What is the difference between adding a custom transformation as an eclipse plugin and just adding the component.xml in preferences. The latter seems much easier so what are the disadvantages?
Hello,
to have new component in GUI you have to:
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write it in java
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add it to your plugin.xml file
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add it to gui component definition file
Two first points define the component in CloverETL engine and the last one in CloverGUI.
For full information see Creating a Custom Component or Step by Step Component building.
Let me rephrase my question. I have develop my custom component i java and added it to my cloverETL engine.
I followed the same link as you refer to.
However I am experiencing some problems with the eclipse plugin. If i launch the plugin from eclipse everything works fine. But if I just add i to \plugins the plugin is not loaded.
While debuging this I found the option in the preferences menu where i can add a component.xml directly without writing a plugin.
So my question is: why do I need the plugin ??
Hi,
what do you mean by launching your plugin from Eclipse? Do you mean the CloverETL engine plugin? So the graph runs fine (with your custom component), but it’s missing GUI support?
Generally the Eclipse plugin allows you to add more that just custom components…for example connections and their custom dialogs. Also, it can add new types of component properties and their associated editors. So for example if you component had a property requiring a “color” type value, you could supply you own custom GUI dialog for setting the color.
However, if the standard property editors supplied with CloverGUI are enough for you (e.g. combo boxes, multiline editor, key editor, …), you can just use the components.xml file which provides everything you need. Only if you needed to extend the CloverGUI more you have to create an Eclipse plugin.
Jaro
If you add a component.xml description of your own node via preference page, you just extend the cloverGUI palette. Nothing else, you will be able to create new graphs which contain your own custom component. However, these graphs will not work. If you run a graph in cloverGUI, without any special settings, as a runtime is used a clover engine build-in inside our eclipse gui plugin. And this engine knows just the components, which are part of our distribution. You can either use different clover engine distribution extended by your own component (see clover preferences page/Engine location) or make extra eclipse plugin which will contain an engine plugin and this plugin will be automatically used by build-in clover engine.
If you follow the ‘Creating a Custom Component’ carefully, you should be able to make it with your own component. According your description, your eclipse has not noticed your new plugin yet. Please, try to run eclipse.exe with -clean command line attribute (eclipse.exe -clean).
You have a point there. I was actual using standalone engine… However I been struggling with getting the guide to work as written. I found out that apparently Ganymede doesn’t support plugin hot deployment. Instead they have introduced a concept called dropins. So I had to hack a properties file to get the plug-in activated.
I had to append a line in \eclipse\configuration\org.eclipse.equinox.simpleconfigurator\bundles.info.
I’m not too proud of this solution but so if you have any better solution I’m all ears 