Plug-in Compiler Preferences

Compilers preference page

Syntactic errors in plugin.xml, fragment.xml and MANIFEST.MF are all flagged as errors by the plug-in manifest compiler. As for semantic problems in the plug-in manifests, the severity for each problem category can be set to Error, Warning or Ignore.

General Settings
Build Settings
Versioning Settings
Usage Settings
References Settings

Workspace vs. Project Settings

The plug-in compiler preferences are set at a workspace level on the Window > Preferences... > Plug-in Development > Compilers preference page and take effect on all plug-in projects in the workspace.

It is also possible to override the workspace-scope settings by having compiler settings at the plug-in project level. To do so, select Properties from the context menu of a plug-in project. In the Properties dialog, project-level manifest compiler settings can be customized on the Plug-in Development > Plug-in Manifest Compiler preference page.

General Settings

Compilers preference page general section

Option	Description	Default
Required attributes not defined	A required attribute in a plug-in file is missing	Error
Incompatible environment	The plug-in's environment settings do not match the target platform's environment settings	Warning
Missing exported packages	One or more packages in a java source folder are not included in the Export-Package manifest entry	Ignore
No automatic module name	Automatic-Module-Name header (required for Java 9 compatibility) is not present in MANIFEST.MF. For details, see this link.	Warning

Build Settings

Compilers preference page build section

Option	Description	Default
Problems with 'source.<library>' entry	Semantic problem with source entry	Warning
Problems with 'output.<library>' entry	Semantic problem with output entry	Warning
Missing 'output.<library>' entry	A source entry exists without matching output	Ignore
Problems with 'bin.includes' entry	Semantic problem with binary includes entry	Warning
Problems with 'src.includes' entry	Semantic problem with source includes entry	Warning
Missing or incompatible Java compliance properties	Project has Java compliance settings without matching entry in build.properties	Warning
Missing project specific Java compiler settings	Project has Java complier settings without matching entry in build.properties	Ignore
Missing or incorrect file encodings	Project has file encoding settings without matching entry in build.properties	Ignore
Other problems with build.properties files	Other problems not part of another setting	Warning

Versioning Settings

Compilers preference page versioning section

Option	Description	Default
Missing versions on required bundles	A required bundle manifest entry does not have version restrictions	Ignore
Missing versions on exported packages	An exported package manifest entry does not have a version specified	Ignore
Missing versions on imported packages	An imported package manifest entry does not have version restrictions	Ignore
Bundle BREE lower than its dependencies	At least one of the bundle's dependencies requires an execution environment that is higher than the bundle's current execution environment	Warning

Usage Settings

Compilers preference page usage section

Option	Description	Default
Unresolved dependencies	A plug-in dependency (required bundle or imported package) can not be found	Error
Unresolved extension points	The provider for an extension point cannot be found	Error
Usage of internal extension points	Providing an extension to an extension point that is marked as internal	Warning
Usage of deprecated atributes and elements	Providing an extension that uses attributes or elements from an extension point that are marked as deprecated	Warning
Usage of non-externalized strings	A plug-in is using a string that could be translated in plugin.properties	Ignore
Usage of service component without lazy activation policy	Bundle manifest has a Service-Component without a Bundle-ActivationPolicy: lazy entry	Warning

References Settings

Compilers preference page references section

Option	Description	Default
Illegal elements	Referencing an illegal element in an extension	Warning
Illegal atributes	Referencing an illegal attribute in an extension	Warning
References to non-existent classes	Referencing a class from an extension that does not exist in the project	Warning
References to discourage classes	Referencing a class from an extension that has discouraged access warnings	Warning
References to non-existent resources	References a resource from an extension that does not exist in the project	Warning
References to non-existent identifier attributes	Referencing an identifier attribute that is not defined by a known extension	Warning

Non-obvious Problems

The following is a brief explanation for some of the non-obvious potential problems that are flagged by PDE:

Non-negotiable Markers:
Some problems such as a missing plug-in ID, plug-in version, or plug-in name render a plug-in invalid. Therefore, these problems are flagged with a non-negotiable error marker and are not available for configuration on this preference page.
Unresolved Dependencies:
An unresolved dependency is a dependency on a plug-in (in the Require-Bundle MANIFEST.MF header) or on a package (in the Import-Package MANIFEST.MF header) where the plug-in or package in question does not exist.
Incompatible Environment:
A plug-in or fragment has an incompatible environment if it has an Eclipse-PlatformFilter MANIFEST.MF header whose value is not compatible with the current Target Environment settings as they appear on the Plug-in Development > Target Platform > Environment preference page.
Unresolved Extension Points:
An unresolved extension point is an extension point that does not exist or whose contributing plug-in is unchecked on the Plug-in Development > Target Platform preference page. Extensions contributing to such an extension point are flagged.

PDE Compiler Preferences
PDE Preferences