMF Forms 1.13.0.

Please note, that we published an update 1.13.1 fixing a critical bug (see BR519415 and BR518503) in the EMF Forms Ecore editor. So in case you are using this editor, please make sure to get the latest version 1.13.1 from our download page.

EMF Support for Che - Day 5: Create a plugin and register a file type

In this blog series, we share our experiences extending Eclipse Che to add EMF support. The first post covered our goals. In previous posts, we describe how to add support for code generation, create a custom stack, and how to build che. It has been quite a while since our last blog, but now we would like to continue with the next step.

EclipseCon 2017 - last chance to submit a talk!

The deadline for submitting to EclipseCon Europe 2017 is approaching. The last day is Monday, June 17. Please find the submission system on eclipsecon.org.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile - updated to Oxygen

Last week, Oxygen has been release, a new major version of the Eclipse IDE. It contains many useful improvements, so it is worth to update. In case you use our EclipseSource Oomph profile (see this blog post for more details), you should get a notification and Oomph will apply the update automatically. If you do not get the notification, just navigate to the menu entry “Window” => “Perform Set-Up Task”.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.13.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Oxygen, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.13.0! The number “13” should actually mean bad luck, however, 1.13.0 is the 14th release (starting with 1.0.0), so we are not superstitious here :-) We want to thank our continuously active team of 14 contributors (35 contributors over all) for completing on 43 bug reports and feature requests. It is amazing to look at the on-going histroy of this successful project, since version 1.0.0, we have completed over 1.4k feature requests and bug reports, 38 contributors have submitted 10k commits and developed 640k lines of code. EMF Forms continues to be one of the most active projects at Eclipse.

Already sold out? - Eclipse Democamp Oxygen 2017, June 28th 2017

Every year it is amazing to see how fast the Eclipse DemoCamp in Munich sells out. To give everyone a fair chance to register, we have announced the time the registration opens in advance. This year, it took less than 1 week, until the available 120 seats were fully booked. However, even if you did not get a seat, we still encourage you to register for the waiting list. You can register on eventbrite. There you’ll also find detailed information on the location, agenda, time and more. The democamp is in 3 weeks (June 28th 2017) and some of the 120 registrants will be forced to cancel. We remind all current registrants to double check their availability. We expect some people to unregister before the event. If and only if you are on the waiting list, you will be notified immediately, once a seat becomes available. We wish you good luck and we are looking forward to great demos and seeing you in June!

Registration opens now! - Eclipse DemoCamp Oxygen 2017

Eclipse DemoCamp Oxygen 2017 on June 28th 2017 - Registration opens now!

Save the date: Eclipse DemoCamp Oxygen 28.06.2017

Please save the date for the Eclipse DemoCamp Oxygen 2017 on June 28th. We will offer ~120 seats, but we usually receive around 200 registrations. To give everybody the same chance, registration for the event will open exactly on May 24th 2017 2pm.

JSON Forms - Day 6 - Custom Renderers

JSON Forms is a framework to efficiently build form-based web UIs. These UIs are targeted at entering, modifying and viewing data and are usually embedded within an application. JSONForms eliminates the need to write HTML templates and Javascript for manual data-binding to create customizable forms by leveraging the capabilities of JSON and JSON schema as well as by providing a simple and declarative way of describing forms. Forms are then rendered within a UI framework – currently based on ReactJS and Redux. If you would like to know more about JSON Forms the JSON Forms homepage is a good starting point.

JSON Forms - Day 5 - Layouts

JSON Forms is a framework to efficiently build form-based web UIs. These UIs are targeted at entering, modifying and viewing data and are usually embedded within an application. JSONForms eliminates the need to write HTML templates and Javascript for manual data-binding to create customizable forms by leveraging the capabilities of JSON and JSON schema as well as by providing a simple and declarative way of describing forms. Forms are then rendered within a UI framework – currently based on ReactJS and Redux. If you would like to know more about JSON Forms the JSON Forms homepage is a good starting point.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.12.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Neon.3, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.12.0!

EMF Support for Che - Day 4: Building Che

In this blog series, we share our experiences extending Eclipse Che to add EMF support.. The first post covers our goals. In previous posts, we describe how to add support for code generation and create a custom stack, which provides the framework for code generation out of the box.

EMF Support for Che - Day 3: Adding a custom Workspace Stack

In this blog series we share our experiences extending Eclipse Che as well as describe how we have added initial EMF support for the Eclipse Che IDE. Please see the first post in this series for an overview of our goals. In the previous blog post, we described how to add support for code generation by reusing the existing EMF code generator which is bundled with Eclipse. To make this possible we added a classic Eclipse Modeling Tools Edition to our workspace. We demonstrated that we are able to run the Eclipse Modeling Tools on the command line in order to trigger the EMF code generator.

EMF Support for Che - Day 2: Generating code

In this blog series, we share our experience with extending Eclipse Che and describe how we have built initial EMF support for the Eclipse Che IDE. Please see the first post in this series for an overview of our goals. In the last blog post, we described how to create a custom workspace containing a template modeling project. This template provides a fully configured model. Before looking at any editing support or the creation of custom models, we first have a look at generating code from that template project. This is one of the most crucial requirements of our project, as we want to reuse the existing EMF code generator. So is it possible to reuse this existing Eclipse framework feature in Che?

