Eclipse Remote Development

Introduction

This HOWTO explains how to setup Eclipse for development and debugging on remote servers or virtual machines.

This functionality exists with PyCharm professional, I was looking for ability to use a virtual machine for Python development with Eclipse, rather than force everything through muiltple virtualenv’s on my Macbook and Linux desktop.

Although well hidden one of the prebuilt Eclipse packages provides the functionality to do this, but only for C/C++, so after installing the required package, you will have to add the Eclipse plugin(s) to handle your desired language and SCM.

Eclipse recently renamed the PDT package so you should use (1) rather than (2), I am currently using (2).

1. Eclipse IDE for Scientific Computing

2. Eclipse for Parallel Application Developers

I suggest you search with Eclipse Marketplace for your plugin, only download and manually install if all else fails.

Color Themes

Eclipse, default color theme kinda sucks unless want to stare at a large white screen all day long! :-D I would strong suggest you install either of:

1. DevStyle

2. Eclipse Color Themes

If you recently switched to macOS Mojave and are using Dark mode, use DevStyle, otherwise choose a color theme that works best for you, but note some eclipse plugins don’t work well with certain color themes and the color theme only applies to the editor tabs (unlike DevStyle).

Language Plugin

Now unless you are fortunate and plan to use C/C++ you’ll need to install your desired language and SCM plugins.

• PyDev - Python IDE for Eclipse

• EPIC Eclipse Perl Integration

• PHP Development Tools

• Ruby DLTK

• Node.JS Nodeclipse

• Eclipse Java Development Tools

• EGit - Git Integration for Eclipse

• Subversive - SVN Team Provider

• SSH Agent Integration for Eclipse

Synchronized projects

After installing Eclipse and your required plugins, now let’s create and setup your synchonized project.

Create your synchronized project

Assuming your project already exists on github

$ cd <workspace>
$ git clone <git-url> # git@github.com:<git-user>/<project>.git
$ cd <project>
$ git checkout -b twig-branch

<workspace>:
$HOME/workspace # default     # Linux
$HOME/eclipse-workspace       # macOS, if Eclipse was installed using _brew_
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\workspace # Windows

Now we need to convert this to a synchronized project, so

Eclipse

File -> New -> Other -> Synchronized Project

Eclipse

Enter project and select new or existing connection name

Eclipse

Enter connection (brief) details

Eclipse

Enter connection (full) details

Manage your synchronized project

Eclipse

<project> - right mouse click

Eclipse

Manage connections dialogue

Now updates in Eclipse should be automatically synchronized to the remote server in the specified top level directory.

I prefer to work in a remote terminal outside of Eclipse, but it should be able to configure the Eclispe run-time to execute everything on the remote host, but that is left as an exercise for the reader