Notice: This Wiki is now read only and edits are no longer possible. Please see: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipsefdn/helpdesk/-/wikis/Wiki-shutdown-plan for the plan.
Using Policy Files
Policy files allow a user to configure which version of a feature to update to when checking for updates.
Creating the Policy File
A sample policy file is shown below:
<update-policy> <url-map pattern="feature.id" url="http://hostname/update/nightly/site.xml"/> </update-policy>
In this example, we save this to an XML file named "policy.xml". This is then placed next to the corresponding update site.xml. This effectively says "when I see feature with id x, instead go to update site y rather than the default". You can also use wildcards, such as feature.id.* if you have multiple features with the same prefix.
Using the Policy File
- In Eclipse, navigate to Window > Preferences > Install/Update, and paste in the URL to the policy file (such as http://hostname/update/nightly/policy.xml).
- Select "OK"
- The next time you search for updates, it should use the new URL specified in the policy file.
An additional thought is to provide a preference page to allow the end user to choose which "release stream" they wish to subscribe to. In this case, there is a radio button that might specify "stable", "rc" and "nightly". Selecting one of these radio buttons would automatically set the policy file behind the scenes.