EMF Support for Che - Day 1: Run Che and Import existing EMF project

In this blog series, we share our experience with extending Eclipse Che and describe how we have built initial EMF support for the Eclipse Che IDE. In the last blog post, we have described our overall goals and the use case.

JSON Forms - Day 4 - Visibility Rules

JSON Forms is a framework to efficiently build form-based web UIs. These UIs are targeted at entering, modifying and viewing data and are usually embedded within an application. JSONForms eliminates the need to write HTML templates and Javascript for manual data-binding to create customizable forms by leveraging the capabilities of JSON and JSON schema as well as by providing a simple and declarative way of describing forms. Forms are then rendered within a UI framework – currently based on ReactJS and Redux. If you would like to know more about JSON Forms the JSON Forms homepage is a good starting point.

EMF Support for Che - Day 0: Motivation and getting started

At EclipseCon North America 2016, the first public release of Eclipse Che was announced. Almost immediately, there was a new cloud-based IDE in the Eclipse ecosystem. At first glance, it is an IDE running in the browser:

EMF Forms 1.11.0 Feature: View Cache for Tree Master Detail

With Neon.2, we released EMF Forms 1.11.0. EMF Forms makes it simple to create forms which edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we want to outline a new feature in the 1.11.0 release: A view cache for master detail views. In the last post, we introduced a related feature, that is the ability to replace the input of an already rendered view. This saves rendering time in master detail scenarios. The following screenshot shows such an example of this, the left panel shows a list of objects (“User” in this case), the right side shows a form rendering the object selected on the left.

EMF Forms 1.11.0 Feature: Change Input Domain Object

With Neon.2, we released EMF Forms 1.11.0. EMF Forms makes it simple to create forms which will edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we want to outline a new feature in the 1.11.0 release: Changing the input of an already rendered view.

JSON Forms - Day 3 - Extending the UI Schema

JSON Forms is a framework to efficiently build form-based web UIs. These UIs are targeted at entering, modifying and viewing data and are usually embedded within an application. JSONForms eliminates the need to write HTML templates and Javascript for manual data-binding to create customizable forms by leveraging the capabilities of JSON and JSON schema as well as by providing a simple and declarative way of describing forms. Forms are then rendered within a UI framework – currently based on ReactJS and Redux. If you would like to know more about JSON Forms the JSON Forms homepage is a good starting point.

EMF Forms 1.11.0 Feature: Grid Table and more

With Neon.1, we released EMF Forms 1.11.0. EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms which edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we wish to outline the improvements in the release 1.10.0: An alternative table renderer based on Nebula Grid Table.

JSON Forms - Day 2 - Introducing the UI Schema

JSON Forms is a framework to efficiently build form-based web UIs. These UIs are targeted at entering, modifying and viewing data and are usually embedded within an application. JSONForms eliminates the need to write HTML templates and Javascript for manual data-binding to create customizable forms by leveraging the capabilities of JSON and JSON schema as well as by providing a simple and declarative way of describing forms. Forms are then rendered within a UI framework – currently based on ReactJS and Redux. If you would like to know more about JSON Forms the JSON Forms homepage is a good starting point.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.11.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Neon.2, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.11.0!

JSON Forms - Make-It-Happen Blog Series - Pilot

JSON Forms is a framework to efficiently build form-based web UIs. These UIs are targeted at entering, modifying and viewing data and are usually embedded within an application. JSONForms eliminates the need to write HTML templates and Javascript for manual data-binding to create customizable forms by leveraging the capabilities of JSON and JSON schema as well as by providing a simple and declarative way of describing forms. Forms are then rendered within a UI framework – currently based on ReactJS and Redux. If you would like to know more about JSON Forms the JSON Forms homepage is a good starting point.

Running EMF Client Platform + EMFStore as RAP application on Tomcat

Building an application to view and edit data is really simple using the EMF Client Platform. This includes form-based editors based on EMF Forms. Add EMFStore to the mix and you get collaborative editing and versioning. All of this is merely a matter of defining an EMF model for your data.

Modeling Symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2016 – Slides

Thanks for attending the modeling symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2016, thank you for the positive feedback and thanks to all the speakers.

Eclipse Democamp Munich, December 5th 2016 – Already sold out?

Every year it is amazing to see how fast the Eclipse DemoCamp in Munich sells out. To give everyone a fair chance to register, we have announced the time the registration opens in advance. This year, it took less than 24 hours, until the available 80 seats were fully booked. However, even if you did not get a seat, we still encourage you to register for the waiting list. You can register on eventbrite. There you’ll also find detailed information on the location, agenda, time and more. The democamp is in 4 weeks (December 5th 2016) and some of the 80 registrants will be forced to cancel. We remind all current registrants to double check their availability. We expect some people to unregister before the event. If and only if you are on the waiting list, you will be notified immediately, once a seat becomes available. We wish you good luck and we are looking forward to great demos and seeing you in December!

Eclipse Democamp Munich December 5th 2016 - Registration opens today!

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the Eclipse DemoCamp Munich 2016. The DemoCamp Munich is one the biggest DemoCamps worldwide and therefore an excellent opportunity to showcase all the cool, new and interesting technology being built by the Eclipse community. This event is open to Eclipse enthusiasts who want to show demos of what they are doing with Eclipse.

