Distributing a user-defined node

Before you start

  1. You must have compiled your user-defined node, as described in Compiling a Java user-defined node or Compiling a C user-defined extension.
  2. You must have tested your user-defined node as described in Testing a user-defined node.

The node project is an Eclipse plug-in. It sits in the workbench while it is being developed. Each user of the workbench needs to have the node project in their install_dir\eclipse\plugins directory to be able to add the node to their message flows. When the project is tested to your satisfaction, you can prepare it for distribution.

  1. Switch to the Plug-in Development perspective.
  2. Right-click on the node project you want to package for distribution.
  3. Click File > Export.
  4. From the list displayed, select Zip file.
  5. Click Next.
  6. The resources that are available for you to export as a zip file are listed. Select your user-defined node by checking the box next to its project name.
  7. Deselect the following files and directories (all are selected as default):
    • .classpath
    • .project
    • build.properties
    • build.xml
    • /bin
    • /src
    • /temp.folder
  8. Specify a name and location for your zip file. The name should be the same as the UDN project name.
  9. Click Finish.

The zip file is saved to the location you specified. If you developed your Java source code within the project, this is included in the zip file. You can add your C source code or compiled files to the zip file using any zip utility. You then have a self-contained package that you can distribute to all internal users.

When another developer receives the zip file, they need to:
  1. Stop their workbench.
  2. Unzip the file in the install_dir\eclipse\plugins directory.
  3. Compile the source code, if it is not already compiled.
  4. For C user-defined extensions, copy the compiled source code to the install_dir\samples\extensions\C\src\ directory. For Java nodes, copy the compiled source code to the install_dir\samples\extensions\Java\src\ directory.
  5. Restart their workbench.
  6. Stop and restart the broker.
When the workbench has restarted, the new category of nodes appears on the palette of the flow editor.

If you want to distribute your node commercially, please see the PDE Guide for information about issues such as versioning and updating your plug-in.

Related concepts
User-defined Input nodes
User-defined message processing nodes
User-defined output nodes

Related tasks
Developing user-defined extensions
Creating the user interface representation of a user-defined node in the workbench
Testing a user-defined node