JBoss Tools Road map

This page outlines the focus areas we will be working on for the next major version of JBoss Tools.

This is a work in progress and if you think something is missing/incorrect then please raise it on our mailing list or forums or simply adjust the page if it is a minor correction.

Detailed road map with concrete issues and bug fixes is to be found in our jira

For the moment this roadmap is split up in three sections, "General", "Web 2.0" and "SOA" to group the functionality according to their main target audience. Even though they are split up in different sections it does not mean they do not overlap, e.g. JBoss AS, Project Archives and Hibernate will all be relevant for SOA even though they are in Web 2.0 and the same goes for jBPM and Drools which are also relevant for Web 2.0 even though they are in SOA. The division is merely to group these according to the focus of the teams that are primarily working on these. Collaboration will be needed

General

Java SDK: Java 6

Eclipse Target is Eclipse 3.6 (Helios)

IDE runtimes: Windows XP/Vista, Linux 32-bit, Linux 64-bit and Mac OS X 32-bit.  (Limted by what VPE can run on)

Targeted runtimes: dependent on each module, but should at least cover the same as Targeted/supported platforms.

Example of runtimes: hibernate, drools, jbpm, hornetq, teid, maven aka. the "independent" parts that the tooling can work without

having a full platform for editing configuration files, junit testing etc.

Targeted Platforms for new features: AS 5 and AS 6, EAP/SOA-P/EPP 5.x.

Additional supported platforms that shouldn't break: AS 3.x, AS 4, EAP/SOA-P/EPP 4.x

Phone Home - do a google analytics ping when Eclipse starts (tracks real  usage vs downloads and updatesite).

Configuration

JbtUpgradeTo3x should be filled in with the user visible changes in configuration/installation.[INCOMPLETE]

Support installation of Platforms vs runtimes from inside Eclipse, aka. point to an existing EAP and it should automatically configure

AS and Seam runtime, point to existing EPP and should be the same as EAP + Portal, point to existing SOA-P same as EAP + Drools, jbpm, etc.

Share the logic with the installer, maybe move it all to the plugins and make a welcome screen/dialog on new workspaces ? (how do we avoid being intrusive ?)

All users project and workspace metadata used in JBoss Tools 3.x should  be usable, but not necessarily backwards compatible.

Make all "runtime" plugins use the Configure menu for their enablement and where it is possible be compatible with Facets.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is focusing around Seam, Portal and related functionality. Note: This does not mean that the features depend on Seam, having a good experience in context of Seam is though the overall goal.

p.s. if anyone has a better name than Web 2.0 - please speak up

JBoss AS

[From last roadmap] many users have been having problems with deploying HAR, SAR, etc. archives in JBT. We should make that easier. Suggested solutions is to look into having a WTP module type for these and/or provide a way to control which suffix (.har,.sar,.esb vs. default .jar) will be used when deploying.

JBoss 6 should be a first class AS adapter.

Introduce grouping of servers to allow for grouped stop/start/deploy...

Make SCP/SSH option complete, considerations: start/stop server via ssh, invoke jmx to prevent deployment of partial deployments.

https://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-6119 - Runtime detection and installation from Installer should be available from within eclipse

Project Archives

Support "Make Deployable" on folders.

Hibernate

Support Hibernate 3.2,3.3 and 3.5.  [3.6 on hold until expected core API changes settles]

[Moved from last roadmap] Multi-Versioned Hibernate - currently we use the bundled Hibernate jars to load the users classes and execute the queries and code generation. Tying us to a very specific version of Hibernate, we should investigate launching as many of these functionalities in an external process.

Hibernate error reporting should not be done via the main Error log view

Integrate with Dali for Eclipse 3.6

Seam

Umbrella Wizard for Seam Web project [?]

Monitor Seam 3 development and see if there are changes needed. Probably espcially with respect to Seamgen.

CDI

Add CDI Validators and Quick Fixes for discovered errors [Needs prioritized list]

Visual Page Editor

Cover any missing JSF 2 features [needs to be identified]

[From old roadmap] Support CDATA

Recreate DnD feature. [INCOMPLETE] (Several DnD related issues should be fixed, like drop locations isn't marked during DnD under linux)

http://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-1304 - Docbook XML editor (please, look at comments)

http://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-1600 - Template Designer (we need at least documentation how to develop templates)

https://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-6131 - Page templates in Content assist

Add more templates of projects.[?]

Because: I think we should give more points to start to our users.

Ensure you can actually install Plugins even though VPE  xulrunner is not  supported (i.e. Windows 64 users should be able to use all functionallity such as code completion but not the Visual part by using optional dependencies and loading)

Split Richfaces/VPE features into subcomponents so we get a smaller dependency set for the remaining features.

JSF

Missing JSF 2 features. [need to identify]

https://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-5219 - JSF 2 Kick Start Project

https://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-5045 - Support JSF2 Annotated Managed Beans

https://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-5135 - Support Resources Localization and Versioning in JSF 2

https://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-5435 - JSF Resource identifier validator

Metawidget

JbtMetawidgetSupport [INCOMPLETE]

Portal

Ensure JBoss Portal and GateIn continues to work.

"SOA"

ESB

Changes to support HornetQ as default MQ runtime in ESB 4.9

WebServices

JAX-WS Web Services: Top Down, Bottom Up

JAX-RS: Bottom up

WS and Rest Testing

Possible tooling changes for CXF WS

Drools

Input needed

Guvnor

input needed

* Based on input from Jervis & Kris V, it looks like just fixes in this area, no new features

jBPM

Ensure jBPM 3 functionallity is stable/complete

Smooks

Direct Source to Target

WSDL/SOAP Source

ESB Service Routing

EDI Templating

BPEL

Rename or reuse BPEL editor ?

WSDL Editor for BPEL ?

Teiid

Integrate Teiid Designer (modeshape?) into JBoss Tools. Look at overlaps.

Integrate/unify deployment with WTP Server view/functionallity ?

Usability

Error messages, logging, defaults.

Public API

Provide public API for JBossTools features [Features list should be defined and prioritized]

Provide public Extension Points [List should be defined and pioritized]

Continuous build/Quality

unittests, pmd, coverage, publishing the results

Separate builds out for modules

Separate unit tests from integration tests

Use Tycho so both Hudson and developers are using the *same* methods

Make mvn drive the build vs Ant (use Maven ant integration where no other option)

Remove unused code and integrate UCDetector in build

Documentation

Context help for JBoss Tools - http://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBDS-264, http://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBIDE-1886