Save the date: Eclipse DemoCamp 05.12.2016

We are pleased to invite you to participate to the Eclipse DemoCamp Munich 2016. Like in the past years, we continue in our tradition of hosting a “Christmas DemoCamp”. Please save the following date and mark your calendars on December 5th 2016 for the next Eclipse DemoCamp in Munich!

Modeling Symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2016

The modeling symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2016 takes place on Wednesday, October 26th from 17.45pm-18.20pm (see the session overview).

EclipseSource goes France!

Bonjour, we are delighted to announce, that EclipseSource goes France! For years, France and Germany have been hotspots for topics such as Modeling, EMF, Papyrus, and, more generally,  Eclipse. Many of our current business relations bring us together. Therefore, having an office in France is the next logical step.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.10.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Neon, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.10.0!

Basic Oomph Tutorial published

Oomph is a great tool to automate Eclipse installations, workspace setups, and more. Projects can configure profiles (called “setup models”) and thereby allow contributors to get an IDE to work on the project with a single click. This includes all necessary plugins to be installed, preferences, a git clone, the project import, and even more.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile: Oomph Plug-Ins

As described in our previous post, we maintain a common Eclipse Oomph Profile with our favorite plugins and settings preconfigured. By using Oomph, you can install this version of Eclipse with a single click. See here for a more thorough introduction and how to install the pre-configured Eclipse.

EclipseCon Europe - see you in 2 months!

After several busy weeks, the PC has finally selected the talks and tutorials for EclipseCon Europe 2016. I would like to thank all members of the PC for their great work and all submitters for their proposals.

EMF Forms 1.9.0 Feature: Ecore Editor Reloaded ... again

With Neon, we released EMF Forms 1.9.0. EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms which edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we wish to outline one major highlight of release 1.9.0: a new version of the Ecore editor and a generic editor based on EMF Forms.

Call for Submissions: Modeling Symposium @ EclipseCon Europe 2016

We are happy to announce that Philip, Ed and I are organizing the Modeling Symposium for EclipseCon Europe 2016. Please support us by sharing the call on your communication channels.

JSON Schema - the good, the bad and the ugly

In the last years we have been heavily using JSON Schema, a web standard to describe JSON instances/your data in web applications.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile: Updated to Neon

Eclipse Neon was successfully released on June 22nd. Neon provides better performance and a variety of improvements. Therefore, we recommend to always update the IDE to the newest version.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.9.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Neon, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.9.0! We want to thank all committers and contributors for their work as well as the active ecosystem of users and adopters for the feedback and support!

Make your submissions for EclipseCon Europe 2016

We had a great EclipseCon France last week, and now the next great event is upcoming: EclipseCon Europe 2016, October 25th - 27th!

Eclipse Demo Camp Neon, June 20th 2016 - Already sold out?

Every year it is amazing to see how fast the Eclipse DemoCamp in Munich sells out. To give everyone a fair chance to register, we have announced the time the registration opens in advance. This year, it took less than 24 hours, until the available 110 seats were fully booked. However, even if you did not get a seat, we still encourage you to register for the waiting list. You can register on eventbrite. There you’ll also find detailed information on the location, agenda, time and more. The democamp is in 4 weeks (June 20th 2016) and some of the 110 registrants will be forced to cancel. We remind all current registrants to double check their availability. We expect some people to unregister before the event. If and only if you are on the waiting list, you will be notified immediately, once a seat becomes available. We wish you good luck and we are looking forward to great demos and seeing you in June!

Save the date: Eclipse DemoCamp NEON Munich, June 20th 2016

We are pleased to announce the Eclipse DemoCamp NEON Munich 2016 on June 20th. 

EMF Forms 1.8.0 Feature: New Group Rendering Options

With Mars.2, we released EMF Forms 1.8.0. EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms that edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we wish to outline an important enhancement for rendering group elements in forms, which allows you to create form-based UIs even more efficiently.

Modeling at EclipseCon France

EclipseCon France is only a couple of weeks away. I’m looking forward to this great conference with a carefully selected program in a beautiful city. And, I’m definitely looking forward to presenting three topics!

Your first Application based on Eclipse - FAQ

Short Story

We have just published a tutorial in which we try to answer the most frequently asked questions about starting to develop an application based on Eclipse. It is focused on using Eclipse as a platform, not only as an IDE:

EMF Forms 1.8.0 Feature: Factories for TreeViewer and TableViewer

With Mars.2, we released EMF Forms 1.8.0. EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms which edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. In this post, we wish to outline one of the new features of release 1.8.0: A factory API to efficiently create tables and TreeViewers based on a given EMF model.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile: Updated to Mars.2

Mars.2 was successfully released on Friday, February 26st. “Mars.2” is the second “service release” for Mars (former SR2). We updated the EclipseSource Oomph Profile accordingly, so, if you use our profile, you just need to restart your Eclipse IDE, and all updates will be applied for you.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.8.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Mars.2, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.8.0! We want to thank all committers and contributors for their work as well as the active ecosystem of users and adopters for the feedback and support!

