First Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) example - 1

Eclipse is an IDE (Interactive Development Environment) that allows the development of programs in different programming languages. Some characteristics of Eclipse are the use of the Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT) as graphics library, instead of Swing, the plugin oriented way of programming, and its extensibility, there existing lots of projects that extend Eclipse in diverse directions.
One of those directions is model-driven-development, and the subsequent code generation from models. Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) project is a modeling environment and code generation functionality that enables the construction of tools and other software applications based on a structured data model (domain model). From a domain model specified in XMI, or in another supported format, EMF provides tools and runtime support for the production of Java classes that implement the model, and a set of adapter classes that allow editting and viewing the model through Java code, and a basic model editor.


Eclipse can be downloaded from:
        - http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

In this article we will use the version Indigo (3.7.1r1).

Eclipse Modeling Framework, for Eclipse Indigo, can be obtained in: 
        - http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/eclipse-modeling-tools/indigor

After downloading EMF, it must be copied to the directories plugins and features of Eclipse instalation.
Alternatively, Eclipse's new packages installation functionality can be used (HELP --> Install New Software) to install EMF.

Page of Eclipse EMF project:
        - http://www.eclipse.org/modeling/emf/

Documentation and tutorials about Eclipse EMF:
        - http://www.eclipse.org/modeling/emf/docs/
        - The Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) Overview
        - Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) - Tutorial

In the next article we will begin a new EMF project for constructing a domain model from which we will generate Java classes, which will then be used from a small test Main() method.


Related articles:
        - First Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) example - 2
        - First Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) example - 3