Tutorial: Project Development

Our customer wants a tool to aid in production of motion pictures. In this tutorial series we are going to create a YouMovie movies producer tool over Simantics Platform. This part of the tutorial trail includes creation of a plugins, a perspective extension and exposing it all as a feature.

Step 1: Create UI Plugin

To create the a new plugin, open the wizard.

• File >> New >> Plug-in Development >> Plug-in Project >> Next >

Project name for feature is com.acme.movie.ui. Next >. You do have a use for activator, so keep that checked. The plug-in makes UI contributions, but is not a rich client application. Finish

Create a perspective. The plan is to have a tree view for movie productions, an editor for diagram representations, a properties view and a database view.

• Open com.acme.movie.ui >> META-INF/MANIFEST.MF >> Extensions

Step 2: Create Feature

Feature is a set of plug-ins grouped into a single manageable unit. Open wizard.

• File >> New >> Plug-in Development >> Feature Project >> Next >

Project name for feature is com.acme.movie.feature. Next >. The feature includes both com.acme.* plugins (.ontology, .ui), check in. Finish

Step 3: Run in Simantics

Now its time to run the code in Simantics. In final release the application would be delivered as a Feature using Simantics Project Managed. But for developing reasons we are going to create a product.

• Create a new product configuration
  • File >> New >> Plug-in Development >> Product Configuration >> Next >
  • Select com.acme.movie.ui as parent folder and put Movie.product for filename. Finish

• Create Product extension
  • Open Movie.product
  • Select New Product

• Open Movie.product and Overview tab sheet from the editor bottom.
  • Add values for ID, Version and Name; say com.acme.movie, 1.0 and "Motion Picture Production Manager"
  • Choose org.simantics.workbench.product as Product and org.simantics.workbench.application as Application
  • Select "The product configuration is based on: features"
• Open Dependencies tab sheet from the editor bottom.
  • Add org.simantics.sdk
  • Add com.acme.movie.feature
  • Save file.

OK, you have now configured a product configuration. Give it a go.

• Open Movie.product
• Click Launch an Eclipse application

If everything goes fine a simantics platform should start and open up. Go to upper right corner and select "Open Perspective icon", choose Other and pick your "Movie Production" perspective.