EMF Forms 1.8.0 Feature: Ecore Editor Reloaded

With Mars.2, we release EMF Forms 1.8.0. EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms that edit your data, based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our getting started tutorial. In this post, we want to outline one of the new features: a new version of the Ecore editor based on EMF Forms. We will also have a talk on EclipseCon North America 2016 about it. Along with the new version of the standard Ecore editor, we also provide a generic editor to be used with your custom model, an alternative for the “generated editor”.

All about modeling

Traditionally, modeling is a very active and well represented topic at Eclipse and consequently at EclipseCons. EclipseCon North America 2016 is a good place to find out about the latest and greatest in Eclipse modeling, as usually there is a dedicated modeling track at ECNA with some very interesting highlights:

Eclipse 4 (e4) Tutorials updated

It has been almost 4 years since we published the first version of the Eclipse 4 (e4) tutorial. Since then, we have published several extensions and, thanks to the feedback of the community, continuously improved the content. Now it is time for a major update.

The next Eclipse release / EclipseSource Room?

A simple, but nice thing about Eclipse releases are their names. Traditionally, Eclipse releases have been named after moons or other space-related phenomena.

EMF Forms goes AngularJS

Over three years ago, we started the explicit development of EMF Forms as a sub component of the EMF Client Platform. The goal was to ease the development of data-centric form-based UIs based on a given EMF data model. Rather than manually coding UIs (e.g. in SWT), the approach is to describe them declaratively in a simple model language, which is focussed on the specification of forms - the View Model. A view model instance is then interpreted by a flexible and extensible rendering component to create a working UI at the end. The approach has been a major success and shows significant advantages over manual UI programming or the usage of WYSIWYG editors. Besides the lower development effort and the higher quality of the resulting form-based UI, another advantage is the technological flexibility of the approach. The view model, which specifies the UI is not depending on a certain UI toolkit (e.g. SWT, GWT or JavaFX). Implementing new renderers allows you to switch the UI technology without respecifying the concrete UI itself. With renderers for the Remote Application Platform and Vaadin, EMF Forms is already used for web applications. EMF Forms has grown to a very active, frequently used project. This success motivates us to continuously drive the technology forward, extend its use cases, and, in doing so, attract new users. An obvious new field for applying the concepts of EMF Forms is the implementation of data-centric web applications. More and more complex business applications are developed as single-page web applications using JavaScript and frameworks such as AngularJS and EmberJS. These clients are then connected to backends using Restful Services. This JavaScript based area opens the gate for a large group of new users and use cases. Therefore, it is a consequent step to implement an AngularJS based renderer for EMF Forms. The former eponym “EMF” is rather unknown in the web area. Additionally, it loses its central role for defining the data schema and the UI schema. Therefore, a new name was required: JSON Forms. However, it is not difficult to guess, which technology takes over the role of EMF.

EMF Client Platform 1.7.0 Feature: EMF Change Broker

With Mars.1, we released EMF Client Platform and EMF Forms 1.7.0. EMF Forms is a framework focused on the creation of form-based UIs. If you are not yet familiar with EMF Forms, please refer to this tutorial for a introduction of EMF Forms. EMF Forms is a sub component of the EMF Client Platform, which is designed for general support of the development of applications based on an EMF data model. While we focused our development activities a lot on EMF Forms during the last releases, EMF Client Platform is still under active development, too. In this post, we would like to introduce a new feature of the EMF Client Platform, the EMF Change Broker.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile: Checkstyle

As described in our previous post, we maintain a common Eclipse Oomph Profile with our favorite plugins and settings preconfigured. Using Oomph, you can get this version of Eclipse installed with a single click. See here for a more thorough introduction on how to obtain the pre-configured Eclipse.

Modeling Symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2015 - Slides

Thanks for attending the modeling symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2015, thank you for the positive feedback and thanks to all the speakers.

Invitation to Eclipse DemoCamp December 7th 2015

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the Eclipse DemoCamp Munich 2015. The DemoCamp Munich is one the biggest DemoCamps worldwide and therefore an excellent opportunity to showcase all the cool, new and interesting technology being built by the Eclipse community. This event is open to Eclipse enthusiasts who want to show demos of what they are doing with Eclipse.

Save the date: Eclipse DemoCamp December 7th 2015

We are pleased to invite you to participate to the Eclipse DemoCamp Munich 2015. Like in the past years, we continue in our tradition of hosting a “Christmas DemoCamp”. Please save the following date and mark your calendars on December 7th 2015 for the next Eclipse DemoCamp in Munich!

Modeling Symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2015

The modeling symposium at EclipseCon Europe 2015 takes place on Wednesday, November 4th from 11.15am-11.50am (see here).

EMF Forms 1.7.0 Feature: Runtime View Model Migration

With Mars.1, we released EMF Forms 1.7.0. EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms that edit your data, based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile: Updated to Mars.1

Mars.1 was successfully released on Friday, October 2nd. “Mars.1” is the first “service release” for Mars. The community has decided not to call the second and third release of one release stream “service” releases, as many participating projects also add new features. However, specifically the core components mainly focus on stability in Mars.1 and Mars.2 and therefore, we recommend to always update the IDE to the newest version. We updated the EclipseSource Oomph Profile accordingly, so, if you use our profile, you just need to restart your Eclipse IDE, and all updates will be applied for you. If you are running multiple instances, please close all except the one you restart. The update will take a while and run in the background, you can observe the status in the progress view on the bottom of your IDE. Once the update is finished, you need to restart again, the update should be completed and you should see the new splash screen. Please see this blog post to learn how to use the EclipseSource Oomph profile.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.7.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Mars.1, we have released EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.7.0! We want to thank all committers and contributors for their work as well as the active ecosystem of users and adopters for the feedback and support!

