Editing Basic Extension Information and Requirements

The Overview tab allows you to specify several of the Isight extension’s basic properties (such as name, version number, associated icon, etc.), to determine release-based dependencies when using the extension in Isight or with the SIMULIA Execution Engine, and to define any external programs or libraries that are necessary for the extension to function properly.

  1. Click the Overview tab on the right side of the Isight Developer Perspective.

  2. In the Basic Properties area, specify general information for the extension using the following settings:

    Option Description
    Name Specify the full name for this extension (for example, com.simulia.component.Calculator). By default, this setting uses the name and package defined when the extension’s project was created, but you can change this name if desired.
    Version

    Specify the version number for the extension. This number is specific to the extension, and it does not have to be related to any Isight or SIMULIA Execution Engine release number.

    For a new extension, 1.0.0 is the most appropriate version number.
    Display Name

    Specify the name of the extension as shown to the user (for example, “Calculator”).

    This setting does not have to be the same as the Name setting that was specified when the extension’s project was created, but it typically corresponds to this setting in some way.
    Description Specify a text description of the extension.
    Icon

    Use the list to select any icon image that has already been loaded into Eclipse, or click to select a new image file. The use of this image varies based on the type of extension being created. For example, if you are creating a component, this icon is used on the Design Gateway and Runtime Gateway to represent the component in a simulation process flow.

  3. Specify any requirements for the extension.

    1. If necessary, click the Requirements label to display the corresponding options.
    2. Use the three lists to specify the release number of Isight or the SIMULIA Execution Engine that is required to use the extension.

      If you are working with Isight 4.5 or earlier, do one of the following:

      • Manually configure the appropriate Isight and Java libraries in the build path and specify the proper compiler compliance level.
      • Specify the Isight 3.5/4.0 path in Windows > Preferences > SIMULIA and copy the templates folder from the Isight 2017 installation to the specified Isight SDK folder.

    3. Determine if the extension can also be used with all releases of Isight that come after the specified release number by clicking . This option is activated by default, which means that you will not have to provide a new version of the extension with every release of Isight.
    4. Specify the Java class loading behavior you want the extension to use:

      Use shared class loader Select this option if the extension has a shared loader reference and you want the referenced .jar file loaded using the single system-wide shared class loader. In general, this option should be used only for Java library files that load native (non-Java) code. This option is the default setting. For more information, see Referenced Files.
      Search class loader jars first Select this option if you want the extension to use a library that is newer than the one used by Isight or the SIMULIA Execution Engine. In general, this option is the “opposite” of the Use shared class loader option.

      Important: To use these options successfully, you must understand the nature of a Java class loader, how they work, the risks associated with using them incorrectly, and exactly what problem the class loader is attempting to solve.

  4. Specify any references for the extension. References are files that are referenced from this extension such as external programs or libraries.

    1. If necessary, click the References label to display the corresponding options.
    2. Click Add to add a new element to the list of references. For more information on the type of elements that can be defined with this option, see Referenced Files.
    3. Edit any existing or newly added element references in the list of references. You can specify the following details:

      Name Alter the name of the reference element. When an element is first added, it is given a default name.
      Type Specify the resource element that the extension requires:
      • metamodel. The referenced file is a MetaModel (Java .jar file with a MetaModel XML file).
      • jar. The referenced file is a Java .jar file containing Java code.
      • library. The referenced file is a native code library (non-Java code).
      • program. The referenced file is a native executable program (non-Java code).
      • data. The referenced file is a component-specific arbitrary data file. The component may read the content of this file but cannot update it.
      ID Specify any valid string value that the component can use to locate this referenced file. This string can be used in conjunction with the MetaModel.getReference() method, which allows the component to discover the physical location of the deployed file.
      Library Name Defines the name that is used in a System.loadLibrary() call to load this native code library into the JVM process. This setting is used only if the reference is specified as type library. You should not specify a file extension. The file extension (which is system-dependent) will be defined when the file is published to the library.
      Platforms Specify a comma-delimited list of platforms that are supported by this reference. If the extension is loaded on a platform that is not specified, this reference will be ignored. For supported platforms information, see Platform Information.
      Version Specify the version of the referenced file as published in the library. You can use wildcards to select the latest version (for example, 2.*.* will select the latest version that has 2 as the major version).

    4. Select Use shared class loader if the extension has a shared loader reference and you want the referenced .jar file loaded using the single system-wide shared class loader. In general, this option should be used only for Java library files that load native (non-Java) code. This option is the default setting. For more information, see Referenced Files.

  5. Click to save your changes to the extension.