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Equinox p2 Metadata Authoring
This page describes the design of the proposed p2 meta data authoring project.
Work in Progress - not yet meaningfull to comment
Contents
Metadata authoring proposal
The problems this project should solve:
- Many types are automatically "adapted" to installable units (e.g. features and plugins), but there is no direct authoring available.
- Existing "adapted" installable units may have meta data that needs to be modified/augmented in order for the unit to be useful - there is a mechanism available to provide advice to the resolution mechanism, but authoring of such advice is not.
I think the work consists of:
- An XML definition for "authored installable unit" (most likely the <unit> format in the local meta data repository). It should be possible to create such an "iu" file with any name without requirements that it is in some special project or folder.
- An XML definition for "advice to adapted installable unit" (as I am not sure what is needed here, a separate definition is perhaps needed).
- An editor for Installable Unit
- Ad editor for Installable Unit advice (is perhaps the same editor).
- A way to test the installable unit (resolution, install-ability)
- A way to export/publish installable units
Files and Formats
The format of the "IU" file
It seems obvious to reuse the xml format from the local meta data repository as it already describes an installable unit.
<installable version="1.0.0"> <unit> <!-- like local metadata repository for 'unit' element --> </unit> </installable>
Naming convention
To make it easy to detect the "IU" files I propose that an ".iu" extension is required.
Writer/Parser design
I was able to crete a prototype that read and writes this format by reusing the metadata repository XMLReader and XMLWriter. It is however a bit unclear if the intention is to allow the InstallableUnit to be used by an editor, or if these classes should be considered internal/private.