JSON Schema Validation with Play

In this post, we introduce a way of validating JSON HTTP requests based on a given JSON Schema instead of manually implementing the validation. We were recently approached to implement validation of JSON HTTP requests based on Play’s Validation API and a JSON schema. Play already provides a great API for performing JSON validation via its Reads/Writes combinators, which are also used to convert JSON to other data types. Let’s say, for example, that we model a blog application and we have a Post case:

EclipseSource Oomph Profile: ECLEmma

As described in our previous post, we maintain a common Eclipse Oomph Profile with our favorite plugins and settings preconfigured. Using Oomph, you can get this version of Eclipse installed with a single click. See here for a more thorough introduction and how to get the pre-configured Eclipse.

EclipseSource Oomph Profile: Favorite Eclipse Settings

As described in our previous post, we maintain a common Eclipse Oomph Profile with our favorite plugins and settings preconfigured. By using Oomph, you can get this version of Eclipse installed with a single click. See here for a more thorough introduction and how to get the pre-configured Eclipse Oomph Profile.

EMF Forms 1.6.0 Feature: Improved Rendering Architecture

With the Mars Release, we released EMF Forms 1.6.0. EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms, which edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial.

Call for Submissions: Modeling Symposium @ EclipseCon Europe 2015

We are happy to announce that Philip, Ed and I are organizing the Modeling Symposium for EclipseCon Europe 2015. Please support us by sharing the call on your communication channels.

Introducing the EclipseSource Oomph Profile

The core strength of the Eclipse IDE has always been its adaptability and extensibility. Even without adding new plug-ins, you can customize almost everything by setting a preference. Additionally, there is a rich ecosystem of plug-ins for almost any imaginable task or activity a developer works on. This ranges from programming language support, SCM integration, static code analysis to integrations with task and bug trackers. The open architecture of the Eclipse platform and the open source license facilitates to extend and even adapt the IDE to specific needs.

EMF Compare 3.1 proudly presented

The Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) has an excellent reputation in the Eclipse community and beyond. It is one of the most popular modeling frameworks available. Whether you apply model-driven development using standardized modeling languages, ​​such as UML or BPMN, or  use domain specific languages, EMF provides an optimal basis to define the involved modeling languages ​​and to implement modeling environments. Of course, with such a modeling environment EMF-based models are developed in teams making appropriate tooling for comparing model versions and merging parallel model changes inevitable.

Meet EGerrit

Gerrit is not only the name of Dutch computer scientist Gerrit Blaauw (the key engineer behind the IBM System/360 project in the early sixties), Gerrit is also the name of one of the most popular code review tools. Just as Gerrit Blaauw made the successful case for the 8-bit computer architecture (as opposed to the popular 6-bit architecture at that time), Gerrit – the code review tool – furnished code review as an efficient collaborative software development on a large scale. Additionally, it significantly changed the way of collaboration among software developers in many capital open-source projects, such as Android, LibreOffice, as well as Eclipse. Gerrit closely integrates with Git and provides a web-based user interface. As we developers like to use top-notch IDEs, such as Eclipse, the integration of Gerrit with Eclipse would finally allow us to stop switching back and forth between Eclipse and a web browser showing the Gerrit review we are currently working on. Therefore, in the spirit of EGit, which addresses the seamless integration of Git with the Eclipse IDE, EGerrit aims to bring all the benefits of supporting the entire Gerrit review workflow within Eclipse. EGerrit is currently in the Project Proposal Phase and is soon to be born into the Eclipse Technology Project family; reason enough to have a look at the intents of EGerrit and investigate what to expect.

Getting started with JSONForms

JSONForms is an AngularJS-based framework to simplify the creation of forms for data entry and edit in web applications. It allows to declaratively define the content and layout of a form and to embed the form into your HTML with one simple tag. If you would like to know more about JSONForms here is an introduction and here is an explanation of its core principles. Also the JSONForms homepage is a good starting point.

EMF Forms 1.6.0 Feature: Localization

Two weeks ago, we released EMF Forms 1.6.0. EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms, which edit your data based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.6.0 released!

We are happy to announce that together with Mars we have released  EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.6.0! We want to thank all committers and all contributors for their work as well as the active ecosystem of users and adopters for the feedback and support!

The what and why of JSON(Schema)

JSONForms is an AngularJS-based framework to simplify the creation of forms for data entry and edit in web applications. It allows to declaratively define the content and layout of a form and to embed the form into your HTML with one simple tag. If you would like to know more about JSONForms here is an introduction. Also the JSONForms homepage is a good starting point..

Introducing JSONForms

Over two years ago, we started working on EMF Forms to ease the development of form-based UIs. During this time, it has become one of the most active and well-received projects in the Eclipse community.

Eclipse Demo Camp Mars, June 23rd 2015 - Already sold out?

