 | Level: Intermediate Jimmy Liao (sjliao@tw.ibm.com), Software Engineer, IBM
22 Apr 2008 Learn how to develop open source C# applications using the Emonic Eclipse
plug-in and how to use Eclipse on existing Microsoft® .NET Framework V2.0
projects.
Eclipse supports Java™ and other programming languages with ease. But
until recently, it was difficult to build, run, and debug C# projects with Eclipse.
This article shows how to use Eclipse Mono Integration (Emonic) and NAnt, which are the
most active C# and .NET toolkits available for Eclipse. This article was written for
developers with a working knowledge of .NET, a familiarity with Eclipse, and a need for
an effective way to work with C# and .NET in Eclipse.
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C# and .NET in a nutshell
In 2001, Microsoft released C#, which is an object-oriented programming language and part
of .NET Framework. C# uses a procedural object-oriented syntax based on C++ and draws
influences from Java technology, Delphi, and Eiffel. It is intended for general-purpose
use within the .NET Framework. The .NET Framework, in turn, is a collection of class
libraries that developers combine with their own code, which may be C# or another
language, to create Windows applications.
The Mono and DotGNU projects are open source C# compilers that implement nearly
complete versions of .NET Framework libraries. Both operate on UNIX®-derived
and influenced operating systems and Windows. Microsoft offers its own C# compiler and
environment, called "Rotor," for non-Windows operating systems. However, licensing
restrictions prevent you from deploying Rotor applications in commercial environments,
which limits Rotor's usefulness.
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Applications built with C# typically run in the .NET Framework, which is deployed on
Windows® desktop, server, and mobile operating systems (see the sidebar "C# and .NET in
a nutshell"). Though the Eclipse Platform provides the C Development Toolkit (CDT) to
support C and C++ development, it cannot be used for C# development. Several Eclipse
plug-ins work with the .NET Framework, but not all support the latest version, which,
as of this writing, is V3.5.
This article shows how to use Emonic, which is a fully functional C# environment for
the Eclipse Platform. Although the Emonic developers provide documentation that
introduce installing and creating the project, working with an existing C# project is
tricky if you follow the manual. This article will help you install, build, and run a
C# project without any prior knowledge of it. We will use NAnt for the automatic
building and running a .NET project. This article will also show how to migrate
existing Visual Studio® projects using sample projects.
Introduction to Emonic and NAnt
Emonic at a glance
Emonic is an Eclipse plug-in that allows you to build C# programs with Mono or the
Microsoft .NET Framework. You can use this plug-in to create C# projects using a
project wizard. Figure 1 shows a C# project with the Emonic plug-in.
Figure 1. Example C# project with the Emonic plug-in
NAnt at a glance
Although the Emonic provides a project wizard, editor, auto-builder, launcher, and
tutorial showing how to use all four, I struggled with building and launching
applications using Emonic alone. That struggle prompted a search for an easy-to-use
build tool that works with Emonic and notes that grew into this article. Here, I
introduce the NAnt build tool and show how to import an existing C# project into an Eclipse workspace.
NAnt is a free .NET build tool that operates in a manner similar to Ant. NAnt supports
.NET Framework V1.0 through V3.5. We will use NAnt V0.86 beta 1, which is the current
release, and show how it can help you build and launch applications.
System requirements
You will need the following:
- Eclipse V3.1 or later — We used Eclipse Europa here.
- .NET V2.0 SDK — This means you must work in a Windows environment. As
mentioned in "C# and .NET in a nutshell," open source developers have recreated much of
the .NET Framework biosphere — but not all of it. Since the aim of this article
is to show how to develop C# applications in Eclipse and not how to develop C#
applications with Mono, DotGNU, or Rotor, we will leave those tasks as exercises for advanced readers.
- NAnt V0.86 beta 1
- Emonic
- Microsoft .NET Framework V2.0 SDK samples
See Resources for downloads.
Installing the Emonic plug-in and NAnt
Installing the Emonic plug-in
There are two methods for installing Emonic: updating Eclipse at an update site or
downloading it from SourceForge. We use the update site in this example. Here are the
steps: Menu: Help > Software Update > Find and Install > Search for new
features to install. Click on New Remote site and input
http://emonic.sourceforge.net/updatesite/internap/site.xml.
