Is there any way I can help in tasks that are tiresome but can be done by someone - like me - who don't have a lot of clues about the process ? I would just need directions and a short howto. I was specifically thinking about the plugin/features migration.

Emmanuel, there are nicer parts you can work on, but as you want...

To start please checkout the branch and try to build it. It requires two steps:
1. Build the P2 repo of 3rd party dependencies and the eclipse target file (details below): cd eclipse-target-platform && mvn clean install && cd ..
2. Build the main project: mvn clean install

Then try to import it into Eclipse, best is to use Luna for RCP (http://eclipse.org/downloads/packages/eclipse-rcp-and-rap-developers/lunar), I think it already includes m2e plugins. First import the eclipse-target-platform as "Existing Maven Project", open eclipse-target-platform.target (hopefully there are no error), and click the "Set as Target Platrorm" link. Then import the main project also as "Existing Maven Project", only few plugins will be imported, there shouln't be any error.

The first steps to migrate a plugin are:
1. Activate the module in plugins/pom.xml
2. Change the Plugin's pom.xml artifactId (must be same as Bundle-SymbolicName) and packaging, comment out everything else (for later check, e.g. enabling RAT plugin again(, see the plugins/common.core/pom.xml as example
3. Add build.properties file, just copy from commons.core
4. Create META-INF/MANIFEST.MF, copy from commons.core, change Bundle-Name, Bundle-SymbolicName, Export-Package, Require-Bundle, Import-Package. You can look into the Felix bundle plugin instruction of the pom.xml. I use Import-Package instead of Require-Bundle for all the small commons dependencies.

Then you can try to build it from cmd line, and to import the plugin into Eclipse.

The interesting thing is if new dependencies are required. Eclipse and also Tycho use so-called "P2" repositories. All Eclipse dependencies are available in such P2 repos, also some 3rd party depenencies. For regular Maven dependencies Tycho has an option to use them within a Tycho build, however that only works for proper OSGi bundles, but some dependencies we use are not. So I choosed another way for now, we'll see if it works out. This requires to split the build into two steps.

1st step is to build a local P2 repository. This is done in the I found the eclipse-target-platform project. It is a regular maven build. I found the p2-maven-plugin which is very convinient, it OSGi-ifies Maven artifacts and build a P2 repo. If it is too unflexible we can later switch to another approach. But the result is a valid P2 repo with all required 3rd party dependencies (including API and ApacheDS) in target/repository.

The build also creates the proper target platform file, it includes location of used P2 repos and used dependendies. This file is used by Eclipse as well as by the Tycho build to configure P2 repo.

Not easy :/

I'm trying to deal with the apacheds.configuration.v2 plugin. Here are some of the errors I get :

...
[ERROR] COMPILATION ERROR :
[INFO] -------------------------------------------------------------
[ERROR] /Users/elecharny/apacheds/studio-tycho/plugins/apacheds.configuration.v2/src/main/java/org/apache/directory/studio/apacheds/configuration/v2/editor/ServerConfigurationEditorPage.java:[23,48] package org.apache.directory.server.config.beans does not exist
[ERROR] /Users/elecharny/apacheds/studio-tycho/plugins/apacheds.configuration.v2/src/main/java/org/apache/directory/studio/apacheds/configuration/v2/editor/ServerConfigurationEditorPage.java:[24,48] package org.apache.directory.server.config.beans does not exist
[ERROR] /Users/elecharny/apacheds/studio-tycho/plugins/apacheds.configuration.v2/src/main/java/org/apache/directory/studio/apacheds/configuration/v2/editor/ServerConfigurationEditorPage.java:[27,51] package org.apache.directory.studio.connection.core does not exist
[ERROR] /Users/elecharny/apacheds/studio-tycho/plugins/apacheds.configuration.v2/src/main/java/org/apache/directory/studio/apacheds/configuration/v2/editor/ServerConfigurationEditorPage.java:[28,32] package org.eclipse.jface.action does not exist

I have tried many different configuration for the MANIFEST.MF files :

manifest-Version: 1.0
Bundle-ManifestVersion: 2
Bundle-Name: 
Bundle-Vendor: The Apache Software Foundation
Bundle-Version: 2.0.0.qualifier
Bundle-SymbolicName: org.apache.directory.studio.apacheds.configuration.v2;singleton:=true
Bundle-License: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.txt
Bundle-RequiredExecutionEnvironment: JavaSE-1.6
Eclipse-LazyStart: true
Export-Package: org.apache.directory.studio.apacheds.configuration.v2.*
Import-Package:  org.apache.directory.server.core.api,
 org.apache.directory.server.config,
 org.apache.directory.server.config.beans,
 org.apache.directory.server.kerberos.codec,
 org.apache.directory.server.ldif.partition,
 org.apache.directory.server.xdbm.partition,
Require-Bundle: org.eclipse.core.runtime,
 org.apache.commons.io;bundle-version="2.4",
 org.apache.directory.api.ldap.model;bundle-version="1.0.0-M24",
 org.apache.directory.api.ldap.schema;bundle-version="1.0.0-M24",
 org.apache.directory.studio.common.core,
 org.apache.directory.studio.common.ui,
 org.apache.directory.studio.connection.core,
 org.apache.directory.studio.connection.ui,
 org.apache.directory.studio.ldapbrowser.common,
 org.apache.directory.studio.ldapbrowser.core,
 org.eclipse.core.contenttype,
 org.eclipse.core.runtime,
 org.eclipse.core.resources,
 org.eclipse.ui,
 org.eclipse.ui.editors,
 org.eclipse.ui.forms,
 org.eclipse.ui.ide,
 org.slf4j.api;bundle-version="1.7.7",
 net.sf.ehcache.core;bundle-version="2.4.4"

I'd use Require-Bundle instead of Import-Package for all the ApacheDS dependencies because we need to specify the exact version and normally we need more than one package, then it is easier to use Require-Bundle.