Every year, it is amazing to see, how fast the Eclipse DemoCamp in Munich gets sold out. To give everyone a fair chance to register, we even announce the time when we open the registration upfront. This year, it took 3 hours, until the available 110 seats were fully booked. However, even if you do not got a seat so far, we still encourage you to register for the waiting list. You can register on eventbrite. There you’ll also find detailed information on the location, agenda, time and more. The democamp is in over 3 weeks (June 23rd 2015) and some of the 110 registrants are typically forced to cancel the event. We remind all existing registrants to double check their availability, so as every year, we expect some people to unregister upfront. If and only you are on the waiting list, you will be notified immediately, once a seat gets available. We wish you good luck and we are looking forward to great demos and seeing you in June!

EMF Dos and Don’ts #11

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with minimum  effort using EMF, but if something goes wrong, you may also spend hours trying to figure out why. This blog post is part of a series on things you should do and things you should not do when using EMF. You can use the link to the series pilot to navigate to the start and the link below to navigate to the next blog once it is published.

EMF Forms: Beyond SWT

EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms to edit your data based on an EMF model. We have recently released EMF Forms 1.5.0. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial.

Invitation to Eclipse Democamp Mars, June 23rd 2015

We cordially invite you to the next Eclipse Democamp München, taking place on June 23rd 2015.

Save the date: Eclipse DemoCamp Mars June 23rd 2015

We are pleased to announce the Eclipse DemoCamp Munich 2015 on June 23rd. The DemoCamp Munich is one of the biggest DemoCamps worldwide and, therefore, an excellent opportunity to showcase all the cool, new, and interesting technology being built by the Eclipse community. This event is open to Eclipse enthusiasts who want to demonstrate what they are doing with Eclipse. The aim is to create an opportunity for you to meet other Eclipse fans in Munich in an informal setting.

Collaborative Modeling with Papyrus, EMF Compare and EGit

The collaborative modeling initiative is a joint effort in providing a high-quality, open-source tool that supports efficient collaboration and teamwork on EMF-based and Papyrus UML models. To achieve this we will leverage model comparison as well as merge functionality based on EMF Compare and distributed model versioning support based on EGit.

The Collaborative Modeling Initiative explained

Modeling is a great way to increase productivity by raising the level of abstraction and creating dedicated abstractions for specific cases. Models may serve several purposes, ranging from means for communication to acting as the single input for generating the entire executable system implementation. Therefore, as one might expect, modeling is very often a collaborative activity. When projects and teams are large, concurrent modification, differencing, and merging of model versions need to be seamlessly supported. Nevertheless, the support for collaborative modeling has been – and still is – in its infancy for large-scale modeling projects. This is currently on the verge of being changed with the collaborative modeling initiative.

Top Committer Award for Eugen Neufeld

Eugen was honored with the Top Committed Award at EclipseCon North America. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Eugen for his great contributions over the years -  especially to EMF Forms and its parent project EMF Client Platform!

EMF Forms Migration - please upgrade to 1.5.1

In short:

If you are upgrading from 1.4.x or lower to 1.5.x, and you have existing view models, please use the 1.5.1 service release provided on our download page. Luna SR2 contains only 1.5.0. Please also follow our migration guide.

EMF Forms Developer Tooling: View Model Migration

EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms in order to edit your data, based on an EMF model. To get started with EMF Forms please refer to our tutorial. We have recently released EMF Forms 1.5.0, which will also ship with the Eclipse Luna SR2 Modeling Tools. In this blog post, we describe another new feature of the EMF Forms Tooling, which support the migration of so called view models (see here for an introduction of view models). If you are a user of EMF Forms and you just want to learn how to get your view models migrated, see our migration guide.

EMF Forms Developer Tooling: Debugging

EMF Forms makes it really simple to create forms to edit your data. To get started please refer to our tutorial. We have recently released EMF Forms 1.5.0, which will also ship with the Eclipse Luna SR2 Modeling Tools. For this release we put a focus on improved developer tooling. This involves the View Model Editor and Error Reporting in the run-time. This blog post will describe one particular feature in the run-time: improved debug output.

EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.5.0 released!

We are happy to announce that we have just released  EMF Forms and EMF Client Platform 1.5.0!

OpenSource Week in the Alps

Developing, enhancing and using open source frameworks is daily business for us. We create a lot of open source software as committers and contributors for projects at Eclipse.org (e.g. EMF Forms) and for other open source projects (e.g. qb). Our business is to make open source work for our customers.

EMF Fuzz Testing

Many test cases for an application involve data defined by the data model. To achieve good test coverage it is customary to run the test cases for a variety of input data sets. This can be achieved by manually specifying input data. However, this is a complex task and it is easy to miss important input data and thereby miss bugs. Fuzz testing is about pseudo-randomly generated input data. A test case is written without specifying the exact input data, but rather with parameters driving the pseudo-random generation of input data for the test case. The test case can then be run a specified number of times with different seeds for the input data generation, thereby discovering bugs with input data you may not have selected manually. This post shows a fuzz testing framework for EMF models in action. It is based on JUnit 4 and existing tests can easily be migrated to run with it. We have applied this approach on many projects in practice including EMFStore and EMF Compare and have found the most astonishing bugs.

EMF Model Migration: Edapt Graduation and 1.0 Release

Finally, we have graduated and released Edapt 1.0! Edapt has been in productive use in several projects for quite some time now, but was still not graduated. This has finally changed. Congrats to the team!

