My RCP application makes calls to SOAP web services and has been using the built-in JAXB/JEE components in Java 1.8. I have set up the build process to force the use of Java 1.8 and this had been working well.
Recently, the build stopped working because the builder (Tycho) now has a component which only works with later Java versions. If I compile with the later version I get 100's of JEE-related errors such as JaxbElement not found or @WebMethod not found.
At some point we will have to move away from Java 1.8 and use a Java version which does not provide those JEE components, so forcing the use of 1.8 can only be a short-term solution.
Is there an eclipse plugin which already provides those missing components? (I have searched but not found anything) Or do I need to create my own helper plugin which contains the necessary libraries? Is there perhaps a JAXB alternative which I could use for the SOAP calls?
The JAXB plugins/bundles are available on Eclipse Orbit: the plugins/bundles starting with javax..
In the plugins/bundles where they are needed, add the dependency in the MANIFEST.MF file via Import-Package (using Require-Bundle would require that these plugins/bundles are available even when using Java 8).
See also this answer.