The Slice2Java Eclipse plug-in manages all aspects of code generation, including automatically recompiling Slice files that have changed, removing obsolete generated classes, and tracking dependencies.
On this page:
Configuring the Slice2Java Eclipse Plug-in
Choose Window -> Preferences, select Slice2Java, and review the default setting for the location of your Ice installation. The property pane will display an error message if the plug-in considers the specified location to be invalid. If necessary, click Browse... to pick the top-level directory of your Ice installation and apply your changes.
The Slice2Java plug-in automatically configures a workspace classpath variable named ICE_JAR_HOME that refers to the subdirectory containing the Ice JAR files. This variable is primarily intended for use in Android projects.
Activating the Slice2Java Plug-in for a Project
You can activate the Slice2Java plug-in for your project by right-clicking on the project, choosing Slice2Java and clicking Add Slice2Java builder. The plug-in immediately makes several additions to your project:
- Creates a
slicesubdirectory to contain your Slice files. The plug-in automatically compiles any Slice file that you add to this directory. - Creates a
generatedsubdirectory to hold the Java source files that the slice2java translator generates from your Slice files. - Adds a library reference to the Ice run time JAR file (
Ice.jar). The plug-in assumes that the JAR file resides in thelibsubdirectory of your Ice installation.
Configuring Slice2Java Project Settings
To configure the project-specific Slice2Java settings, select Properties from the Project menu or right-click on the name of your project and choose Properties. Click on Slice2Java Properties to view the plug-in's configuration settings, which are presented in two tabs: Source and Options.
Settings in the Source Tab
This tab configures the directories of your Slice files and generated code. The plug-in includes the slice subdirectory by default, but you can remove this directory and add other directories if necessary. The plug-in only compiles Slice files that are located in the configured subdirectories.
For the generated code, the plug-in uses the default name generated for the subdirectory. If you want to store your generated code in a different directory, you must first create the directory and then click Browse to select it. The new directory must be empty otherwise the plug-in will reject your change. The plug-in also requires exclusive use of this directory, therefore you must not place other project resources in it.
Settings in the Options Tab
This tab is where you configure additional plug-in settings. You can enter a list of include directories corresponding to the compiler's -I option. You can also specify preprocessor macros and metadata definitions in the fields provided. Finally, checkboxes offer additional control over certain features of the plug-in and the Slice compiler. When enabled, the checkboxes have the following semantics:
- Enable streaming generates code to support the dynamic streaming API
- Enable tie generates TIE classes
- Enable ice instructs the compiler to accept Slice symbols that use the
iceprefix - Enable console causes the plug-in to emit diagnostic information about its activities to Eclipse's console
- Enable underscore determines whether underscores are permitted in Slice identifiers (this feature is only supported in Ice 3.4.1 or later)
Options are also provided for adding reference to libraries for the various Ice services, such as IceGrid and Glacier2.
Configuring Slice2Java File Settings
The project settings described above serve as the default compiler settings for all Slice files in the project. You may also override the compiler settings on a per-file basis by selecting a Slice file in Package Explorer and choosing Properties from the File menu, or by right-clicking on the file and choosing Properties. Select Slice2Java Properties to configure the Slice compiler settings, which have the same semantics as those in the Options tab described earlier.
See Also