EclipseSource goes Austrian!

We are happy to announce that EclipseSource is going to Austria! Effective today, there is an EclipseSource division in Austria with an office in Vienna. Philip (Langer) is leading our office in Vienna and is bringing solid Eclipse Modeling Framework experience to our team with a focus on software modeling as well as model collaboration, versioning and simulation. Furthermore, he will drive innovation in modeling with his tight links to Vienna University of Technology.

EMF Forms Rendering

EMF Forms is a component of the EMF Client Platform project that provides a form-based User Interface to display and edit your data, a.k.a. the entities of your application. The UI is rendered based on a view model at runtime and provides an out-of-the-box experience while being highly customizable. If you are not familiar with EMF Forms yet, please read this tutorial. emf-forms/ We have just updated the documentation with more information how rendering in EMF Forms works in the 1.3 release with details on prioritization, styling and layouts and how they can be influenced and customized. The new documentation can be found in this blog post.

EMF Validation for Datatype constraints

After defining a model, it is a common next step to define validation rules. Often there is a requirement to have attributes with a restricted length or attributes with values in a specific range. Furthermore, it can be the case, that there are multiple attributes with the same restriction in different places of the model. To solve such a requirement EMF offers a simple solution: EDataTypes with Annotations.

EMF Forms: The Right Level of Abstraction

In my last blog post, I started to describe the framework EMF Forms in more detail and compared it to manual UI programming. To recap, EMF Forms is a framework for efficiently creating form-based user interfaces. Instead of programming form-based UIs manually, they can be described by a simple view model. This model is then interpreted by a customizable rendering component to display the actual UI. A general introduction to the framework can be found in this tutorial and on the website. Of course, you should expect that a framework that specializes in creating a form-based user interface is more efficient in the development of such – especially in comparison to manual solutions. In this post, I will focus on a less obvious advantage of EMF Forms: the level of abstraction it lets you achieve.

EMF Client Platform and EMF Forms on Eclipse 4 (e4)

With release 1.2.x, EMF Client Platform and EMF Forms officially support the Eclipse 4 Application Platform (e4). In fact, it has been possible since release 1.1.0 to develop e4 applications based on ECP and EMF Forms, but parts of the UI support were still bound to e3. In 1.2.x, we refactored these remaining pieces. Since we still support 3.x and will support it in the future, we needed to single-source the UI behavior. Because this might be interesting for other frameworks, too, I would like to go into a little more detail about this.

EMF Dos and Don´ts - Series Finale

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with a minimum of effort using EMF, but if something goes wrong, you can also spend hours trying to find out why.

EMF Dos and Don´ts #7

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with a minimum of effort using EMF, but if something goes wrong, you can also spend hours trying to find out why. This blog post is part of a series on things you should do and things you should not do when using EMF. You can use the link to the series pilot to navigate to the start and the link below to navigate to the next blog once it is published.

EMF Dos and Don´ts #6

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with a minimum of effort using EMF, but if something goes wrong, you can also spend hours trying to find out why. This blog post is part of a series on things you should do and things you should not do when using EMF. You can use the link to the series pilot to navigate to the start and the link below to navigate to the next blog once it is published.

EMF Dos and Don´ts #5

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with a minimum of effort using EMF, but if something goes wrong, you can also spend hours trying to find out why. This blog post is part of a series on things you should do and things you should not do when using EMF. You can use the link to the series pilot to navigate to the start and the link below to navigate to the next blog once it is published.

EMF Dos and Don´ts #4

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with a minimum of effort using EMF, but if something goes wrong, you can also spend hours trying to find out why. This blog post is part of a series on things you should do and things you should not do when using EMF. You can use the link to the series pilot to navigate to the start and the next link below to navigate to the next blog once it is published.

EMF Dos and Don´ts #3

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with a minimum of effort using EMF, but if something goes wrong, you can also spend hours trying to find out why. This blog post is part of a series on things you should do and things you should not do when using EMF. You can use the link to the series pilot to navigate to the start and the next link below to navigate to the next blog once it is published.

EMF Dos and Don´ts #2

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with a minimum of effort using EMF, but if something goes wrong, you can also spend hours trying to find out why. This blog post is part of a series on things you should do and things you should not do when using EMF. You can use the link to the series pilot to navigate to the start and the next link below to navigate to the next blog once it is published.

EMF Dos and Don´ts #1

EMF is a very powerful framework and with power comes…responsibility. You can achieve great things with a minimum of effort using EMF. But, if something goes wrong you can also spend hours trying to find out why. This blog post is the pilot of a series on things you should do and things you should not do when using EMF. The series will present the content of my talk at Eclipse Con North America 2013 as blog posts.

Eclipse 4 (e4) Tutorial Part 4

In the previous parts of this tutorial series we described how to create an application model, link those elements to implementations and how to extend the application model. This tutorial and all other parts of the series are now available as a downloadable PDF.

Eclipse 4 (e4) Tutorial Part 5

In the previous parts of this tutorial series, we described how to create an application model, link those elements to implementations and how to extend the application model. This tutorial and all other parts of the series are now available as a downloadable PDF. In the last part of this tutorial, we provided details about dependency injection. However we focused on how to influence which parameter is injected at a certain place. In many cases, it is additionally important to specify when exactly parameters are injected, or more precisely, when certain methods of a class are called by the framework. Eclipse 4 uses annotations for this purpose. This tutorial describes the most important annotations used in Eclipse 4.

