PDE/API Tools

API tooling will assist developers in API maintenance by reporting API defects such as binary incompatibilities, incorrect plug-in version numbers, missing or incorrect @since tags, and usage of non-API code between plug-ins. The tooling will be integrated in the Eclipse SDK and will be used in the automated build process. Specifically, the tooling is designed to do the following:

• Identify binary compatibility issues between two versions of a software component or product.
• Update version numbers for plug-ins (bundles) based on the Eclipse versioning scheme.
• Update @since tags for newly added classes, interfaces, methods, etc.
• Provide new javadoc tags and code assist to annotate types with special restrictions.
• Leverage existing information (in MANIFEST.MF) to define the visibility of packages between bundles.
• Identify usage of non-API code between plug-ins.

Present state

API tooling is currently under construction. One of the interesting features of the tool is its ability to produce and process class file stubs (i.e. minimal class files with just member signatures and reference information). The comparison and reference analysis tools can process standard class files or class file stubs. The stubs allow “API components” to be produced that are smaller than the original code intended for distribution. The class file stubs can be used as libraries to compile against, but not run. More information on the architecture of API tooling can be found here.

Links

Evolving Java-based APIs - What is considered an API in Eclipse.

Resources

Eclipse Bugzilla - Eclipse bug tracking database.

PDE Incubator - New projects that might be incorporated into PDE in future.

PDE UI Home Page - The main PDE UI web site.