Code formatter changes generate huge changes

[GoogleCodeExporter]

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Start the preference recorder
2. Update just one preference
3. Stop the preference recorder

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

Only one preference change is recorded. Instead, the complete XML format of 
the preferences is saved.

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?

Workspace Mechanic 3.2 , Eclipse 3.5.2 .

Original issue reported on code.google.com by robert.munteanu on 26 May 2010 at 2:14

[GoogleCodeExporter]

This is definitely an issue and it's basically the preference format that's the 
problem.

We're working on a specialized mechanic task for exporting and importing 
keyboard preferences, which exhibit the same problem.

Can you give me a piece of the exported preference as an example?

Original comment by konigsb...@gmail.com on 14 Feb 2011 at 4:35

• Added labels: Type-Enhancement
• Removed labels: Type-Defect

[GoogleCodeExporter]

There you go.

Original comment by robert.munteanu on 20 Feb 2011 at 9:51

Attachments:

• code-formatter-change.txt

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Aside from the verbose recording issue is there a way to make a preference 
change for the formatter without having to provide the inlined xml file? I have 
been unsuccessful so far.

Original comment by t...@theclowers.net on 16 Mar 2011 at 9:49

[GoogleCodeExporter]

It's possible, but not easy. In the same way that we're slowly building a 
specialized scanner for keyboard preferences, one could also build a 
specialized scanner for the formatter. But we haven't touched that, partly 
because at Google where the Workspace Mechanic came from, we're fairly unified 
in coding standards, and so we use an alternative (and more standard) form of 
enterprise configuration, but also because nobody has stepped up to do it.

Original comment by konigsb...@gmail.com on 17 Mar 2011 at 4:44