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Is there an easy way to get a list of the plugins from an old version of Eclipse into the latest version. I have my current version with all the plugins I want. Now I want to upgrade to the nice shiny and new version but I need to make sure all my current list of plugins work. I would prefer to have to hunt and peck to install plugins in the latest version. I would think there would be a file in the old installation I could just copy into the new installation and tell eclipse install all these plugins if compatible.

Thanks

Clutch
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3 Answers3

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If your old version is at least 3.7, then you can do this:

  • Use File -> Export -> Install -> Installed software items to file in your old installation to create a file containing the currently installed features.
  • Use File -> Import -> Install -> Software items from file in your new installation. Point it to the file from above and make sure to check "Install latest versions".
Bananeweizen
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    I'd up-vote this answer, except it's not the simplest way. You can use File > Import > Install > From Existing Installation, and skip the whole Export step. – E-Riz Jul 11 '12 at 19:53
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    @E-Riz: That will not allow upgrading them in the process, which is preferable when using a higher new Eclipse version. – Bananeweizen Jul 11 '12 at 19:58
  • Strange, I would have sworn that option was available in the Import from Existing Installation wizard, but you're right, it's not. Wonder why... – E-Riz Jul 11 '12 at 20:51
  • Any idea whether it's possible to run this from the command line? Seems like a nice thing to include in a back-up script. – Michael Scheper Apr 30 '13 at 07:42
  • @MichaelScheper: I'm not aware of a command line for that. It might exist, but this feature is so sparsely documented and advertised, that one would probably need to look at the code to verify command line support. – Bananeweizen Apr 30 '13 at 09:26
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    It seems Eclipse will only read the file if it has a .p2f extension, even though I didn't notice it suggesting an extension during the export stage. And thanks, @bananeweizen; if I find a way, I'll post about it here. – Michael Scheper May 01 '13 at 01:02
  • A word of warning: It seems this isn't good advice for inter-platform migrations. I set up Juno on a new Linux box, and imported software items from the Indigo installation on my Windows box at work. I've spent weeks dealing with all kinds of dependency conflict errors whenever I try to install any plugins, and some features just seem to be missing. (At first I thought they were Indigo/Juno differences, but most of the time, that hasn't been the case.) I'm just about to blow everything away and start with a clean installation, and then add what I need manually. – Michael Scheper May 30 '13 at 10:05
  • @Bananeweizen, a solution that can be used is to list all the plugins using File > Import > Install > From Existing Installation. And resinstall all the plugins one by one. It's longer but it's better to get a clean new installation. – Clemzd Jun 29 '15 at 09:32
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  • File -> Export -> Install -> Installed software items to file in your old installation to create a file containing the currently installed features.
  • File -> Import -> Install -> Software items from file in your new installation. Point it to the file from above and make sure to check "Install latest versions".

From your new eclipse you can also Use.

  • File -> Export -> Install -> Installed software from existing installation, and give it path of old eclipse installation folder it will give you options to select.

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Kumar Abhishek
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  • 2nd option: Works for me on Linux/Windows, but on MacOS, what path do I have to choose? – LPG Oct 09 '20 at 07:14
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There are two main issues with copying the old plugins to a new version of Eclipse.

  1. Which plugins to copy? A newer version of Eclipse will have newer versions of the same plugins as the old version.
  2. Does the plugin support the newer version of Eclipse?

Generally the simplest way to get the correct plugins is to use the Eclipse tools to get the plugins from their update sites. This ensures you have the correct / latest version that works with the version of Eclipse you are now using.

You can get the list of updates sites used from the old Eclipse by selecting Windows / Preferences / "Install/Update" / Available Software Sites. Select the update sites you want to keep, then click Export... You can then import them into the new Eclipse. Just beware update sites that are Eclipse version specific!

Zagrev
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