Can we convert any java program into an eclipse plugin?

I want to write a plug-in which tracks the updates to a text file and stores them in a separate file.

Should I first write a simple java program which does this and then tr开发者_JAVA百科y to convert it into a plug-in?

I would suggest to start writing a plugin. Eclipse has it's own notion of the file system. You may save you a lot of work and trouble when you use this API directly. And the result will be much better integrated into eclipse.

You may start reading about the API here: http://help.eclipse.org/galileo/index.jsp?topic=/org.eclipse.platform.doc.isv/guide/resInt.htm

Pretty much. It's just a matter of adapting to the set of APIs laid out for plugin development. If you develop your program in a modular way, switching from stand-alone to plugin shouldn't be too hard.