Importing launch configurations

Updated: April 19, 2023

You can import launch configurations to quickly reproduce the execution conditions of a previous application setup, or to reuse the settings for a setup task such as file transfers to a target machine.

To import launch configurations:
  1. Select File > Import to open the Import window.
    You can also open this window by selecting an entry in the Project Explorer, right-clicking to reveal the context menu, then clicking Import.
  2. Select Run/Debug > Launch Configurations, then click Next to advance to the Import Launch Configurations dialog.
  3. Click the Browse button to open the directory selector, then browse to and select the local directory that stores the launch configurations you want to import.
    An entry for the selected directory is added in the left pane of the file listings area shown underneath. Initially, the entry's checkbox is unchecked so no files are listed in the right pane.
  4. Check the box next to the new directory entry to populate the list of launch configuration files.
    In the right pane, the IDE displays all .launch files found in the directory. Each file listing has a box to select whether that launch configuration is imported; by default, all boxes are checked.
  5. Uncheck the boxes for any launch configurations that you don't want to import.
  6. To avoid being prompted for confirmation about overwriting any launch configuration files with names matching a configuration being imported, check the Override existing launch configurations without warning box underneath the file listings area.
    Note: The IDE can't undo a launch configuration overwrite, so be sure you know which existing launch configurations in your current workspace you want to keep. You may want to rename some launch configurations before importing others, to avoid naming conflicts.
  7. Click Finish to exit the Import Launch Configurations dialog and begin the import process.
The IDE copies the files of the selected launch configurations into workspace_dir/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.debug.core/.launches, where workspace_dir refers to your current workspace, not necessarily the one in which the imported configurations were created. You will now see these configurations in the Launch Configuration dropdown as well as in the lists of run, debug, and profile configurations accessible through the Project Explorer context menu.