How to Customize Windchill 13 - Part 1: Configuring Eclipse IDE

This guide will walk you through getting Eclipse IDE setup with Windchill.  This allows you to easily make customizations to Windchill in a streamlined fashion.

Install Eclipse IDE

Reference case from PTC: 

• https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS63697

Latest Windchill Customization Guide as of this article's writing: 

• ​https://www.ptc.com/support/-/media/support/refdocs/Windchill_PDMLink/13,-d-,0/WindchillCustomizationGuide_13_0_1_0.pdf?sc_lang=en​

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1. Go to https://www.eclipse.org.
   1. Click Download in the upper right corner.
2. Click Download x86_64 in the "Install your favorite desktop IDE packages" box.
3. Click Download and save the file to your computer.
4. Run the installer file.
5. I want to work with JavaScript as well so I will select Eclipse IDE for Enterprise Java and Web Developers.
6. It should pick up the JDK we installed for Windchill.  Try manually browsing to it if it didn't work for you.
   1. I am going to change the Installation Folder to be on the E drive just to make things simpler.
   2. Click Install.
7. Accept the User Agreement.
8. Click Launch.

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Create Workspace Directory and Install FileSync Plugin

1. The first time you start Eclipse, you are asked to define your working directory.
   1. I am going to leave it as is for now since we will change it later on.
   2. Click Launch.
2. I will leave it up to you for the exclusion check.  I am going to exclude it from scanning because I feel comfortable with what I am doing.
   1. Click Proceed.
3. Open a Windchill Shell and run the following command:
   1. ant -f bin/tools.xml eclipse_project.help
   2. The command creates a directory (E:\ptc\Windchill\Windchill\src_gen) as well as gives you the steps to follow for the rest of the configuration.  I am going to show you another route for the plugin install.
4. In Eclipse, go to Help -> Eclipse Marketplace...
5. Search for FileSync.
   1. Click Install.
6. Accept the agreement and click Finish.
7. Click Select All to select all authorities.  Then click Trust Selected.
8. Click Select All to select the Unsigned content.  Then click Trust Selected.
9. Click No and Exit Eclipse.
10. Open a Windchill Shell and run the following command:
    1. ant -f bin/tools.xml eclipse_project
11. You should quickly seed a Build Successful message.
12. Open Eclipse.
    1. Browse to the workspace created by the Windchill command.
       1. In my case: E:\ptc\Windchill\eclipse.
    2. You can select to use this as the default to reduce button clicks.  This is not necessary.
    3. Click Launch.

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Enable Windchill (MethodServer) Debugging Inside Eclipse

1. Open site.xconf in a Notepad++.
   1. Add the below lines at the end of the file right before the </configuration> closing tag.
      1. Make sure to replace pdmlink with your hostname.
   2. Run xconfmanager -p in a Windchill Shell.
   3. Restart Windchill.
2. In Eclipse, go to Run -> Debug Configurations...
3. Expand Remote Java Application -> Click on MethodServer.
   1. Change the Host to be what you typed in for the hostname in the properties.
   2. Click Apply to save.
4. Right click on Remote Java Application and click New Configuration.
5. Set the Name to be BackgroundMethodServer.
   1. Change the Host to the same as before.
   2. Set the port to be 9001.
   3. Click Apply to save.
6. Close the Debug Configurations window and make sure you have the default project showing in Project Explorer.
   1. If you don't have the default project loaded, go to File -> Open Projects from File System.
7. Click Directory and browse to the E:\ptc\Windchill\eclipse\cust_Windchill_src folder.
   1. You will see mine has already been imported so it is giving me an error.  If yours wasn't already imported, you should be able to click Finish.
8. The Project Explorer pane should open by default.  If it doesn't, open it via Window -> Show View -> Project Explorer.
9. Go to Window -> Show View -> Other.
10. Expand Debug and select Debug.  Click Open.
11. The Debug pane should now be visible too.
12. Test the Debug connections by going to Run -> Debug Configurations...
13. Go to each of the Method Servers under Remote Java Application and click the Debug button.
14. If everything was successful, you should see both Method Servers listed under the Debug tab.

Note: You might have to open ports 9000 and 9001 on your server depending on your network and server configuration.

Windchill Eclipse Debugging Properties

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Next Steps

There you go.  Get coding!  Bye!

...

​Just kidding.  I will show you how to actually do stuff in Part 2.