After installing the Emonic plug-in and restarting Eclipse, you can use a project
wizard to create a blank C# project. Figure 2 shows a Wizard to create C# project in
Eclipse.
Figure 2. .NET create-project wizard in Eclipse
Download and install NAnt
The NAnt V0.86 beta1 is the latest build. Download it from SourceForge, unzip, and
either install it in a customary place or set the NAnt directory to your path variables.
Import .NET sample projects
Download the Microsoft .NET Framework V2.0 SDK samples from MSDN and unzip them. The
samples includes many sample projects (Visual Basic, C#, etc.). In this article, we will use the
WebClientSample found in Technologies\Networking\WebClientSample\CS.
Project structure
Figure 3 shows a C# project structure in explorer view.
Figure 3. C# project structure
Import from C# project
Import a C# project into Eclipse:
- Create a blank .NET project with the project wizard and name it WebClientSample. In
the .NET create-project wizard, choose Microsoft-2.0 as the Target Framework and finish the wizard.
- Right-click the project, choose Import and use File System, select
the WebClientSample directory, then press Finish.
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build.xml is the default build configuration file. Listing 1 shows a default
file as a created project.
Listing 1. Default build.xml file
<?xml version='1.0'?>
<project basedir='.' default='all' name='WebClientSample2'>
<property name='nant.settings.currentframework' value='net-2.0'/>
<property name='build' value='bin'/>
<property name='src' value='src'/>
<target name='all'/>
</project>
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- We need to specify the target output file, source-code directories, resources, and the
reference libraries. Listing 2 shows the example build.xml.
Listing 2. build.xml file for WebClientSample
<?xml version='1.0'?>
<project basedir='.' default='all' name='WebClientSample'>
<property name='nant.settings.currentframework' value='net-2.0'/>
<property name='build' value='bin'/>
<property name='src' value='src'/>
<target depends='WebClientSample' name='all'/>
<target name='WebClientSample'>
<csc debug='true' optimize='true' output='${build}/WebClientSample.exe' target='exe'
warninglevel='4'>
<sources>
<include name='**/*.cs'/>
</sources>
<resources dynamicprefix="true">
<include name='**/*.resx'/>
<include name='${src}/Resources/*.bmp'/>
</resources>
<references>
<include name='System.dll'/>
<include name='System.Data.dll'/>
<include name='System.XML.dll'/>
</references>
</csc>
</target>
</project>
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After importing WebClientSample from the .NET SDK sample project, Figure 4 shows a C#
project structure using the Package view.
Figure 4. C# project with Package view
Build, run, and debug
We need to create two external programs: Build_WebClientSample and Run_WebClientSample.
Figure 5 shows Build_WebClientSample. Remember to choose your NAnt.exe path in the
location. Figure 6 shows the console with the NAnt external tool.
Figure 5. Build_WebClientSample
Figure 6. Build_WebClientSample console
To run this sample, right-click build.xml, Run As > Open External Tools
Dialog and create a Run_WebClientSample. Input the Web site URL in the arguments,
such as www.google.com. Figure 7 shows Run_WebClientSample, and Figure 8 shows the
interactive console of Run_WebClientSample.
Figure 7. Run_WebClientSample
Figure 8. Run_WebClientSample console
Conclusion
You now have a basic knowledge of Emonic and NAnt, how both can help you build .NET
applications in Eclipse, and how to migrate an existing C# project into Eclipse.
Resources Learn
Get products and technologies
Discuss
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The Eclipse Platform newsgroups should be your first stop to discuss questions regarding Eclipse. (Selecting this will launch your default Usenet news reader application and open eclipse.platform.)
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The Eclipse newsgroups has many resources for people interested in using and extending Eclipse.
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Participate in developerWorks blogs and get involved in the developerWorks community.
About the author | | | Jimmy Liao is a software engineer on the Mobility Collaboration Development and Test team
in Taipei. Previously, he worked in the Java embedded development and testing area and
has embedded-system development experience. |
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