ManualLayers

Layer and Plugins Map

RCPForms is based on the major Eclipse components:

• SWT
• JFace
• UI Forms
• Databinding

which all are part of Eclipse RCP.

Plugin Map

RCPForms consists of the following plugins:

• net.sf.rcpforms.widgetwrapper contains the widget wrapper layer
• net.sf.rcpforms.modeladapter contains the model adapter layer
• net.sf.rcpforms.bindingvalidation contains the BindingValidation Layer
• net.sf.rcpforms.tablesupport contains the TableSupport layer
• net.sf.rcpforms.form contains the form and eclipse integration layer
• net.sf.rcpforms.examples contains the Sandbox Example Application demonstrating most of the features available in RCPForms, good start to have a look into how things work
• net.sf.rcpforms.test contains unit tests for all layers and another one-class mini example application RCPWidgetsManualTest which demonstrates all controls and state rendering
• net.sf.rcpforms.feature the feature bundling the plugins needed at runtime, contains only the layer plugins, not the emf adapters

Layer

In the picture below you see the layering of RCPForms, upper layers depend on all layers below.
You can use e.g. the ModelAdapter layer to get model-independent property access and meta-information or the table support layer for out-of-the box table editing support without using the widget wrapper layer.

Recommended is to use all layers, since only using the BindingValidation layer gives you out-of-the box sync of your form controls with a data model, and only form layer gives you very easy integration of your forms with Eclipse artefacts like views, dialogs, wizards and editors.
But if you have an MVC architecture and already existing controllers for complex ui logic, you might only want to use the widget wrapper layer for convenient swt widget usage and advanced state support.

Best to start is the BindingValidation layer since this unleashes the power

Widget Wrapper Layer
Binding Validation Layer
Model Adapter Layer
Table Support Layer
Form Layer