Open project/plugin dependency diagram

This tutorial is designed to introduce the usage of project/plugin dependency diagram and guide you to open a project/plugin dependency diagram.

The project/plugin diagram displays dependencies among projects and plugins with additional information such as the version requirement, if the declared dependency is really used, if the dependency is exported. Beside this feature the diagram can show information related to extension points implemented by plugins. We use the GWT Designer plugin to explain how to open a project/plugin dependency diagram.

  1. Import GWTDesigner plugin
  2. Open a project/plugin dependency diagram
  3. OPen class/package dependency diagram from project/plugin dependency diagram

1. Import GWTDesigner plugin

We use the GWT Designer plugin to explain how to open a project/plugin dependency diagram. click GWTDesigner.zip to download it directly

  1.1 Download the GWTDesigner.zip file which includes the GWT Designer plugin on your computer and put it to your workspace.

  1.2 Right click on Package Explorer and select Import...

  1.3 Select General -> Existing Projects into Workspace and click the Next button

  1.4 Select Select archive file option and click the Browse button to select GWTDesigner.zip file in your workspace

  1.5 Then, click the Finish button

  1.6 Now, it is importing the GWTDesigner plugin, it will take several minutes

  1.7 As the next screenshot shows, it has imported the GWTDesigner plugin into Package Explorer


2. Open a project/plugin dependency diagram

Right click on com.swtdesigner plugin in Package Explorer and select eDepend -> Plugin dependency explorer in popup menu

Then, select the kind of link to display automatically when create a new project/plugin diagram or insert new projects/plugins, followed with clicking the OK button

As the screenshot shows, it has opened a simply project/plugin dependency diagram

In the diagram editor, your can drag and drop projects/plugins from Package Explorer to diagram editor directly

In the diagram editor, It's easy to insert some dependent elements, right click one element and select Dependency -> Referenced/Referencing -> ...

The same as inserting dependency elements, it is easy to insert some extension points, right click one element and select Extension -> Referenced/Referencing -> ...


3. Open class/package dependency diagram from project/plugin dependency diagram

3.1 In the project/plugin dependency diagram, you can open a class/package dependency diagram of the selected element

Right click on com.instantiations.tools element and select Open -> Package dependencies explorer...

Then, select Display weight on dependency links and Show only elements involved into dependency cycles to seek cyclic dependencies between packages or select Show dependencies on project libraries to explore dependencies on libraries

  3.11 If you select show only elements involved into dependency cycles, It will lists all the found dependency cycles of packages from the selected element, select groups of dependency cycles shown on diagram and click the Finish button

Now, it has open a package/class dependency diagram, the diagram shows the cyclic dependency relationship between packages of the selected element

The Dependency Inspector view shows details on the dependencies of the selected elements(About Dependency Inspector view, please see related chapter)

Besides the selected element, Single click the dependency link, the Dependency Inspector view will show details on the dependency link

In the Dependencies Inspector view, you can open a java editor on the right line who caused a dependency via right click one element

So, it makes you edit Jave code and manage Java code more easily

  3.12 If you select show dependencies on project libraries , it will lists all the project libraries from the selected element, select the libraries to filter dependencies shown on diagram and click the Finish button

The diagram shows the dependency relationship between packages of the selected element and packages of the project libraries(Note that the packages from libraries are a bit darker for better readability):

The Dependencies Inspector view shows details on the dependencies of elements in selected package (About Dependency Inspector view, please see related chapter)

Besides the selected element, Single click the dependency link, the Dependency Inspector view will show details on the dependency link

In the Dependencies Inspector view, you can open a java editor on the right line who caused a dependency via right click one element

So, it makes you edit Jave code and manage Java code more easily

3.2 In the project/plugin dependency diagram, you can open a class/package dependency diagram from a link between 2 projects

Right click on the link between com.instantiations.tools and org.eclipse.jdt.core and select Show dependencies on classes

As the next screenshot shows, it has open a class diagram displaying the dependency relationship of the classes of the two projects