How to Manually Share an Eclipse Project with Subclipse

If you’re an Eclipse user working with Subversion (SVN), you may have encountered issues while trying to share an externally checked out project using Subclipse. This perplexing situation can be frustrating, especially when all the necessary .svn folders are already in place. If attempting to share the project the conventional way leads to an error, you might find yourself looking for alternative solutions to avoid deleting and re-checking out your projects from the SVN repository. Fortunately, there’s a straightforward workaround that can help resolve your issue without the hassle of starting over.

Understanding the Issue

When you try to share a project in Eclipse with Subclipse, the program performs several internal operations that likely involve adjusting settings in its .metadata directory. If all your .svn folders are present yet the sharing process fails, it usually indicates that Eclipse is not recognizing the SVN settings associated with your project. Here’s how you can effectively address this issue.

A Step-by-Step Solution

Instead of going through the lengthy process of re-checking out projects from the SVN repository, you can manually adjust the project settings. Follow the steps outlined below to have Eclipse recognize your SVN configurations during the import process:

  1. Delete the Problematic Project:

    • Go to your Eclipse workspace.
    • Right-click on the project you wish to share.
    • Select “Delete” but ensure to uncheck the option “Delete project contents on disk” to keep the files intact.
  2. Import the Project Back:

    • Navigate to the menu bar and click on File > Import....
    • In the import wizard, choose General > Existing Projects into Workspace.
    • Click Next and then browse to the folder containing your original project(s) that you just deleted.
    • Select the project and click Finish to import it back into your workspace.
  3. Verify Subversion Settings:

    • After importing, Subclipse should now recognize the SVN settings associated with the project. Make sure everything inside your project is intact and functioning as expected.

Conclusion

Following these steps, you should be able to manually share your Eclipse project with Subclipse without the need for re-checking out files from SVN, all while keeping your existing work safe and intact. This efficient approach not only saves time but also minimizes the hassle that comes with common project sharing errors in Eclipse. Should you run into further issues, considering exploring Eclipse’s forums and support channels, as they can provide additional insights and troubleshooting tips tailored to your specific situation.

Feel free to share your experiences, questions, or other helpful tips regarding working with Eclipse and Subclipse in the comments below!