MakeBaseApp is a Perl script (makeBaseApp.pl) that has come with EPICS base since at least R3.13.0beta4. What MakeBaseApp does is create directories, copy template files into the directories, and expand macros in the files. The template files and the macros are different for different versions of base. Consequently, the EPICS IDE runs MakeBaseApp rather than doing these base-dependent operations inside the the plug-in. This means it has to run MakeBaseApp and capture its output.
It is necessary that Perl be in your path, but this is necessary to build base in any case.
The plug-in uses MakeBaseApp not only to make the directories, but to see what templates are available during the New Project and New Application wizards. The MakeBaseApp output appears in the EPICS IDE Console. This output should be useful if there are problems running it. You may need to open the Console from Window | Show View, or, if there is more than one Console in use, you may have to make the EPICS IDE console visible via the buttons on the Console toolbar. This console cannot be stopped as can Consoles resulting from other kinds of launches.
A full description of what MakeBaseApp does can be found in the Application Developer's Guide that comes with each version of base. This guide is found under each Base release in the EPICS Pages. The version for 3.14.8, for example, is found here.
Typically there are templates for:
The example template is a good one to start with.