Getting Started

This page will guide you through the features of TagSEA to get you started.

Download

Eclipse Update Site:
tagsea.sourceforge.net/update

Please Note: If you have an older version of TagSEA, you need to remove it before installing the latest version due to substantial API changes.

Visit our download page for steps and more info.

Opening the TagSEA View

Using Eclipse Quick Access
If you have Eclipse 3.3 or higher, type Control-3 to open the Quick Access feature. Then type TagSEA and select the TagSEA View.

Using Eclipse Menus
Select >Window >Show View. In the dialog that opens, select >Other and you will find the TagSEA View under a menu item of the same name.

Creating Tags

A. Directly in the code

Examples:

With a single tag:

//@tag chris

With two tags and a comment:

//@tag revisit api : Refactor this code.

With author and date metadata (provided by content assist):

//@tag bugfix -author="Del" -date="enCA:18/01/07" : the assist gets updated as you type.

With a hierarchical tag:

//@tag tagsea.bug.3.fix : performance fix.

The syntax is as follows:

@tag tagnames metadata : message.

where bold text is required.

Find out more about tagging code.

B. Tagging Resources

TagSEA allows you to tag any resource in your workspace. They are stored in an xml file in your workspace, rather than directly in the code.

Options for tagging resources:

• right-click on any resource in your workbench.
• right-click in any text editor, or on a text-editor's vertical ruler to display its context menu (provided that the editor is editing a file in the workspace). In the context menu, select Tags>Add Waypoint... to open up the waypoint edit dialog:

Find out more about tagging resources.

C. Tagging URLs

Click on the "Create URL Waypoint" button on the top right of the TagSEEA view.

D. Tasks and Breakpoints

TagSEA can automatically create waypoints based on your Eclipse tasks (e.g. TODO) and the breakpoints stored in your workspace.

TagSEA View

The TagSEA view is made up of two parts: (1) tags and (2) a filtered list of tagged locations.

Tags

The Tags pane shows a hierarchical or flat layout of all of the tags in your workspace or project. The number to the right of each tag represents the number of occurances of that tag. TagSEA also provides a way to visualize tags using a tag cloud. Select the "View Tags as Cloud" icon on the top right of the TagSEA view to access the tag cloud.

     

If you have any hierarchical tags (e.g. bug.fix), these will be displayed with a plus icon (+). By double clicking on these tags, you can navigate the hierarchy. A breadcrumb trail at the top of the tag cloud shows your location within the hierarchy.

Tagged Locations

This table provides details about each tagged location, including the message, location, author and date. If this information is not present, the fields are left blank. It's possible to edit some of these properties directly in the view by right clicking on an item in table and choosing "Properties".

At the bottom of this pane is a list of all of the tags on the selected location. These can be edited by selecting the "Edit" button on the right.

Find out more about the TagSEA view.

Create Presentations of Your Code (TagSEA Tours)

TagSEA Tours turns your Eclipse workbench into a presentation platform. Files, sourcecode, and waypoints can be organized and intermixed with special effects and animations so that you can present your work in a slideshow directly from your workspace. Tours requires Eclipse 3.3.

For more info, see the Tours page.

Tags for Software Engineering Activities in Eclipse (TagSEA)
is a research collaboration between the University of Victoria's Computer Human Interaction & Software Engineering Lab and the IBM Watson Research Centre.