#Eclipse pde bundle files to include driver#

If the plugin uses the Extension Points that the Eclipse platform's Plugins expose to help manage for example widgets, editors or help files, the plugin you write will contribute functionality and plug into the platform. An Extension-Point Definition in a file schema/*.exsd.So, to recap, a Plugin is an ordinary OSGi Bundle with one difference: It contains at least one of the following: The OSGi standard says: 'Extension bundles can deliver optional parts of the Framework implementation or provide functionality that must reside on the boot class path.' This adapter is added to the OSGi runtime using a mechanism called 'Extension Bundles'. OSGi does not know the Extension Point/Extension concepts, so some sort of adapter was needed for compatibility.

#Eclipse pde bundle files to include driver#

Eclipse only started using OSGi as its driver later in its development. The Eclipse built-in one is called Equinox.Įclipse historically has a concept of Extension Points and Extensions. OSGi assembles systems from parts called bundles. Otherwise, suffice to say that OSGi is a Java-based framework standard that drives a large number of distributed systems. If the above is clear to you, skip to the next paragraph. When we say 'Plugin' in this article, we mean an OSGi bundle that is running on an Eclipse runtime that has the Equinox Extension Point Registry installed. This article provides a concise definition of the term Eclipse Plugin for the purpose at hand: What Is This Plugin Thing You Are Talking About?