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Delete the project file should ask to remove the project from workspace #1074

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#2895
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Delete the project file should ask to remove the project from workspace#1074
#2895
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enhancementNew feature or request

Description

@laeubi
laeubi
opened on Jan 4, 2024

Currently if I remove a git repository I getting asked if I want to remove the associated projects from the workspace.

If I delete a .project file (e.g. from git staging view or on the filesystem or Project/Package Explorer) it can happen that eclipse create an (empty) one again or complains that the file is missing.

I therefore think that deleting the .project file should trigger a similar action like when one deletes the project itself (e.g. select it in the project explorer and choose delete).

Activity

  1. laeubi
    added
    enhancementNew feature or request
    on Jan 4, 2024

  2. jukzi commented on Jan 5, 2024

    @jukzi
    jukzi
    on Jan 5, 2024
    Contributor

    I also suffer sometimes similar: When someone else deleted a project in the git repository the .project file is recreated and shown in git staging area.

  3. laeubi commented on Jan 5, 2024

    @laeubi
    laeubi
    on Jan 5, 2024
    ContributorAuthor

    I also suffer sometimes similar: When someone else deleted a project in the git repository the .project file is recreated and shown in git staging area.

    Guess how I found out :-D

  4. merks commented on Jan 5, 2024

    @merks
    merks
    on Jan 5, 2024
    Contributor

    Yes it’s kind of annoying. Better the project is closed than to recreate a .project file.

  5. mickaelistria commented on Jan 8, 2024

    @mickaelistria
    mickaelistria
    on Jan 8, 2024
    Contributor

    If I delete a .project file (e.g. from git staging view or on the filesystem or Project/Package Explorer) it can happen that eclipse create an (empty) one again or complains that the file is missing.

    I'm curious about that. Did you manage to get steps to reproduce and a stack trace about what re-creates the .project ?
    Note that this topic has relations with #202

    I agree with @merks that closing the project without notice is probably best, so people can delete or try to reopen it when needed, without popup to interrupt them on a branch switch.

  6. laeubi commented on Jan 8, 2024

    @laeubi
    laeubi
    on Jan 8, 2024
    ContributorAuthor

    Just use any eclipse-platform repo:

    1. create a new branch (DELETE_TEST) and delete a project, commit everything
    2. switch to the main branch and import the just deleted project
    3. Now right click on the repo and choose team switch > DELETE_TEST

    You will end up with a closed project and a dirty working tree, eclipse probably also complains that the important project info was deleted and instead it created a dummy. Now you can switch back and probably now get complains from git that your need to commit or revert your "changes".

    I think the main problem is that a closed project is even needing a physical .project file.

    From users POV I would want if project file is removed (ResourceChangeListener?) the project either removed from the workspace completely or a closed project does not create a dummy file.

  7. laeubi commented on Jan 8, 2024

    @laeubi
    laeubi
    on Jan 8, 2024
    ContributorAuthor

    The same of course can happen if you pull a change from someone else that deleted a project, by the way it would be really great if Egit could "plug in" somehow in eclipse to "help" with managing the projects, that's really a bit frustrating when switching between branches that have added/deleted projects, for example it would of course be nice if I switch to the other branch I'm getting asked if I wanted the just delted / closed project to be imported/added back ...

  8. Bananeweizen commented on Jan 9, 2024

    @Bananeweizen
    Bananeweizen
    on Jan 9, 2024
    Contributor

    it would be really great if Egit could "plug in" somehow in eclipse to "help" with managing the projects

    *sigh*
    it does that.
    grafik

  9. laeubi commented on Jan 10, 2024

    @laeubi
    laeubi
    on Jan 10, 2024
    ContributorAuthor

    it does that.

    Than it obviously not work ... or does something different. I have defiantly enabled this option on my Tycho workspace but it never has made anything better nor I noticed anything similar on other projects where I regularly switch branches...

    Also I never seen I got asked if a new project approaches when pulling a branch...