Eclipse 4 (e4) Tutorial Part 6

In the previous parts of this tutorial series, we described how to create an application model, link those elements to implementations, how to extend the application model, details about dependency injection and how to use behavior annotations. This tutorial and all other parts of the series are now available as a downloadable PDF.

Eclipse 4 (e4) Tutorial Part 7

This tutorial describes how to do a soft migration to the Eclipse 4 (e4) programming model. The basic goal of the tutorial is to enable development using the new concepts such as Dependency Injection, and Annotations, but without first requiring a complete application migration. So the application is still based on the compatibility layer, but it includes some components following the Eclipse 4 programming model. As the compatibility layer is used, all existing plugins as well as frameworks which require the 3.x API can still be used as before. However, developing new UI components for an application following the e4 programming model has two major advantages:

Egit Tutorial

EGit is the Git integration for the Eclipse IDE, see https://eclipse.org/egit. This Tutorial describes the basic use cases for EGit. It requires only some basic knowledge about the Git processes. Please help us to keep this tutorial up-to-date by reporting any issues or questions. This tutorial is available now as a downloadable PDF. If you are interested in using a web-based IDE, please see this article on how to use Git in the Eclipse Theia IDE.

EMF Change Broker

The EMF Change Broker

Many applications require to listen to entity objects. EMF supports this use case well, it allows to register listeners (“Adapters”) on every EObject, which get notified on every change of a model instance. The ready-to-use EContentAdpater can even be automatically subscribed to a complete tree of a model instance and is therefore notified about all changes in a model instance. However, when implementing Adapters in EMF, the developer typically has to filter the received events for relevance. As an example, you might want to listen only to changes on a certain entity type (“EClass”). Additionally, you ideally want to maintain as few EContentAdapter as possible, as they get notified about all changes, they can potentially slow down an application.

EMF Forms - FAQ

Custom Model Preparation Guideline

Rather than reinventing the wheel, EMF Forms (and EMF Client Platform) rely on the EMF Model whenever possible. As an example, the framework depends on the setting for every property of the model set in the genmodel. Therefore, some issues you experience with EMF Forms might not be located in the framework or in the view model, but instead, in your custom EMF model. The following checklist helps to identify those issues.

EMF Forms - View Model Elements

This tutorial provides an overview of all available elements of the view model. Please refer to this tutorial for a general introduction into EMF Forms and View Modeling.

EMF Forms & JSON Forms

EMF Forms and JSON Forms can be integrated seamlessly with each other. This enables you to use the same UI declaration (a.k.a. view model) to create an EMF Form-based UI, e.g. with SWT, and a web-based UI with JSON Forms.

EMF Forms Renderer

This tutorial provides an overview for using the EMF Forms renderers to embed an EMF Forms view into a custom application. This includes renderers for SWT, JavaFX and Web UIs. Please refer to this tutorial for a general introduction into EMF Forms and View Modeling. This tutorial is based on ECP version 1.7.x.

EMF Forms Rendering

EMF Forms is a component of the EMF Client Platform project that provides a form-based User Interface to display and edit your data, a.k.a. the entities of your application. The UI is rendered based on a view model at runtime and provides an out-of-the-box experience while being highly customizable. If you are not familiar with EMF Forms yet, please read this tutorial.

EMF Tutorial

What every Eclipse developer should know about EMF

This tutorial is an introduction to EMF and explains the basics of EMF. We start by showing you how to build a very simple data-centric application, including the UI, based on EMF. We explain how to define a model in EMF and generate code from it. We explore the API of the generated code, that is, how to create, navigate and modify model instances.

Getting stared with EMF Forms

This tutorial will give a short introduction on EMF Forms and describe how to get started. If you already know EMF Forms, you can browse directly to the tutorial part.

Getting started with EMF Client Platform

ECP has been merged into EMF Forms. This tutorial is valid until version 1.24.0 in Eclipse 2020-6. For newer versions, please visit the EMF Forms documentation.

How to customize with EMF Forms

EMF Forms provides a form-based and highly customizable UI based on a given data model. The layout of the form-based UI can be described in a simple view model. This tutorial describes how to customize EMF Forms, e.g., by adding new controls or by changing the default behavior. This tutorial is based on the “Make It Happen!” example model. If you want to get started with EMF Forms and learn about the example model, please refer to this tutorial.

Oomph Basic Tutorial

Oomph is a project providing tooling to make the installation and configuration of Eclipse instances easier. The ultimate goal is to install and set-up an Eclipse IDE or product with a single click. Oomph also allows to share setups, as an example, you can preconfigure an IDE to work on a certain project and all developers can use this setup to get easily involved in the project.

Q7 Basic Tutorial

This tutorial gives an introduction to the UI testing tool Q7. Q7 is focused on testing Eclipse plugins and Eclipse RCP applications. The tutorial introduces all the basic steps to evaluate Q7 for your own project.

Your first Application based on Eclipse

FAQ

Eclipse is a mature and powerful platform, more precisely a collection of open source technologies and frameworks. When used right, it can enormously speed up your development project and significantly reduce costs – for the initial implementations as well as for the ongoing maintenance.