## Creating Carbide Tools

Carbide.c++ provides a host of functionality when it comes to designing, writing, compiling, and debugging Symbian OS based applications for mobile devices. In addition there are tools for evaluating your applications performance, memory, and energy usage to make them run faster and use less resources.

However, while there are a lot of tools included with Carbide.c++ you may have ideas of your own that you'd like to develop and use. Since Carbide is based upon Eclipse, a highly extensible open framework, you can develop tools and employ them inside the Carbide environment where they can operate alongside the standard tools. Best of all, you can do this all within the famliiar Carbide IDE.

To effectively write Carbide tool plug-ins you will need:

- The Carbide Development Kit (CDK) includes the resources, examples, and documentation necessary to create plug-ins within Carbide (required)
- Knowledge and experience writing Java code and the Eclipse plug-in framework
- Familiarity with writing and debugging Eclipse plug-ins
- Some knowledge of the Carbide APIs

Download the CDK to get started developing your own Carbide tool plug-ins using the instructions below.

#### Downloading the Carbide Development Kit

The CDK contains all the resources you need to write Carbide tool plug-ins. To download:

1. Click Help > Software Updates > Find & Install.
2. Select the Search for new features to install option, click Next.

   NOTE If you experience problems connecting to the updater site, verify that the connection settings are correct in the Network Connections preference panel before trying again. This is especially important if a proxy setting is required to connect to the internet.

3. On the Update sites to search page, checkmark the Carbide.c++ Update Site option, click Finish.
4. On the Search results page, checkmark the Carbide.c++ Development Kit option, click Next.
5. On the Feature license page, accept the license agreement, click Next.
6. On the Optional features page, click Next.
7. On the Installation page, click Finish.

Carbide downloads and asks for permission to install the CDK. Once installed, it asks you to restart Carbide to load the new plug-ins.

To learn more about writing Carbide tool plug-ins, see the Help > Carbide Tools > Carbide.c++ Plug-in Developer Guide installed by the CDK. It provides more detailed information on writing Carbide tool plug-ins.

#### Other references

- Carbide.c++ Plug-in Developer Guide