About RapidClipse

RapidClipse is a free Eclipse distribution for Rapid Cross Platform Development with Java. RapidClipse is Eclipse—however, it is pre-configured and enhanced with additional tools, and it has been optimized in several places in order to simplify professional application development using Java and Eclipse.

Note:

• Visual and rapid -  For RapidClipse, the terms of visual and rapid shall convey the idea that using RapidClipse for application development is easier and more comfortable than using Eclipse. However, this doesn’t mean that the options in RapidClipse or the size of the projects you can develop with it are limited. RapidClipse is a pre-configured Eclipse version that features additional plug-ins and frameworks, and as such, offers you all the features and options of the traditional Eclipse version. The tools and APIs contained in RapidClipse are meant to simplify your work but you don’t necessarily need to use them. You can replace them with other Java APIs or your own implementations at any time. So switching from RapidClipse to Eclipse doesn’t implicate a real change, but rather, simply means you are forgoing using the tools that RapidClipse offers.
• Unexpected complexity - RapidClipse makes getting started with Eclipse and developing applications in Java a lot easier—yet you should never forget: RapidClipse is Eclipse. Thanks to the large number of Eclipse plugins, tools and APIs used in RapidClipse as well as to the powerful Eclipse IDE itself, you have numerous configuration options to choose from. In practice, this can also cause some problems. Generally, these are not due to RapidClipse errors, but to incorrect configuration, which, once you have some experience in Eclipse, are easy to fix. Should such problems occur, you can ask for help in our free community forum or contact the RapidClipse support team. In our training courses, you’ll become familiar with Eclipse very quickly so that you can recognize the most common configuration issues immediately and fix them on your own.
• Upgrading from RapidClipse to Eclipse - You don’t have to worry whether it will be possible to upgrade to Eclipse later on. RapidClipse is Eclipse. Once you’ve decided not to use the RapidClipse tools any more, there won’t be any differences. Code that is generated by RapidClipse, behaves just like hand-written code, so you can continue using it even without the RapidClipse tools. Only the dependencies on the RapidClipse open source framework will remain, just as in any other Java Framework.  

All important plugins and frameworks are pre-installed

In RapidClipse all the important Eclipse plug-ins that you need for professional application development in Java are pre-installed, pre-configured and coordinated to work with each other. The usual Eclipse set-up and configuration effort is completely eliminated in RapidClipse. 

Additional tools & APIs 

The Eclipse plugins and frameworks used in RapidClipse are not just configured, but rather, are also optimized and enhanced with new tools developed specifically for RapidClipse and APIs that will make it easier and more comfortable for you to use. One example is the Hibernate import of the JBoss Hibernate tools, which was greatly improved in RapidClipse 

Maven

RapidClipse projects are based on Maven. At project start, Maven downloads all the Java libraries (JARs) required for the project start and all those subsequently added JARs automatically from the central Maven Repository (Maven Central) and automatically transmits all dependencies to the designated pom.xml configuration file, so that you don’t have to take that into consideration any longer.

HTML 5 interfaces

RapidClipse applications are always Java web applications that are characterized by a modern HTML5 interface.

RapidClipse Framework

In addition, RapidClipse Framework offers data binding between Vaadin and Hibernate, a complete architecture, and many important application infrastructure services, which are required in almost any modern business application. Thus, the application developer doesn’t have to grapple with complicated low-level programming and can concentrate on the business logic and the design of the UI.

Cross-platform development

With the RapidClipse deployment tools, each project can be deployed either as a web application, hybrid mobile app for Android and iOS, traditional Java Desktop Application (SWT, HTML) or cloud application. 

XDEV Cloud

RapidClipse offers an XDEV Cloud Integration, with which it is possible to execute any Java web application (.war) via 1-click cloud deployment in the cloud.

Jetstream.one - Java in-memory database

Jetstream is a Java In-Memory database, which will soon be available in RapidClipse. 

Most important RapidClipse components

• Eclipse Neon
• Java SE
• Java Persistence API (JPA)
• JBoss Hibernate Tools
• Git
• Maven
• Vaadin
• RapidClipse IDE Tools
• RapidClipse Framework
• XDEV Cloud 
• Jetstream.one - Java in-memory database (coming soon)

RapidClipse IDE Tools

• RapidClipse Vaadin GUI Builder 
• RapidClipse Hibernate Tools 
  • RapidClipse JPA-SQL Code Editor
  • Entity Editor
  • RapidClipse Hibernate Import Function
  • Sample database
• RapidClipse Cross-Platform Deployment Tools
• XDEV Cloud

Target group

RapidClipse is meant for:

• professional application developers who want to use Eclipse to develop sophisticated business applications based on Java as easily and quickly as possible.
• Java developers with little or no experience in JPA and Hibernate.
• 4GL (4th Generation Language) developers who want to switch from 4GL development environments to Java as quickly as possible to port important legacy applications to Java. 
• Java beginners who want to get productive results as soon as possible.
• GUI designers who create graphical interfaces via drag and drop or in a declarative way and who don’t want to grapple with Java code.

System requirements

To run RapidClipse and execute the developed applications, your system should meet the following requirements:

Development environment:

Hardware:

• RAM: 4-8 GB recommended
• Hard drive space: 1-5 GB SSD recommended
• Display resolution: 1024 x 768 - 1920 x 1080 recommended

Software:

• Windows 7, 8, 10
• Java Development Kit (JDK) Java Version 8 Update 121 or later
• You can set up a proxy by clicking on Window > Preferences > General > Network Connections

Internet:

• First time starting RapidClipse - Internet connection is required. If your connection is slow, loading the required dependencies can take quite a while.
• Existing RapidClipse project - Offline mode is possible, but has to be enabled under Window > Preferences > Maven > Offline.

Supported databases:

• Jetstream.one in-memory database (coming soon)
• Generic JDBC
• DB2 for z/OS
• DB2
• Derby
• Firebird
• H2
• HSQLDB
• Informix
• Ingres
• MaxDB
• MS SQL Server
• MySQL
• Oracle
• PostgreSQL
• SQLite
• Sybase ASA/ESA
• Other Hibernate dialects via JDBC

Target environment:

• Java Runtime Environment Version 8
• Web server
• Application server (of your choice, Servlet container is sufficient, e.g. Tomcat)

Most common sources of error

List of most common sources of error