This quickstart is aimed at those looking at doing plugin-development against the UDIG platform. Follow these instructions to quickly set up a developmenet environment for working on your own plug-ins.

If you would like to work on the core codebase, please follow the Project Quickstart.

The links in the headings are to the detailed instructions for windows and linux.

Environment

This is the fastest quickstart we could come up with, starting from nothing to a full development environment udig in 23 min (depending on your network connection).

Downloads

Downloading the UDIG SDK

You can download the latest UDIG SDK release from the Source Downloads page:

This will take a bit of time, lets keep downloading.

Optional

You may also consider working against the nightly builds:

Windows uDig SDK
Linux uDig SDK

Previous nightly builds are located here

Downloading Eclipse

Lets continue on with the eclipse download:

UDIG:Eclipse

Eclipse-SDK-3.1.2

This is the Eclipse SDK
Extras

eclipse extras

Includes EMF, GEF, Subclipse, Testing Framework, Developers guide, and Language packs
*updated November 17th, 2005*
Optional

If you would like to use Eclipse in a language other than english, you may need to obtain the appropriate Eclipse SDK language pack(s) listed below. Windows users should grab the common and win32 archives, Linux users: common and gtk, and Mac users: common and win32.

SDK-3.1.1 (common)
SDK-3.1.1a (win32)
SDK-3.1.1a (gtk)
German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese

Other language packs are available at: http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/downloads/drops/L-3.1.1_Language_Packs-200510051300/index.php

This will take a while, lets keep downloading.

Downloading the Java JRE

Okay now we can start downloading the JRE:

  1. Click on this link: http://udig.refractions.net/downloads/eclipse_jre.zip

Note: This is a special JRE that has been extended with Java Advanced Imaging and Image IO.

Eclipse SDK Installation

Hopefully by now your eclipse download has finished, time to install:

  1. Unzip the downloaded eclipse SDK zip file to your java directory:
    C:\java\eclipse will be created
  2. Unzip the eclipse_jre.zip file into your eclipse directory:
    C:\java\eclipse\jre will be created
  3. Unzip the extras.zip file to your java directory:
    C:\java\eclipse will gain additional plugins and features
  4. If you downloaded any SDK language packs, unzip them as well:
    (to overwrite C:\java\eclipse as you did with extras.zip)
  5. Navigate to your eclipse and right-click on the eclipse.exe- file and select Send To->Desktop.
Optional

If you have memory to burn, consider spending it on your udig development:

  1. Open up the desktop shortcut and change the Target:
    C:\java\eclipse\eclipse.exe -vmargs -Xmx512m

You can now double click your desktop shortcut to start up Eclipse.

Eclipse Workspace

When you start Eclipse for the first time:

  1. Choose a workspace:
    C:\java\workspace

Eclipse Preferences

We make use of your global preferences to build udig, a few changes will be required.

Open up Window > Preferences:

  1. Change Java > Compiler:
    1. Compiler compliance level: 5.0
  2. Confirm Java > Installed JREs:
    • Should have Location: C:\java\eclipse\jre
      If not Simple press the Add... button and create a JRE based on the above path.

Setting the Build Target

Setting up development environment

  1. Unzip your UDIG SDK download into:
    C:\java\sdk
  2. Go back to eclipse
  3. Open Preferences: Window>Preferences.
  4. Select Plugin Development > Target Platform.
  5. Change the target platform to: C:\java\sdk\udig
  6. Click OK.

At this point all the source code for the eclipse and udig plugins are available. You should be able to develop uDig plugin effortlessly now.

Running uDig.

  1. Select Run>Run....
  2. Select Eclipse Application.
  3. Press New button.
  4. Ensure that Run as Product is selected (Under Program to Run section on right).
  5. Ensure that net.refractions.udig.product is in Run as Product field.
  6. Press Run

Done!

Welcome to uDig Plug-in Development. What is next - how about:

The above are part of the UDIG Developers Guide, you can check out UDIG:Plugin Developer Documentation for additional information.

1 Switching to uDig SDK


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(c) Copyright (c) 2004,2005 Refractions Research Inc. and others.