For versions in manifest make sure to use the right format, For the API e.g. 1.0.0.M24 (note the dot before M24, a dash is not allowed at this position) or 2.0.0.M17 for ApacheDS.

Maybe try to import the plugin into your Eclipse workspace, there may be other/better error indicators. Otherwise just commit your changes and I'll have a look to the whole picture.

Looking at common.ui, I see that many packages which are in java source files imports aren't present in the MANIFEST.MF file. for instance, here is the list of all imported packages we have :

import org.eclipse.core.runtime
import org.eclipse.jface.action
import org.eclipse.jface.dialogs
import org.eclipse.jface.preference
import org.eclipse.jface.resource
import org.eclipse.swt
import org.eclipse.swt.custom
import org.eclipse.swt.events
import org.eclipse.swt.graphics
import org.eclipse.swt.layout
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets
import org.eclipse.ui
import org.eclipse.ui.editors.text
import org.eclipse.ui.plugin
import org.osgi.framework

I was expecting to find this list present in the MANIFEST.MF, but here is what we have :

Require-Bundle: org.eclipse.core.runtime,
 org.eclipse.ui,
 org.eclipse.ui.editors

Shouldn't we complete this short list with the imports we find in the java files, to have something like :

Require-Bundle: org.eclipse.core.runtime,
 org.eclipse.jface.action,
 org.eclipse.jface.dialogs,
 org.eclipse.jface.preference,
 org.eclipse.jface.resource,
 org.eclipse.swt,
 org.eclipse.swt.custom,
 org.eclipse.swt.events,
 org.eclipse.swt.graphics,
 org.eclipse.swt.layout,
 org.eclipse.swt.widgets,
 org.eclipse.ui,
 org.eclipse.ui.editors.text,
 org.eclipse.ui.plugin,
 org.osgi.framework

In fact, we can inject all the suggested bundles, they are not existing for most of them. Still, here is what I can have with no error :

Require-Bundle: org.eclipse.core.runtime,
 org.eclipse.jface,
 org.eclipse.swt,
 org.eclipse.ui,
 org.eclipse.ui.editors

As you can see, the jface and swt bundle can be added. Is it necessary ?

I don't think it is necessary, but I think it doesn't harm. SWT and JFace dependencies are automatically added, if you look into "Plug-in Dependencies" of the project, or using "mvn dependency:tree". But to be honest I don't understand the dependency resolution mechanism, because org.eclipse.ui.editors also defines org.eclispe.ui and org.eclispe.core.runtime as Require-Bundle.

One thing scares me : we have to declare the bundle version of what we use in MANIFEST.MF. That means we will have a hell of files to update when we upgrade, something that was managed automatically when we used a maven property...

/me still trying to get a clue about the whole system. Interesting though.

No, the version in the manifest is the minimum version that your bundles requires.
The version used in the build is declared in the target platform definition, which acts as a filter on P2 repositories

Woot... Took me some time to add the schemaeditor plugin !!! But this is due to the learning curve. I now see a bit more how all this is working. Thanks to Jeff for the heads up

Great to see you working so fast . I currently work on the features and the product/application.

Ok. There are 9 plugins to migrate, out of which 7 are quite similar (the various LDAP server versions). It should be done today, if I don't have the same kind of issues I had to declare slf4j...

I'm stcuk in the ldapservers plugin. it tells me that org.eclipse.jdt.launcher.IJavaLaunchConfigurationConstants can't be found if I don't add it to the MANIFEST.MF file :

[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.eclipse.tycho:tycho-compiler-plugin:0.20.0:compile (default-compile) on project org.apache.directory.studio.ldapservers: Compilation failure: Compilation failure:
[ERROR] /Users/elecharny/apacheds/studio-tycho/plugins/ldapservers/src/main/java/org/apache/directory/studio/ldapservers/LdapServersUtils.java:[51]
[ERROR] import org.eclipse.jdt.launching.IJavaLaunchConfigurationConstants;

and if I do add it, it says :

[ERROR]   Missing requirement: org.apache.directory.studio.ldapservers 2.0.0.qualifier requires 'bundle org.eclipse.jdt.launcher 0.0.0' but it could not be found

At this point, I have no idea what can be wrong :/

I have committed the code for ldapservers, but not the plugins/pom.xml

Pb fixed for the ldapservers plugin and the ldapservers.apacheds.v15* plugins.

I'm currently blocked on apacheds-launcher.

We have to release apacheds-M18 if we want to go any farther, because the Ldap API 1.0.0-M23 ApacheDS is dependening on has a wrong MANIFEST.MF file for the ldap-api-schema-data module (this has been fixed by Stefan in M24).

I think we don't need the apacheds-launcher plugin anymore. For the apacheds.v15x plugins we used the apacheds-launcher (version 1.2.0 and 1.5.0) to start the server. But since apacheds.v200 we use the UberjarMain class from the server to launch the server. So let's kick it out.

There is another things that need to be handled : we have many tests that are not anymore ran. We have to find a way to re-establish them.

The Eclipse/Tycho way is to have separate test modules.

At the weekend I'll cleanup the list above and create sub-tasks of open points towards a release.

Took long but done. Creation of installers has been postponed (DIRSTUDIO-1022).