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Customizing Eclipse RCP applications

Techniques to use with SWT and JFace

Scott Delap (scott@clientjava.com), Desktop/Enterprise Java Consultant
Scott Delap is president of Rich Client Solutions Inc., a software consulting firm focusing on technologies such as Swing, Eclipse RCP, GWT, Flex, and Open Laszlo. He is actively involved in the Java community, speaking at events such as NFJS, QCon and JavaOne. He is also the Java editor of InfoQ.com and runs ClientJava.com, a portal focused on desktop Java development.
Annas Andy Maleh (andy@obtiva.com), Consultant, MichaelDKelly.com
Annas "Andy" Maleh is a consultant at Obtiva Corp., a firm that specializes in Eclipse RCP development, Ruby on Rails development and training, and helping teams transition to Agile methodologies. He is currently involved with an Eclipse RCP project to build a custom CRM application for an international corporation. He works on a team that follows eXtreme Programming practices, programs professionally in Java and Ruby, and participates in work relating to UI design enhancement. At EclipseWorld 2006, he gave two presentations relating to Eclipse RCP development. He is a Sun Certified Java Programmer who holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from McGill University.

Summary:  Most developers think that an Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) application must look similar in nature to the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE). This isn't the case, however. This tutorial will explain a number of simple techniques you can use with the Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT) and JFace to create applications that have much more personality than the Eclipse IDE.

Date:  27 Feb 2007
Level:  Intermediate
PDF:  A4 and Letter (1058 KB | 40 pages)Get Adobe® Reader®

Activity:  27555 views
Comments:  

Before you start

About this tutorial

This tutorial will explain a number of UI elements that can be changed in Eclipse RCP, JFace, and SWT. Along the way, you will learn about basic changes you can make, such as fonts and colors. You will also learn advanced techniques, including how to create custom wizards and section headers. Using these in conjunction should provide you the ability to go from a typical-looking Eclipse RCP application to a distinctive but visually appealing one.

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Prerequisites

You should have a basic familiarity with SWT, JFace, and Eclipse RCP.

System requirements

To run the examples, you need a computer capable of adequately running Eclipse V3.2 and 50 MB of free disk space.

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ArticleID=197254
TutorialTitle=Customizing Eclipse RCP applications
publish-date=02272007
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