Added Developers section with setup instructions for VS Code & Eclipse.

Author: Laurent Gougeon

README.md

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ Data Acquisition and Data Dissemination are active services initiated by OpenECP
 - [Object Storage](#object-storage)
 - [Additional Features](#additional-features)
 - [Getting Started](#getting-started)
+- [For Developers](#for-developers)
 - [Deployment](#deployment)
 - [Concepts for Users](#concepts-for-users)
 - [Support Materials](#support-materials)
@@ -205,6 +206,51 @@ To clean the logs and data:
 make clean
 ```
 
+## For Developers
+
+OpenECPDS includes configuration files for both Visual Studio Code and Eclipse, so you can choose the development environment you are most comfortable with. Simply select your preferred IDE, and you will find ready-to-use settings tailored to streamline your work with OpenECPDS.
+
+After completing the following steps, it will be possible to start and debug the OpenECPDS Java program within the IDE. An instance of the OpenECPDS database is required for the Master service to function. To set this up, build the application as outlined in the Getting Started section, then start only the database component with the following command:
+
+```
+make up container=database
+```
+
+This command will start only the database service, while the other services can be launched directly from the IDE.
+
+### Visual Studio Code
+
+When working with OpenECPDS in Visual Studio Code, the **Dev Containers extension** is required and will automatically detect the presence of a `.devcontainer` directory within the project folder. This directory contains key configuration files, such as `devcontainer.json` and a `Dockerfile`, which collectively define the development environment for OpenECPDS.
+
+Before opening the project, make sure to edit `.devcontainer/devcontainer.json` to update the DOCKER_HOST_OS environment parameter according to your Docker host operating system (the default is set to Darwin for macOS).
+
+Once you open the OpenECPDS folder, VS Code will prompt you to reopen the project within a container: **Reopen in Container**. If you choose to proceed, VS Code will use the `Dockerfile` to build the container image and launch a development container. This container will be preconfigured with all the tools, dependencies, and settings specified in `devcontainer.json`, ensuring a consistent and fully-equipped development environment right from the start.
+
+Once the development container is set up, open a terminal within it to begin building as described in the Getting Started section.
+
+For more information on working with development containers in Visual Studio Code, please visit the [Microsoft website](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/devcontainers/containers).
+
+To access the Debug and Run configurations:
+
+- Open the **Command Palette** by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac).
+- Type **Run and Debug** in the **Command Palette** to find the **Run and Debug** view.
+- Select **Run and Debug** in the sidebar or access it through the **Debug icon** in the Activity Bar on the left side of VS Code.
+
+This view displays the available Run and Debug configurations, including those defined for the OpenECPDS Master, Mover, and Monitor components.
+
+### Eclipse
+
+To open the OpenECPDS project in Eclipse:
+
+- Go to **File > Import...**
+- In the import dialog, select **Existing Maven Projects** under the **Maven category** and click **Next**.
+- Browse to the location of your OpenECPDS project folder on your system and select it. Eclipse will automatically detect the project files.
+- Once the project is detected, click **Finish** to complete the import. Eclipse will set up the project and download dependencies.
+
+After completing these steps, the OpenECPDS project should be ready to work with in Eclipse, with access to any required dependencies and configurations.
+
+Preconfigured **Debug** and **Run** options are available for key components: **Master**, **Mover**, and **Monitor**. These configurations can be accessed under **Run > Run Configurations...** and **Run > Debug Configurations...**
+
 ## Deployment
 
 If you have successfully built the OpenECPDS containers and enabled Kubernetes in Docker, navigate to the following directory where a [Makefile](deploy/kubernetes/Makefile) is available: