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.

Start of changeTo distribute a user-defined extension, you must include the runtime component - LIL or JAR file. For user-defined nodes only, but not for parsers, you must also include the workbench component that allows users to add your nodes to their flows. This topic covers the workbench components only; to see which runtime components are needed, see Installing a user-defined extension on a broker domain.End of change

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\evtoolkit\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 user-defined node 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. Start of change

    Unzip the file into the install_dir\evtoolkit\eclipse\plugins directory

    If running the Toolkit as a non-root user, you must set the file permissions as follows:

    cd <install_dir>/evtoolkit/eclipse/plugins/<name of project being installed>
    chmod 666 *
    chmod 755 icons
    End of change
  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. Start of changeRestart their workbench with the "-clean" option. This can be done from the command line, or by modifying the menu shortcut. The "-clean" option should be used whenever any changes are made to user-defined extensions, to make sure they are picked up by the message flow node palette.End of change
  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 user-defined node.

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