[Eclipse] How can I launch different workspaces with different sets of plugins?

Question

When using different workspaces for different SDKs, e.g. Appengine, Android & basic Java development, how can I make sure, only the required plugins are loaded when launching the desired workspace?

Answer 1

I don't think plugins are a function of your workspace. You'd probably need to have separate Eclipse installations. Or, there's a way to do a "shared" install, whereby the binary is in one place and the plugins are in another. That must mean that there's a startup parameter to tell it where to find plugins. Perhaps you could leverage that?

Answer 2

The trick is to specify a different configuration folder. Use the -configuration argument when launching Eclipse.

By default, you get something like this:

eclipse/
   plugins/
   features/
   configuration/

By specifying a separate configuration folder, all those 4 folders will move to a new location. I usually use a folder called configs and add several numbered folders under it. So, I get something like:

eclipse/
   plugins/
   features/
   configs/
      c1/
         plugins/
         features/
         configuration/
      c2/
         plugins/
         features/
         configuration/

To do that, use the argument -configuration configs/c1/configuration. When running a given instance and installing plugins, they will be installed in the relevant location.

You can also add -data argument and specify the workspace folder location, or select it when Eclipse launches.