ANSARI - Learn Eclipse

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I would like to dedicate the book to the students who will be using it. I wish you future career success and hope you never stop learning.

TABLE OF CONTENT

In the context of computing, Eclipse is an integrated development environment (IDE) for developing applications using the Java programming language and other programming languages such as C/C++, Python, PERL, Ruby etc.

The Eclipse platform which provides the foundation for the Eclipse IDE is composed of plug-ins and is designed to be extensible using additional plug-ins. Developed using Java, the Eclipse platform can be used to develop rich client applications, integrated development environments and other tools. Eclipse can be used as an IDE for any programming language for which a plug-in is available.

The Java Development Tools (JDT) project provides a plug-in that allows Eclipse to be used as a Java IDE, PyDev is a plugin that allows Eclipse to be used as a Python IDE, C/C++ Development Tools (CDT) is a plug-in that allows Eclipse to be used for developing application using C/C++, the Eclipse Scala plug-in allows Eclipse to be used an IDE to develop Scala applications and PHPeclipse is a plug-in to eclipse that provides complete development tool for PHP.

Eclipse platform and other plug-ins from the Eclipse foundation is released under the Eclipse Public License (EPL). EPL ensures that Eclipse is free to download and install. It also allows Eclipse to be modified and distributed.

Every year, since 2006, the Eclipse foundation releases the Eclipse Platform and a number of other plug-ins in June.

You can download eclipse from http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/. The download page lists a number of flavors of eclipse.

The capabilities of each packaging of eclipse are different. Java developers typically use Eclipse Classic or Eclipse IDE for developing Java applications.

The drop down box in the right corner of the download page allows you to set the operating system on which eclipse is to be installed. You can choose between Windows, Linux and Mac. Eclipse is packaged as a zip file.

To install on windows, you need a tool that can extract the contents of a zip file. For example you can use

• 7-zip
• PeaZip
• IZArc

Using any one of these tools, extract the contents of the eclipse zip file to any folder of your choice.

On the windows platform, if you extracted the contents of the zip file to c:\, then you can start eclipse by using c:\eclipse\eclipse.exe

When eclipse starts up for the first time it prompts you for the location of the workspace folder. All your data will be stored in the workspace folder. You can accept the default or choose a new location.

If you select "Use this as the default and do not ask again", this dialog box will not come up again. You can change this preference using the Workspaces Preference Page. See the Preference tutorial page for more details.

The major visible parts of an eclipse window are

• Views
• Editors (all appear in one editor area)
• Menu Bar
• Toolbar

An eclipse perspective is the name given to an initial collection and arrangement of views and an editor area. The default perspective is called java. An eclipse window can have multiple perspectives open in it but only one perspective can be active at any point of time. A user can switch between open perspectives or open a new perspective. A perspective controls what appears in some menus and tool bars.

A perspective has only one editor area in which multiple editors can be open. The editor area is usually surrounded by multiple views. In general, editors are used to edit the project data and views are used to view the project metadata. For example the package explorer shows the java files in the project and the java editor is used to edit a java file.

The eclipse window can contain multiple editors and views but only one of them is active at any given point of time. The title bar of the active editor or view looks different from all the others.

The UI elements on the menu bar and tool bar represent commands that can be triggered by an end user.

Multiple Eclipse Windows can be open at the same time. To open a new window, click on the Windows menu and select the New Window menu item.

Each window can have a different perspective open in them. For example you could open two Eclipse windows one in the Java perspective and the other in the Debug perspective. The window showing the Java perspective can be used for editing the java code and the window showing the debug perspective can be used for debugging the application being developed.

The typical menus available on the menu bar of an Eclipse window are

• File menu
• Edit menu
• Navigate menu
• Search menu
• Project menu
• Run menu
• Window menu
• Help menu

Plug-ins can add new menus and menu items. For example when the java editor is open you will see the Source menu and when the XML editor is open, you will see the Design menu.