Eclipse Helios has a few nice new features for applying patches. In this post I would like to point some of the out
Apply Patch using URL
The Apply Patch wizard now accepts URLs. This is great when you a working with open source projects where patches are frequently added as attachment to bug reports. Previousely, I had to download the patch, find it again (which is difficult when all patches are named patch, and therefore end up being downloaded as patch, patch (1), patch (2), ... ), an then apply. Now I just click on "copy link" and it is automagically pasted into the apply-patch box. Nice one!
Apply Patch in Synchronize View
Even nicer is applying patches in synchronize view - the option is, however, hidden:
- Switch to the synchronized perspective
- In the synchronize view, click on the arrow next to the synchronize icon (the first one from the left
- Select synchronize...
Now you can finally partially apply patches! What makes this feature even better is that it also accepts URLs, so it can be directly used with patches attached to bug reports!
And to bring this all together, there is now the
Apply patch in Synchronize view preference
Hidden in the preferences under "Team", you can check "Apply patch in Synchronize view" to always get this behavior. Now this is one of the most useful settings - unfortunately it is off by default.
