Hello! Ross! I’ve tried to locate the Eclipse plug-in, that you mentioned, the alpha one. But I wasn’t able to find it in http links download. Tonight I will checkout forest from trunk – cause it it’s expensive to do that in the day time. But even without it here is some kind of my proposition draft.
Description of the problem Forest is a publication framework, powerful and useful. But let us take a look at what a new person should handle to start a productive work with Forest. We can say that besides content enrichment, user should manage configuration files, skins (in future views), site.xml file. All the management, mentioned above, requires edition of text based files, what might be confusing for a new user. So, to my point of view, there is a clear need for a editing front-end to Forest publication framework. Another point is that Forest can be used to construct useful content for third party software. E.g. Forest can be used to generate help contents for Eclipse Rich Client Application. Such feature will help to promote use of Forest in Eclipse community. Proposed solution. Proposition is to create an editing front-end in a form of Eclipse plug-in, containing forms and wizards, that can help edit configuration files, site.xml file and application of skins (or views). As soon as Eclipse can help to promote Forest, let Forest help Eclipse RCP developers. Proposition is implement following: 1) extend Forest plug-in (or create another one) to let it generate Help based on contents from XML. 2) Some part of XML contents can be marked to be used as Eclipse Cheat Sheets, that in form of site should be rendered as HOW-TOs. Benefits of the solution to the Apache community With implemented tools, mentioned above, new and experienced Forest users can have more convenient access to configuration files and such, using Eclipse. And Eclipse users can benefit from Forest framework. This suggestion will result in growth of popularity for both Apache Forest and Eclipse. This is the main benefit, to my point of view. From technical point of view, the deliverables are: 1) Configuration editing front-end with views, wizards and help 2) Help generation plug-in, based on Forest. 3) Cheat sheets extension for help plug-in mentioned in 2) Approach: Milestones in delivery 1) Clear and definite requirements to editing front-end (Editing plug-in). 2) Design of specified requirements. 3) Specification of requirements and design elements that will be included in basic level of architecture. I believe, it should be a functionality that allows to create some sample sites AND Eclipse RCP Help site. 4) Implementation of basic level of architecture with corresponding Accuracy, Failure and Stress test cases. 5) Reviewed requirements and design. 6) Implementation of the rest of requirements according to review design. 7) Requirements and design for Help generation plug-in.* 8) Implementation of sample help generation site* 9) Implementation of help generation plug-in and tests. (Cheat sheets included)* 10) User guide creation based on javadoc, requirements docs and design docs *Tasks might be started as task 4 is finished. Expected time line for delivery 06.28 – Task 1 delivery. Two weeks will be needed to analyze current Apache Forest situation and features, because it was older version, that I’ve worked with. 07.05 – Task 2 and 3 delivery. With some bit of task 3 as an illustration that Design will work. Next are hard to predict… 07.25 – Task 4 delivery 07.28 – Task 5 08.20 – Everything should be ready for final fixes 08.30 – Help delivery. Description of relevant student’s skills I’m finishing Byelorussian State University this year. (But yet I’m still a). I’ve started my IT specialist career 7 years ago, when I was 15. I’ve worked with FoxPro, Delphi, C++ Builder in Mogilev, Minsk and Moscow. For last three years I’m in love with Java. In java I’ve worked with BEA Weblogic, Hibernate, Struts. Last Autumn I’ve quit EPAM (www.epam.com) CMI level 4 company, to start a development initiative with my friends called BEKAR. Currently we are developing a software using Eclipse, Hibernate and some native components. To Apache Forest I relate as end user. I did not have time to help to develop it, but if it is sponsored – I eagerly would, because I really enjoy the idea. My Brain Bench java results are here http://www.brainbench.com/xml/bb/transcript/public/transcript_testdetails.xml?back=1&pid=4754989&testid=5929215 Thank you! Good Luck!
