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Getting Started with Eclipse

By Ed Burnette & Adam Houghton

WHAT IS ECLIPSE?

Eclipse is the leading Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Java, with a rich ecosystem of plug-ins and an open source framework that supports other languages and projects. You'll find this reference card useful for getting started with Eclipse and exploring the breadth of its features.

We rundown the Eclipse distributions and configuration options, then guide you through Views, Editors, and Perspectives in Workbench 101. We list the top shortcuts and toolbar actions for everyday development. And, we provide a guide to the best places for finding plug-ins and getting involved with the Eclipse community.

We focus on the Windows and Mac OS X versions, but Eclipse runs on any modern operating system. Each Eclipse release is tested and validated on different versions of Windows, Linux, OS X, Solaris, and AIX.

Eclipse is the most well known of several dozen open source projects hosted at eclipse.org (http://www.eclipse.org). Since 2001, the Eclipse SDK has been downloaded over 50 million times.

Most people think of Eclipse as a Java IDE but it's also one of the most popular tools for developing programs in Python, PHP, Ruby, C/C++, and other languages. You can even use it for non-programming tasks such as document creation and order entry. It achieves this flexibility through its modular plug-in architecture (more on that later).

Getting Eclipse

Go to the eclipse.org download site http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/downloads and choose the package that's right for you:

Package	Major Features
Eclipse IDE for Java Developers	Java IDE with incremental compilation, cross-referencing, code-assist, and Mylyn task management.
Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers	Adds JEE validation, app server support, graphical HTML/JSP/JSF editing, and database tools.
Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers	C/C++ IDE with syntax highlighting and code completion, launcher, debugger, and makefile generator.
Eclipse for RCP/Plug-In Developers	Java IDE plus the Plug-In Development Environment for creating Eclipse plug-ins and applications.
Eclipse Classic	The original Java IDE and Rich Client Platform.

What version should I get?

At any given time up to five different build types are available. To see these, select All versions from the download page or visit http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/downloads

Version	Frequency	Stability	Audience
Releases	Yearly	Best	Everyone
Maintenance Builds	Quarterly	Best	Everyone
Stable/Milestone Builds	6 Weeks	Good	Users interested in the latest features
Integration Builds	1 Week	Fair	Contributors to Eclipse
Nightly Builds	1 Day	Poor	Contributors to Eclipse

Getting Started

Third-Party Distributors

There are many third-party distributions of Eclipse available. Some are free and just repackage the open source Eclipse code. Others are commercial, building on top of Eclipse by adding unique features and support. The most popular ones are listed here.

Distributions	Resource	Price
Yoxos on demand: Ajax based interface lets you pick and choose exactly what functionality you need.	http://yoxos.com/ondemand	Free
Easy Eclipse: Prepackaged releases of Eclipse targeted for specific types of developers.	http://www.easyeclipse.org	Free
Aptana Studio: A popular IDE for HTML/CSS/JavaScript development, with plug-ins for Adobe AIR, Ruby on Rails (RadRails), and PHP development. Built on Eclipse.	http://www.aptana.com	Free
PHPeclipse: An IDE for PHP development built on Eclipse.	http://www.phpeclipse.net	Free
PyDEV: An Eclipse-based environment for developing in Python and Jython.	http://pydev.sourceforge.net	Free
MyEclipseIDE: Inexpensive end-to-end Java and J2EE development environment.	http://www.myeclipseide.com	$
BEA Workshop: End-to-end browser-to-database solution built on Eclipse.	http://workshopstudio.bea.com	$$$
IBM RAD: Helps developers to quickly create Web, SOA, Java, J2EE and portal applications.	http://www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/developer/application	$$$$$

Workbench 101

Eclipse's main window is called the Workbench window. Its menus and toolbars should be familiar with users of any desktop applications, but some other elements like views, editors, and perspectives may not be.

Views

A view is a window that lets you examine something, such as a list of files in your projects. Eclipse comes with dozens of different views. Some open automatically when you use certain perspectives, but you can use the Window > Show View menu to open them at any time. Here's a partial list of views included in the Eclipse SDK:

View Name	Description
Breakpoints	Shows a list of all the breakpoints you have set in your projects
Console	Displays the output of your program.
Debug	Lists all programs that were launched by Eclipse. Use it to pause program execution, view tracebacks, and locate the cause of deadlocks.
Declaration	Shows the source code where the selected object is declared.
Display	Shows expression results in an unstructured format.
Error Log	View internal errors and stack dumps when reporting Eclipse problems.
Expressions	Shows a list of expressions and their values in the debugger.
Hierarchy	Displays the class and interface relationships for the selected object.
History	Shows the CVS change history of the file.
Javadoc	Shows the description (from comments) of the selected object.
JUnit	Shows the progress and results of JUnit tests.
Navigator	Shows all projects in the workspace as they exist on disk.
O utline	Displays the structure of the currently open file.
Package Explorer	Shows all your projects, Java packages, and files.
Problems	Shows compiler errors and warnings in your code.
Search	Shows the results of any search operation.
Tasks	Lists all the markers placed in your source code.
Variables	Shows all the parameters and local variables in scope while debugging.

