Automating Eclipse tasks

Question

I'm currently looking for ways to automate some tasks in Eclipse.

For instance, let's say I have a couple of ant files that I'll want to run a couple of times per hour. Being able to assign a hot key to each one of them, so that I could easily run them without having to click, bring the context menu up and click again would bring joy into my life.

Other example would be build/run configurations. I have a couple of them on my project and I'd love to have a way of running each one of them with a different hot key configuration.

Moreover, the very nature of a project I'm currently working on involves a lot of experimentation and trying, so having to click and use my mouse a lot is definitely driving me insane. There are other similar things that I would like to get automated as well (for example, each time I do a commit I'd like to also run some command over my project's folder, etc).

Is there some tool for Eclipse(or outside it) that'll somehow allow me to automate these kinds of tasks? Would Vim for Eclipse help me anyhow?

After some years coding I feel like I have hit a stone wall. I came to the conclusion that I am losing way too much time with my mouse. Yes, I know that a lot of Eclipse actions have correspondent hot keys, but a lot of others don't. I want the ultimate solution !

Answer 1

There are several solutions:

1. Use a console. Consoles allow to remember the last commands (on Unix, you can even search). So instead of mouse-fu, it's Alt-TabUpReturn

2. There was Eclipse Monkey to script Eclipse. Not sure if it still works but it might.

3. On Sourceforge is Practical Macro. No documentation that I could find, though.

EclipseShell might also work, not sure.

• devoured elysium: If by remembering commands you mean something of the form "remember the last ant script that was run" that is pretty useless to me. The issue is not on running the same scripts over and over again but to run different ant files or different build/run configurations in a short timespan.
• Aaron Digulla: So? The console can remember thousands of commands. If you use Linux with Bash, install the bash completions and you even get auto-complete for public targets. And you can keep several consoles open. I usually have 20 or so open on two monitors.
• devoured elysium: There is something implicit in the original post that only after reading your answer I could understand. What I am looking is for a way to SCRIPT Eclipse commands.
• devoured elysium: I know I can use the Console. My question is, can I run the console from withing Eclipse, automating Eclipse commands?
• smilyface: You have provided many options but now (2022) nothing seems to be working! It would be actually great if we have something to automate those daily usual (same) tasks in eclipse

Answer 2

Update (Year 2022). Aaron has provided many options in his answer. It seems any of those are working. I am going to try the old ant builder.

https://www.vogella.com/tutorials/ApacheAnt/article.html