# Eclipse

Eclipse is an open source community project, which aims to provide a universal development platform. The Eclipse project is most widely known for its cross-platform integrated development environment (IDE). The Arch Linux packages (and this guide) relate specifically to the IDE.

The Eclipse IDE is largely written in Java but can be used to develop applications in a number of languages, including Java, C/C++, PHP, Perl and Python. The IDE can also provide subversion support and task management.

## Installation

Install one of the following packages:

- eclipse-cpp
- eclipse-java
- eclipse-php

You cannot install multiple of these at the same time since they conflict, see FS#45577: choose the package above which most immediately fulfils your needs, and then add support for any additionally required languages through #Plugins.

## Plugins

Many plugins are easily installed using pacman (see Eclipse plugin package guidelines for further informations). This will also keep them up-to-date. Alternatively, you can choose either the Eclipse Marketplace or the internal plugin manager.

### Add the default update site

Make sure that you check that the default update site for your version of Eclipse is configured so that plugin dependencies can automatically be installed. The most current version of Eclipse is Mars and the default update site for it is: http://download.eclipse.org/releases/mars. Go to Help > Install new Software > Add, fill the name to easily identify the update site later - for instance, Mars Software Repository - and fill the location with the url.

### Eclipse Marketplace

Note: make sure you have followed the Add the default update site section.

To use the Eclipse Marketplace, install it first: go to Help > Install new software > Switch to the default update site > General Purpose Tools > Marketplace Client. Restart Eclipse and it will be available in Help > Eclipse Marketplace.

### Plugin manager

Note: make sure you have followed the Add the default update site section.

Use Eclipse's plugin manager to download and install plugins from their original repositories: in this case you have to find the needed repository in the plugin's website, then go to Help > Install New Software..., enter the repository in the Work with field, select the plugin to install from the list below and follow the instructions.

Note:

- If you install plugins with Eclipse's plugin manager, you are advised to launch Eclipse as root: this way the plugins will be installed in `/usr/lib/eclipse/plugins/`; if you installed them as normal user, they would be stored in a version-dependent folder inside `~/.eclipse/`, and, after upgrading Eclipse, they would not be recognized any longer.
- Do not use Eclipse as root for your everyday work.

#### Updates via plugin manager

Run Eclipse and select Help > Check for Updates. If you have installed them as root as advised in the section above, you have to run Eclipse as root.

For plugins to be updated, you should check to have their update repositories enabled in Window > Preferences > Install/Update > Available Software Sites: you can find each plugin's repository(es) on the respective project website. To add, edit, remove... repositories just use the buttons on the right of the Available Software Sites panel. For Eclipse 4.5 (Mars), check you have enabled this repository:

    http://download.eclipse.org/releases/mars

To receive update notifications, go to Window > Preferences > Install/Update > Automatic Updates. If you want to receive notifications for plugins installed as root, you should run Eclipse as root, go to Window > Preferences > Install/Update > Available Software Sites, select the repositories related to the installed plugins and Export them, then run Eclipse as normal user and Import them in the same panel.

### List of plugins

- AVR — AVR microcontroller plugin.

  http://avr-eclipse.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/The_AVR_Eclipse_Plugin || eclipse-avrAUR

- Aptana — HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript/Ruby/Rails/PHP/Pydev/Django support. Also available as standalone application.

  http://www.aptana.com/ || aptana-studioAUR

- Eclipse CDT — C/C++ support.

  https://www.eclipse.org/cdt/ || eclipse-cpp

- Eclipse PDT — PHP support.

  https://www.eclipse.org/pdt/ || eclipse-pdtAUR

- EGit — Git support.

  https://www.eclipse.org/egit || eclipse-egitAUR

- IvyDE — IvyDE dependency Manager.

  https://ant.apache.org/ivy/ivyde/ || eclipse-ivydeAUR

- Markdown — Markdown editor plugin for Eclipse.

  http://www.winterwell.com/software/markdown-editor.php || eclipse-markdownAUR

- MercurialEclipse — Mercurial support.

  https://bitbucket.org/mercurialeclipse/main/wiki/Home || eclipse-mercurialAUR

- Mylyn — Task lists support.

  https://www.eclipse.org/mylyn/ || eclipse-mylynAUR

- PHPEclipse — Alternative PHP support.

  http://www.phpeclipse.com/ || eclipse-phpeclipseAUR

- PyDev — Python support.

  http://pydev.org/ || eclipse-pydevAUR

- Subclipse — Subversion support.

  http://subclipse.tigris.org/ || eclipse-subclipseAUR

- Subversive — Alternative Subversion support.

  https://www.eclipse.org/subversive/ || eclipse-subversiveAUR

- TestNG — TestNG support.

  http://testng.org/doc/eclipse.html || eclipse-testngAUR

- TeXlipse — LaTeX support.

  http://texlipse.sourceforge.net/ || eclipse-texlipseAUR

- Eclipse PTP — Parallel Programming C/C++ support.

  https://www.eclipse.org/ptp/ || eclipse-ptpAUR

- Checkstyle — Eclipse Checkstyle support.

  http://eclipse-cs.sourceforge.net/ || eclipse-checkstyleAUR

## Enable javadoc integration

Want to see API entries when hovering the mouse pointer over standard Java methods?

