External tools allow you to configure and run programs, batch files, Ant buildfiles, and others using the Workbench. You can save these external tool configurations and run them at a later time.

Output from external tools is displayed in the console view.

You can add external tools as part of the build process for a project. These external tools will run in the specified order every time a project is built.

The following variables are available when you configure an external tool. These variables are automatically expanded each time the external tool is run.

${workspace_loc} - The absolute path on the system's hard drive to Eclipse's workspace directory.

${workspace_loc:<resource path>} - The absolute path on the system's hard drive to the specified resource. The <resource path> is the full path of the resource relative to the workspace root. For example ${workspace_loc:/MyProject/MyFile.txt}. Note that the expanded result of this variable is not the same as ${workspace_loc}/MyProject/MyFile.txt if the project's contents directory for MyProject is outside the workspace directory.

${project_loc} - The absolute path on the system's hard drive to the currently selected resource's project or to the project being built if the external tool is run as part of a build.

${project_loc:<resource path>} - The absolute path on the system's hard drive to the specified resource's project. The <resource path> is the full path of the resource relative to the workspace root. For example ${workspace_loc:/MyProject/MyFile.txt}. Note that the expanded result of this variable is not the same as ${workspace_loc}/MyProject if the project's contents directory for MyProject is outside the workspace directory.

${container_loc} - The absolute path on the system's hard drive to the currently selected resource's parent (either a folder or project).

${container_loc:<resource path>} - The absolute path on the system's hard drive to the specified resource's parent (either a folder or project). The <resource path> is the full path of the resource relative to the workspace root. For example:${workspace_loc:/MyProject/MyFolder/MyFile.txt}. Note that the expanded result of this variable is not the same as ${workspace_loc}/MyProject/MyFolder if the project's contents directory for MyProject is outside the workspace directory.

${resource_loc} - The absolute path on the system's hard drive to the currently selected resource.

${resource_loc:<resource path>} - The absolute path on the system's hard drive to the specified resource. The <resource path> is the full path of the resource relative to the workspace root. For example ${workspace_loc:/MyProject/MyFile.txt}. Note that the expanded result of this variable is not the same as ${workspace_loc}/MyProject/MyFile.txt if the project's contents directory for MyProject is outside the workspace directory.

${project_path} - The full path, relative to the workspace root, of the currently selected resource's project or of the project being built if the external tool is run as part of a build.

${container_path} - The full path, relative to the workspace root, of the currently selected resource's parent (either a folder or project).

${resource_path} - The full path, relative to the workspace root, of the currently selected resource.

${project_name} - The name of the currently selected resource's project or of the project being built if the external tool is run as part of a build.

${container_name} - The name of the currently selected resource's parent (either a folder or project).

${resource_name} - The name of the currently selected resource.

${build_type} - The kind of build when the external tool is run as part of a build. The value can be one of "full", "incremental", or "auto". If the external tool is run outside of a build, the value is then "none".

Lets assume your Eclipse workspace directory is c:\eclipse\workspace and you have two projects, MyProject1 and MyProject2. The first project, MyProject1, is located inside the workspace directory, the second project, MyProject2, is located outside the workspace directory at c:\projects\MyProject2. Lets look at how the variable examples below will be expanded when an external tool is run, if the resource /MyProject2/MyFolder/MyFile.txt is selected.
 
 

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