V. Plug-in-specific graphics

Along with the options described above, you can also use any graphic you want from the local image storage location of another plug-in, or store it in your own plug-in. In these cases the plug-in is itself an image provider. This procedure may be useful if you need additional icons for your application, which are not available in the standard Eclipse or SAP icon sets. You may also want to display larger graphics in a UI area of your plug-in (for example, on a canvas). To implement this local access, simply call the getImageFromIconsDirectory() method from the utility class SapIdeUtilImages.

public static Image getImageFromIconsDirectory(String pluginId, String filePath)
	If you specify a plug-in ID and the name of the graphic file you want, this method returns an SWT image. However, this only works if the graphic file is stored in the icons folder of the addressed plug-in (that is, the image provider).

Situation A: Using graphics from your own plug-ins

Procedure

1. Import the graphics into the icons folder or a subfolder

The icons plug-in folder is used as a local storage location for icons.

After you have created your graphics (either graphic files or icons) as .gif files, import them into the icons folder, or in a suborder that you have created for the purpose, such as icons/xyz.

If you use your icons to represent actions in toolbars or similar, note that you should save them as 16 x 16 pixel files in the .gif format. You should also make sure that your design is consistent.

2. Get the image instance

If you have stored your graphics in the icons plug-in folder, you need only specify the plug-in ID and the name of the file you want as parameters when you call the getImageFromIconsDirectory() method.

Image myImage = SapIdeUtilImages.getImageFromIconsDirectory("plugin ID","my_icon.gif"));

If on the other hand, your graphic files are stored in a subfolder – such as icons/xyz – the parameter is made up of a combination of this sub-folder and the file name (where the file name is separated from the subfolder name using a forward slash (/).

Image myImage = SapIdeUtilImages.getImageFromIconsDirectory("plugin ID","xyz/my_icon.gif");

Situation B: Using graphics from another plug-in

We will now show you how to use any plug-in you want as an image provider, using icons form the Java Development Tooling plug-in (JDT), which are a part of the JDT Image Registry.

Prerequisites

Note that, in general, you can only access graphic resources if the relevant plug-in providing the image is also loaded at the runtime of the user plug-in. This is why you must enter the provider plug-in as a Required Plug-In in the plugin.xml file.

Procedure

1. Add dependencies

Add the image provider plug-in ( org.eclipse.jdt.ui in our example) to the plugin.xml file as a Required plug-in. Then verify this project dependency by calling the Update Classpath … function in the Packages view. Finally you need only import the plug-in class (JavaPlugin in our example).

2. Identify the graphics you want to use

All plug-in-specific graphic files are stored in the icons plug-in folder.

3. Get the image instance

Simply call the method getImageFromIconsDirectory(), as you would when accessing local graphic resources in your own plug-in.

Example

The following lines of code display three icons from the JDT plug-in as elements in a toolbar.

myToolbar.addToolBarButton(SapIdeUtilImages.getImageFromIconsDirectory(

"org.eclipse.jdt.ui" ,"full/ctool16/java_app.gif"));

myToolbar.addToolBarButton(SapIdeUtilImages.getImageFromIconsDirectory(

"org.eclipse.jdt.ui", "full/ctool16/newsbook_wiz.gif"));

myToolbar.addToolBarButton(SapIdeUtilImages.getImageFromIconsDirectory(

"org.eclipse.jdt.ui", "full/ctool16/run_sbook.gif"));