### Online version

If you have constant Internet access on your machine, you can use the on-line documentation:

1. Go to Window > Preferences, then go to Java > Installed JREs.
2. There should be one named "java" with the type "Standard VM". Select this and click Edit.
3. Select the `/opt/java/jre/lib/rt.jar` item under "JRE system libraries:", then click Javadoc Location....
4. Enter "https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/" in the "Javadoc location path:" text field.

### Offline version

You can store the documentation locally by installing the openjdk8-doc package. Eclipse may be able to find the javadocs automatically. If that does not work, set Javadoc location for rt.jar to `file:/usr/share/doc/java8-openjdk/api`.

## Troubleshooting

### Crash on first boot or when choosing Help > Welcome

Add the following line to `/usr/share/eclipse/eclipse.ini`:

    -Dorg.eclipse.swt.browser.UseWebKitGTK=true

If Firefox is installed try also:

    -Dorg.eclipse.swt.browser.DefaultType=mozilla

### Ctrl+X closes Eclipse

Part of this bug. Just look in `~/workspace/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.e4.workbench/workbench.xmi` and delete the wrong `Ctrl+X` combination. Usually it is the first one.

### Eclipse 4 not respecting dark/custom gtk themes resulting in white background

#### 4.2.0 and 4.3.0

Remove or move to backup sub folder all of the .css files from: /usr/share/eclipse/plugins/org.eclipse.platform_4.2.0.v201206081400/css/

Solution source: https://www.eclipse.org/forums/index.php/m/872214/

This also works with version 4.3.x (Kepler) by backing up the css folder from /usr/share/eclipse/plugins/org.eclipse.platform_4.3.xxx/css/

#### 4.4.0 (Luna)

Luna Supplies a Dark theme which can be enabled in Preferences > Appearance and selecting the 'Dark' theme.

The dark theme uses its own colours rather than the GTK theme colours, if you prefer it to fully respect GTK colour settings, then remove or move to backup sub folder all of the .css files from: /usr/share/eclipse/plugins/org.eclipse.ui.themes_1.0.0.xxxx/css/

### Tooltips have dark background color with Adwaita theme

You can first follow the #Disable GTK+ 3 section disable the SWT_GTK3 and then install the webkitgtk2 package from the official repository to use the old theme.

### Toggle buttons states are the same for selected/not selected

Comment out the last line in `/usr/share/themes/Adwaita/gtk-2.0/gtkrc` like this

    #widget "*swt*toolbar*" style "null"

To apply the fixed theme, use `gnome-tweak-tool` to select a different theme and cycle back to Adwaita.

Related bugs:

- https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=687519

### Change Default Window Title Font Size

You cannot change the window title font size using the Eclipse preferences, you must edit the actual theme .css files. Note, that you will have to redo this when you upgrade eclipse. They are located under

    /usr/share/eclipse/plugins/org.eclipse.platform_4.3.<your version number>/css

Open the appropriate file with your text editor, ie e4_default_gtk.css if you are using the "GTK theme". Search for .MPartStack, and change the font-size to your desired size

    .MPartStack {
           font-size: 9;
           swt-simple: false;
           swt-mru-visible: false;
    }

### Disable GTK+ 3

When the SWT GTK+ 3 UI is buggy and sometimes unusable, You can try to disable the use of GTK+ 3 with the SWT_GTK3=0 environment variable when you start eclipse:

    SWT_GTK3=0 eclipse

Another option to achieve the same effect is to add the follwoing to `/usr/lib/eclipse/eclipse.ini`.

    --launcher.GTK_version
    2

Those two lines must be added before:

    --launcher.appendVmargs

Also note that if you do this, the Javadoc pop ups do not get rendered properly anymore if the package webkitgtk2 is not installed.

### White on white quick outline and type hierarchy

When using GTK2 backend the workaround is to edit the theme. Append the following to `e4_default_gtk.css`.

     Tree {
       color: black;
     }

For GTK3 backend this should already be fixed. See https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=492376 for the relevant info.

### Freshplayerplugin

Eclipse is not compatible with freshplayerpluginAUR. See https://github.com/i-rinat/freshplayerplugin/issues/298.

### Eclipse 4.6 may not open the marketplace properly

See this bug. You can take following two steps to fix it:

    eclipse -consoleLog -application org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director -uninstallIU org.apache.httpcomponents.httpclient/4.3.6.v201411290715
    cd /usr/lib/eclipse/ && sudo rm plugins/org.apache.httpcomponents.httpclient_4.3.6.v201411290715.jar

### Show in System Explorer does not work

See this guide. Go to Window > Preferences > General > Workspace and change the command launching system explorer. As Xfce user you may like to change it with `xfce4-terminal --working-directory ${selected_resource_loc`} to open a folder with the xfce4-terminal.

## See also

- How to use Subversion with Eclipse

Category:

- Development