Java Web Start and Eclipse – Feature Export and an Eclipse Bug

My relevant environment background is as follows:

• Eclipse v3.2.1
• JDK 1.5.0_10

Eclipse 3.2 Bug with Exporting a Feature to Java Web Start
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There is a known bug in Eclipse version 3 that generates the wrong name for an Eclipse plugin when exporting a Deployable Feature.

The bug is marked as fixed and has also been marked as being incorporated in the main stream releases of various versions of Eclipse, such as v3.2.1. But the bug still remains.

The symptoms of this bug is the following stack dump when attempted to run under Java Web Start:

!SESSION Tue Feb 06 10:48:01 EST 2007 ------------------------------------------
!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.launcher 4 0 2007-02-06 10:48:01.112
!MESSAGE Exception launching the Eclipse Platform:
!STACK
java.lang.NullPointerException
at java.util.Hashtable.put(Unknown Source)
at org.eclipse.core.launcher.WebStartMain.basicRun(WebStartMain.java:58)
at org.eclipse.core.launcher.Main.run(Main.java:977)
at org.eclipse.core.launcher.WebStartMain.main(WebStartMain.java:40)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.executeApplication(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.executeMainClass(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.continueLaunch(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.handleApplicationDesc(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.handleLaunchFile(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.run(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)

The cause is that Eclipse is generating the plugin with a name of org.eclipse.osgi_3.2.2.R32x_v20061101.jar when it really should be org.eclipse.osgi_3.2.2-v20061101.jar.

Depending upon your version of Eclipse, you may have different versions of this jar file. All that is needed to be done is to remove the .R32x_ and replace it with -.

You must also modify the generated JNLP file to reflect the new name.

This will occur each time you perform an export of a Deployable Feature.

The reason why this is an issue, is that internally to the plugin, (or other plugins that are trying to find this one), it is using a different name/signature that does not match the use of .R32X_ .

References:
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https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=125867

http://eclipsezone.com/eclipse/forums/t64274.html