[TriZPUG] Jython and Eclipse [was: Can we change our name?]

[T. Bryan]

Frank Wierzbicki wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 11, 2009 at 8:31 AM, T. Bryan <tbryan at python.net> wrote:
>> I got Jython checked out, and I think that I set up a functioning Eclipse
>> project with it.  It was pretty straightforward, and I updated the Jython
>> wiki with the steps that I used.  I still need to poke around a bit more,
>> but I'm going to see what writing an Eclipse plug-in in Jython is like.
>> (Someone asked about it at the October meeting.)

> Let me know how that goes or if you have any trouble (I'm not at all
> familiar with Eclipse plugins, but I can help with Jython questions :)

Hey, thanks.  Yeah, I know a lot about plug-in development.  Most of it just 
involves knowing the Eclispe APIs, but the tricky part is setting up the 
plug-in project correctly so that Eclipse can generate the plug-in and run 
it.  I normally rely on Eclipse to do that, but that's all set up for a Java 
project, of course.

So, it may take me a while to figure out how to get all of these plug-in 
pieces working with Jython in the mix.  I don't have a reason to do it other 
than that I thought it would be kind of cool.  :)  I probably need to look 
at the Jython docs and create a couple of standalone Jython apps first. 
Then, at least, I'll know a little bit more about how running Jython on the 
JVM.

If this works, then it should be possible to create a new project type for 
Eclipse that would be a Jython Eclipse Plug-in Project.

My interest is actually more along the lines of Eclipse Monkey, which was 
sort of like Firefox's Grease Monkey for Eclipse.  It was announced at 
EclipseCon in 2007, I think.  There was even a PythonMonkey version of it: 
http://code.google.com/p/jrfonseca/wiki/PythonMonkey.  From what I'm 
reading, it looks like the larger project died, but it should be possible to 
make something like this work.

I think that the problem is that hard-core Eclipse developers are 
comfortable enough using Java.  There's no reason to script the platform in 
other languages.  So, I think that many of them aren't interested in it.  On 
the other hand, it seems like end users would be very happy to have an easy 
way to tweak things without creating an entire plug-in project in Java.

We'll see.  It should be a small enough effort just to see a Jython Eclipse 
plug-in go and to document something for other Jython users to follow in the 
future.

I let you know if I get stuck,
---Tom