  10. laeubi commented on Feb 12, 2024

    @laeubi
    laeubi
    on Feb 12, 2024
    ContributorAuthor

    Just a recent example if one want to try it out, here I have deleted a now obsolete project, pulling the p2 repo in my IDE after the change was merged results in:

    grafik

    the stacktrace in the error log is this:

    org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.ResourceException: Errors occurred while refreshing resources with the local file system.
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.localstore.FileSystemResourceManager.refreshResource(FileSystemResourceManager.java:1024)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.localstore.FileSystemResourceManager.refresh(FileSystemResourceManager.java:1004)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.Resource.refreshLocal(Resource.java:1601)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.refresh.RefreshJob.runInWorkspace(RefreshJob.java:227)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.InternalWorkspaceJob.run(InternalWorkspaceJob.java:43)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.jobs.Worker.run(Worker.java:63)
Contains: The project description file (.project) for 'org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.reconciler.product' is missing.  This file contains important information about the project.  The project will not function properly until this file is restored.
java.lang.Exception: The project description file (.project) for 'org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.reconciler.product' is missing.  This file contains important information about the project.  The project will not function properly until this file is restored.
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.ResourceException.provideStackTrace(ResourceException.java:42)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.ResourceException.<init>(ResourceException.java:38)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.localstore.FileSystemResourceManager.read(FileSystemResourceManager.java:951)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.Project.updateDescription(Project.java:1420)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.File.updateMetadataFiles(File.java:402)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.localstore.RefreshLocalVisitor.visit(RefreshLocalVisitor.java:306)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.localstore.UnifiedTree.accept(UnifiedTree.java:119)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.localstore.FileSystemResourceManager.refreshResource(FileSystemResourceManager.java:1021)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.localstore.FileSystemResourceManager.refresh(FileSystemResourceManager.java:1004)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.Resource.refreshLocal(Resource.java:1601)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.refresh.RefreshJob.runInWorkspace(RefreshJob.java:227)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.InternalWorkspaceJob.run(InternalWorkspaceJob.java:43)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.jobs.Worker.run(Worker.java:63)

    I now have a dirty working tree with an empty project file created:

    grafik

    and the project remains in the workspace:
    grafik

    Git tracking of projects is enabled
    grafik

    Now if I switch to an older branch, the project is restored, if I then switch again back to the master branch the project ends up in a closed project and no error occurs.

    Now try to open the project results again in an ugly error dialog

    grafik

    And this exception

    java.lang.Exception: The project description file (.project) for 'org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.reconciler.product' is missing.  This file contains important information about the project.  The project will not function properly until this file is restored.
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.ResourceException.provideStackTrace(ResourceException.java:42)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.ResourceException.<init>(ResourceException.java:38)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.localstore.FileSystemResourceManager.read(FileSystemResourceManager.java:951)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.SaveManager.restoreMetaInfo(SaveManager.java:953)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.SaveManager.restore(SaveManager.java:828)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.Project.open(Project.java:1100)
	at org.eclipse.ui.actions.OpenResourceAction$1.doOpenWithReferences(OpenResourceAction.java:233)
	at org.eclipse.ui.actions.OpenResourceAction$1.runInWorkspace(OpenResourceAction.java:279)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.resources.InternalWorkspaceJob.run(InternalWorkspaceJob.java:43)
	at org.eclipse.core.internal.jobs.Worker.run(Worker.java:63)

    In this case no project file is created and the project remains closed, while from a user perspective it would be much more reasonable to either create one (because I wanted to open the project) or at least ask to do so, alternatively just create something "in memory" and have some way for the user to make it permanent (e.g. open a dirty editor the user can save).

  11. vogella
    added 8 commits that reference this issue on Sep 2, 2026

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    8d66678

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    9923ce5

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    bb8ca9d

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    7a81528

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    1a6e3bb

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    4156699

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    eaa7c2f

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    bef4791
  12. vogella
    added 4 commits that reference this issue on Sep 21, 2026

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    ca4b587

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    ed480e5

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    3e0806b

    Close a project when its .project file is deleted

    a4cbd84
  13. vogella
    closed this as completedin #2895on Sep 22, 2026
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