issue with 2 pc's using the same workspace

[DuceDuceExplorer]

One system was running 3.5 and the other system was 3.2 of eclipse and I could point both systems to the same workspace while having the eclipse IDE open on both systems. Granted the code wouldn't change dynamically, but you could right click on the given project and choose "refresh." This was working great and doing what i need to. Well I upgraded the one IDE on one system to 3.5 and now if the IDE is open on both systems i get the following error ""Workspace in use or cannot be created, choose a different one." Then i just close it on one system and open on the other, but thats kind of a pan in the ass. Anyone know why this happened? Is it just a setting somewhere I can change? or am i SOL?

[travishein]

i found the ".metadata" folder inside the eclipse workspace is usually internal and specific to one running instance of a given version at a time.

You can try to have two workspace folders, where then there will be two .metadata folders, and then you can import the projects from one workspace to be in the second workspace, but have the folders and files physically live in where they are in the first workspace.. the downside of this is you have to set up your workspace preferences again, but there is now that export and import settings feature I guess.

[DuceDuceExplorer]

yeah thats not what im looking for...it worked before so why won't it work now? it should still work the ONLY thing different is the IDE version change on the one system...

[travishein]

My theory on that is before when using a mixture of 3.2 and 3.5, that either the 'check if workspace is in use' locking mechanism was only added as of 3.5, or perhaps the mechanism that was used in 3.2 was different, so they somehow could coexist.

But I strongly recommend not sharing workspaces with more than one instance of eclipse running at the same time, there is so much not understood stuff about caches and workspace state inside that .metadata folder, it could end up where it gets in an unexpected state and its not fixable without torching the folder (like showing compile errors when there are not any). I'm still very 'black box' experience with this though.


What about, the "Window -> New Window" feature ? Where you open one eclipse workspace and then the new window launches a second complete application window, but using the same workspace and thus the same projects and workspace settings ?

[DuceDuceExplorer]

It worked before without any issues. If its such a bad idea how do companies host files on a server and have multiple users using the same workspace? its the same concept that I'm trying to do at home on a smaller scale, it worked fine before..window new window is not even remotely the same, or close to what im talking about....

[travishein]

I'm not sure how that would work, and I have never seen companies that would share workspaces across many instances of eclipse like that. I suspect if they did, they are very young in the evolution process of learning how to work with these tools and they wouldn't be doing that for much longer :)

I have always seen the model where a source code control system was used with eclipse, such as subversion, where each developer would check out a local copy of each module in the workspace and then collaboration would occur when they checked it back in, and the other developers updated their copies.

This source code management backed model also lends itself to
- allowing different things to be worked on at the same time - imagine trying to do something and having your module always broken failing to compile because someone else was in the middle of adding a new feature, but is not complete and has gone for lunch. You really only want to consume their changes after they have the functional unit coded and checked in to the source code management, and you would usually update your copy only if needed right away, or when you go to commit your work after you are done the current thing you are working on.

- portability, networked drives usually are tied to the LAN. in that if you worked on a notebook, you couldn't just up and go home without having some kind of VPN. and even then performance would be unbearable.

- the version control gives you the ability to track special points in time, such as when its time for a major release, you can tag everything as a point to reference it later, or create a branch if you need to maintain a separate code stream.

So, i would consider getting subversion set up, then the "subclipse" plugin for eclipse, and use it as the repository. At first its a bit of culture shock, having to to check out code to one system, edit it, check it back in, then when going to the other system, remembering to have to check it out again. - but it is definately the way to go I think.

[DuceDuceExplorer]

I've worked with subversion before in a job setting. Administered a bunch of servers running it in fact. That's WAY overkill for what I am doing or what I want to accomplish. I hate how you act like you know everything its annoying, and not helping at all. If I had posted "hey i need version control software" that would be a great response, but I didn't. now i know why i haven't logged into this forum in like 2 years....

[travishein]

*shrugs*,

Well, I was just trying to help. Let me know how you make out.

[Fubarable]

I've worked with subversion before in a job setting. Administered a bunch of servers running it in fact. That's WAY overkill for what I am doing or what I want to accomplish. I hate how you act like you know everything its annoying, and not helping at all. If I had posted "hey i need version control software" that would be a great response, but I didn't. now i know why i haven't logged into this forum in like 2 years....

Nice way to thank someone who has taken the time to consider your problem. I'm sure this response will help to motivate others to help you in the future.