Slim down and/or understand the Eclipse files in a Dynamic Web Project

Question

The files residing in .settings in a Dynamic Web Project are:

.settings/
|-- org.eclipse.jdt.core.prefs
|-- org.eclipse.jst.common.project.facet.core.prefs
|-- org.eclipse.jst.j2ee.ejb.annotations.xdoclet.prefs
|-- org.eclipse.wst.common.component
|-- org.eclipse.wst.common.project.facet.core.xml
|-- org.eclipse.wst.jsdt.ui.superType.container
|-- org.eclipse.wst.jsdt.ui.superType.name
`-- org.eclipse.wst.validation.prefs

The above file list is pretty much a clean new Dynamic Web Project, except that I'm using the IvyDE plug in, but I think it only affects the .classpath file.

How do I learn more about these files? I'm wondering if I can get rid of any of them without loosing something important? Finding this information at Eclipse.org was not very easy, a link or an explanation would be very welcome.

I'm trying to learn more about these files as I want to slim down the Eclipse files as much as possible before I check them into version control.

In case it helps I list the above files and their contents:

org.eclipse.jdt.core.prefs:

#Mon Jan 26 03:01:22 CET 2009
eclipse.preferences.version=1
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.codegen.targetPlatform=1.5
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.compliance=1.5
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.assertIdentifier=error
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.enumIdentifier=error
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.source=1.5

org.eclipse.jst.common.project.facet.core.prefs:

#Mon Jan 26 03:01:22 CET 2009
classpath.helper/org.eclipse.jdt.launching.JRE_CONTAINER\:\:org.eclipse.jdt.internal.debug.ui.launcher.StandardVMType\:\:java-6-sun-1.6.0.07/owners=jst.java\:5.0
eclipse.preferences.version=1

org.eclipse.jst.j2ee.ejb.annotations.xdoclet.prefs:

#Mon Jan 26 03:23:25 CET 2009
XDOCLETBUILDERACTIVE=false
XDOCLETHOME=
XDOCLETUSEGLOBAL=false
XDOCLETVERSION=1.2.1
eclipse.preferences.version=1

org.eclipse.wst.common.component:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project-modules id="moduleCoreId" project-version="1.5.0">
    <wb-module deploy-name="webcookie">
        <wb-resource deploy-path="/" source-path="/src/main/webapp"/>
        <wb-resource deploy-path="/WEB-INF/classes" source-path="/src/main/java"/>
        <wb-resource deploy-path="/WEB-INF/classes" source-path="/src/test/java"/>
        <wb-resource deploy-path="/WEB-INF/classes" source-path="/src/main/resources"/>
        <property name="context-root" value="webcookie"/>
        <property name="java-output-path"/>
    </wb-module>
</project-modules>

org.eclipse.wst.common.project.facet.core.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<faceted-project>
  <fixed facet="jst.java"/>
  <fixed facet="jst.web"/>
  <installed facet="jst.java" version="5.0"/>
  <installed facet="jst.web" version="2.5"/>
</faceted-project>

org.eclipse.wst.jsdt.ui.superType.container:

org.eclipse.wst.jsdt.l

org.eclipse.jdt.core.prefs:

#Mon Jan 26 03:01:22 CET 2009
eclipse.preferences.version=1
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.codegen.targetPlatform=1.5
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.compliance=1.5
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.assertIdentifier=error
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.enumIdentifier=error
org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.source=1.5

org.eclipse.jst.common.project.facet.core.prefs:

#Mon Jan 26 03:01:22 CET 2009
classpath.helper/org.eclipse.jdt.launching.JRE_CONTAINER\:\:org.eclipse.jdt.internal.debug.ui.launcher.StandardVMType\:\:java-6-sun-1.6.0.07/owners=jst.java\:5.0
eclipse.preferences.version=1

org.eclipse.jst.j2ee.ejb.annotations.xdoclet.prefs:

#Mon Jan 26 03:23:25 CET 2009
XDOCLETBUILDERACTIVE=false
XDOCLETHOME=
XDOCLETUSEGLOBAL=false
XDOCLETVERSION=1.2.1
eclipse.preferences.version=1

org.eclipse.wst.common.component:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project-modules id="moduleCoreId" project-version="1.5.0">
    <wb-module deploy-name="webcookie">
        <wb-resource deploy-path="/" source-path="/src/main/webapp"/>
        <wb-resource deploy-path="/WEB-INF/classes" source-path="/src/main/java"/>
        <wb-resource deploy-path="/WEB-INF/classes" source-path="/src/test/java"/>
        <wb-resource deploy-path="/WEB-INF/classes" source-path="/src/main/resources"/>
        <property name="context-root" value="webcookie"/>
        <property name="java-output-path"/>
    </wb-module>
</project-modules>

org.eclipse.wst.common.project.facet.core.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<faceted-project>
  <fixed facet="jst.java"/>
  <fixed facet="jst.web"/>
  <installed facet="jst.java" version="5.0"/>
  <installed facet="jst.web" version="2.5"/>
</faceted-project>

org.eclipse.wst.jsdt.ui.superType.container:

org.eclipse.wst.jsdt.launching.baseBrowserLibrary

org.eclipse.wst.jsdt.ui.superType.name:

Window

org.eclipse.wst.validation.prefs:

#Mon Jan 26 03:31:54 CET 2009
DELEGATES_PREFERENCE=delegateValidatorList
USER_BUILD_PREFERENCE=enabledBuildValidatorListorg.eclipse.jst.j2ee.internal.classpathdep.ClasspathDependencyValidator;org.eclipse.wst.common.componentcore.internal.ModuleCoreValidator;org.eclipse.wst.wsi.ui.internal.WSIMessageValidator;
USER_MANUAL_PREFERENCE=enaunching.baseBrowserLibrary

org.eclipse.wst.jsdt.ui.superType.name:

Window

org.eclipse.wst.validation.prefs:

#Mon Jan 26 03:31:54 CET 2009
DELEGATES_PREFERENCE=delegateValidatorList
USER_BUILD_PREFERENCE=enabledBuildValidatorListorg.eclipse.jst.j2ee.internal.classpathdep.ClasspathDependencyValidator;org.eclipse.wst.common.componentcore.internal.ModuleCoreValidator;org.eclipse.wst.wsi.ui.internal.WSIMessageValidator;
USER_MANUAL_PREFERENCE=enabledManualValidatorListorg.eclipse.jst.j2ee.internal.classpathdep.ClasspathDependencyValidator;org.eclipse.wst.common.componentcore.internal.ModuleCoreValidator;org.eclipse.wst.wsi.ui.internal.WSIMessageValidator;
USER_PREFERENCE=overrideGlobalPreferencesfalse
eclipse.preferences.version=1
override=false
suspend=false
vf.version=3

Answer 1

You should use and trust the "Dependencies" tab in the MANIFEST.MF. After working about a year with Eclipse plugins only i would not try to find out which eclipse plugin dependency is necessary or not.

When you miss a plugin which is needed at runtime, you get exceptions which are not very useful and solutions are not obvious.

The MANIFEST actions "Find unused dependencies" should selected every time you refactor your code. It also helps to check the classes, eclipse will create, when you generate complete new plugin from scratch. The eclipse plugins are not good documented, so i would use the actions which are offered and dont spend so many times to understand them all.

If you realy want to find out which plugins are used, when you create a plugin from scratch, you can delete some extend declarations or variables and press the "Find unused dependencies" action to see, which plugin is for a call.