HOW TO

Install the Esri ArcObjects Visual Bean palette in Eclipse

Last Published: April 25, 2020

Summary

ArcObjects developers who use the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE) do not have drag-and-drop capabilities due to a known limitation in installing the ArcObjects palette as an Eclipse plug-in.

The Eclipse Visual Editor plug-in, which is a required dependency for the ArcObjects palette, has been deprecated. As a result, developers are not able to install the visual palette when installing the ArcObjects SDK plug-in in Eclipse.

Screenshot of error message when installing Visual Editor in Eclipse

[O-Image] VE install Error

Procedure

The ArcObjects SDK system requirements page advises developers to install Visual Editor prior to installing the SDK plug-in. However, this is only valid for older Eclipse versions as the Eclipse Visual Editor project is deprecated. The ArcObjects palette can be installed using the WindowBuilder plug-in.

1. Some versions of Eclipse are pre-installed with WindowBuilder. For versions without WindowBuilder, please follow the steps below to install it as a plug-in. In Eclipse, perform either of the two sub-steps:

a. Go to Help > Eclipse Marketplace, and type 'WindowBuilder' in the search bar. Click 'Learn More' to open 'WindowBuilder Pro GUI Designer' in Eclipse. Look for the download symbol
[O-Image]
in the top-right corner and click the symbol. Copy the URL shown, and set up an update site. Check the appropriate box to select the necessary plug-in(s) from the list of options presented. Proceed by installing the Eclipse plug-in.

b. Follow the steps for installing the new Eclipse plug-in and use the following URL in the 'location' field. Give the update site a name.

Screen shot of windowbuilder installation in eclipse

[O-Image]

2. Select the preferred options.

Note:
It is recommended that all options be selected and installed. In some cases, a failure to install some of these option(s) results in WindowBuilder becoming inactive in Eclipse.


[O-Image]

3. Start a new ArcObjects project (preferably a Basic Viewer). Right-click the BasicViewer.java file in the Project Explorer window and select Open With > WindowBuilder Editor.
[O-Image]

Installing the ArcObjects Visual Beans Palette in Eclipse
1. Activate the design view of the project and right-click the palette. Select the Import Jar option.
[O-Image]

2. Navigate to and select the 'arcobjects.jar' package. This is located in the respective folders in the Engine installation path or the Desktop installation path.
[O-Image]

3. Select the preferred Visual Bean classes (or select all) and give the classes suitable names after selecting "<New Category>" in the Category drop-down list. After clicking OK, the palette is installed and all visual components are accessible.

Eclipse visual palette with ArcObjects visual beans

[O-Image]

Article ID:000012030

Software:
  • ArcObjects SDK for the Java Platform

Receive notifications and find solutions for new or common issues

Get summarized answers and video solutions from our new AI chatbot.

Download the Esri Support App

Related Information

Discover more on this topic

Get help from ArcGIS experts

Contact technical support

Download the Esri Support App

Go to download options