Summary

How to attach the free, open-source Eclipse IDE Debugger to an InstallAnywhere installer/uninstaller, primarily for troubleshooting Custom Code.

Synopsis

The Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is free, open-source software, which supports developing Java-based applications. This article describes how to attach the free, open-source Eclipse IDE Debugger to an InstallAnywhere installer/uninstaller, primarily for troubleshooting Custom Code.

NOTE: Eclipse 3.7.2 was used as the basis for the steps in Eclipse, but the steps should be similar for other Eclipse versions.

Discussion

Attaching Eclipse Debugger to Installer Built With InstallAnywhere

Follow these steps to attach the Eclipse Debugger to an installer built with InstallAnywhere:

1. Open the Eclipse IDE.
   
   
2. Select the Run > Debug Configurations menu option.
   
   
3. Right click the Remote Java Application icon on the lefthand menu.
   
   
4. Select the New context-menu option.
   
   
5. In the Project field, point to the Eclipse Project containing the Custom Code included in the installer that will be run for debugging purposes.
   
   
6. Make sure that the Connection Type > Standard (Socket attach) dropdown menu option is selected.
   
   
7. For the Host field, if you're running the installer locally on the machine, make sure that the value is the following value:
   
   localhost
   
   Otherwise, the Host field should contain the IP address of the host machine on which the installer will be running.
   
   
8. For the Port field, make sure that the value is for an open port that matches the address parameter value passed in Step 12, below, which would be the following value, for this example:
   
   5005
   
   As long as the port is open and the Port field value in the Eclipse IDE and the address parameter value specified in the InstallAnywhere project match, this value is otherwise arbitrary.
   
   
9. Click the Apply button to save the changes.
   
   
10. Open the project in InstallAnywhere IDE running in the Advanced Designer Mode.
    
    
11. Navigate to the Project > JVM Settings > Installer Settings > Optional Installer Arguments Section.
    
    
12. Set the following value in the Additional Arguments field:
    
    -Xdebug -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=y,address=5005
    
    
13. Build the project.
    
    
14. Run the installer.
    
    
15. Click the Debug button in the Eclipse IDE for the Remote Java Application Debug Configuration, configured in Steps 5-8.

Attaching Eclipse Debugger to Uninstaller Built With InstallAnywhere

Follow these steps to attach the Eclipse Debugger to an uninstaller built with InstallAnywhere:

1. Open the Eclipse IDE.
   
   
2. Select the Run > Debug Configurations menu option.
   
   
3. Right click the Remote Java Application icon on the lefthand menu.
   
   
4. Select the New context-menu option.
   
   
5. In the Project field, point to the Eclipse Project containing the Custom Code included in the installer that will be run for debugging purposes.
   
   
6. Make sure that the Connection Type > Standard (Socket attach) dropdown menu option is selected.
   
   
7. For the Host field, if you're running the installer locally on the machine, make sure that the value is the following value:
   
   localhost
   
   Otherwise, the Host field should contain the IP address of the host machine on which the installer will be running.
   
   
8. For the Port field, make sure that the value is for an open port that matches the address parameter value passed in Step 16, below, which would be the following value, for this example:
   
   5005
   
   As long as the port is open and the Port field value in the Eclipse IDE and the address parameter value specified in the InstallAnywhere project match, this value is otherwise arbitrary.
   
   
9. Click the Apply button to save the changes.
   
   
10. Open the project in InstallAnywhere IDE running in the Advanced Designer Mode.
    
    
11. Navigate to the Install Task/View, where all of the Install Actions and Panels are defined.
    
    
12. Expand the User Installation Directory node with the $USER_INSTALL_DIR$ icon.
    
    
13. Expand the Uninstaller Directory node with the _$PRODUCT_NAME$_installation name, by default.
    
    
14. Select the Properties View of the Create Uninstaller Action icon with the Change $PRODUCT_NAME$ name, by default.
    
    
15. Click the Edit Properties button.
    
    
16. Set the following property and property value in the popup dialog:
    
    lax.nl.java.option.additional=-Xdebug -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=y,address=5005
    
    
17. Build the project.
    
    
18. Run the installer.
    
    
19. Run the uninstaller.
    
    
20. Click the Debug button in the Eclipse IDE for the Remote Java Application Debug Configuration, configured in Steps 5-8.

Additional Information

The free, open-source Eclipse IDE is developed by the Eclipse open-source community, whose projects are focused on building an open- development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software across the lifecycle. The Eclipse Foundation is a not-for-profit, member supported corporation that hosts the Eclipse projects and helps cultivate both an open-source community and an ecosystem of complementary products and services.

• Click here for more information.
• Click here to download the Eclipse IDE. Eclipse Classic should suffice for the general case.