Multiple views can be stacked together in the same rectangular area. The title bar will show a tab for each view, but only one of them can be active at a time. If the window is too narrow to show all the tabs, a special menu will appear to give you access to the hidden ones.

Editors

Editors are very similar to views, but they are constrained to a single rectangular area in the Workbench window. Editors may be text-based (like the Java editor) or graphical (such as a diagram editor). You can save or revert an editor's contents. An asterisk in the editor's title bar indicates it has unsaved data.

Perspectives

A perspective is a set of views, editors, and toolbars, along with their arrangement within the Workbench window. Perspectives are not "modes". As you perform a task, you may rearrange windows, new views, and so on. Your arrangement is saved under the current perspective. The next time you have to perform the same kind of task, simply switch to that perspective and Eclipse will put everything back the way you left it.

For the most part you will be using the built-in Java or Debug perspectives, but you can also select Window > Save Perspective As... to save your current arrangement under a new name.

Toolbar

Five useful icons on the Eclipse toolbar:

	Debug As: debugs the last application you've launched.
	Run As: runs the last application you've launched.
	Toggle Mark Occurrences: highlighting an element will highlight all other occurrences of that element in the editor window.
	Last Edit Location: jumps to the file and location of the last edit you've made.
	Link with Editor: the Package Explorer will continually update to reflect the active file in the editor window.

Rearranging Views and Editors

To move a view or editor, click and drag its title bar. You can drag views outside of the Workbench window, or collapse them to an icon on the edge of the window (as a fast view). As you move your cursor it will change shape to indicate actions you can take or places you can drop things on.

Development with Eclipse

Eclipse can be used to create anything from a Java program to the next bestselling novel. Regardless of what you're creating, a few basic concepts remain the same...

Managing Projects

An Eclipse project is a directory that contains any source files, metadata, resources, and derived files. Typically projects are subdirectories of your workspace directory, but Eclipse allows them to be anywhere on the file system. You can either create a project from scratch or import an existing project from the file system, from CVS, or from an existing Ant build file.

Building

Where possible, Eclipse uses incremental compilation to build derived objects in the background. For example, when you save a Java file in Eclipse, there is no need to run a Build it's already done. In Ant or Make based projects, this build is run after the Save and the results are shown in the Console view. You can turn automatic building on or off with an option: Window > Preferences > General > Workspace > Build automatically. If automatic builds are disabled then you can use Project > Build All (Ctrl+B) to start a build.

Running and Debugging

In Eclipse there is no overall 'Run' command. Instead, you use one or more launch configurations, recipes describing how to run or debug your project. To create or modify a launch configuration, select Run > Debug... or Run > Run... depending on whether you want to run the program under the debugger or not. The Debug and Run icons on the toolbar provide a quicker way to do the same thing. Or, press Ctrl+F11 to re-run the last program.

Refactoring

Eclipse has a powerful set of refactoring tools to help reshape your code. Rename variables, move classes between packages, and extract methods without fear of breaking the build. Highlight an element and press Alt+Shift+T to see the list of available refactorings.

Synchronizing

CVS synchronization is built into Eclipse. Right click on a resource and select Team >... to see options for synchronizing, committing, and updating. The Team Synchronizing Perspective provides helpful tools for keeping track of pushes and managing merges. The CVS Repository Exploring perspective lets you browse branches and check out projects from existing CVS repositories.

Not using CVS? There are Eclipse plug-ins for every type of version control system, including Subversion, Visual SourceSafe, Git, and Mercurial. Check out the Plug-ins section for the best places to find and download plug-ins.

Formatting

Control the minutiae of code formatting with Eclipse's plethora of Formatter options. Spend hours tweaking your settings in Window > Preferences > Java > Code Style > Formatter, then format all of your code with Ctrl+Shift+F. Save your formatting profile by selecting "Export" in the profile properties, then share it with your team members.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Here are our Top 50 favorite keyboard shortcuts defined by Eclipse. You can replace any of these (or even switch to Emacs bindings) by selecting Window > Preferences > General > Keys.

Debugging Shortcuts

Windows	OS X	Shortcut
F5	F5	Step Into
F6	F6	Step Over
F7	F7	Step Return
F8	F8	Resume
F11	F11	Debug Last Launched
Ctrl+F11	Cmd+F11	Run Last Launched
Ctrl+R	Cmd+R	Run to Line
Ctrl+Shift+B	Cmd+Shift+B	Toggle Breakpoint on Line

Navigation Shortcuts

Windows	OS X	Shortcut
F3	F3	Format Source
Ctrl+Shift+G	Cmd+Shift+G	Find Reference
Ctrl+Shift+R	Cmd+Shift+R	Open Resource
Ctrl+Shift+T	Cmd+Shift+T	Open Type
Ctrl+H	Cmd+H	Open Search Dialog
Ctrl+O	Cmd+O	Quick Outline
Ctrl+T	Cmd+T	Quick Hierarchy
Ctrl+L	Cmd+L	Go to Line
Alt+Left	Cmd+[	Back
Alt+Right	Cmd+]	Forward
Ctrl+Q	Cmd+Q	Last Edit
Ctrl+.	Cmd+.	Next Error
Ctrl+,	Cmd+,	Previous Error

Coding Shortcuts

Windows	OS X	Shortcut
Ctrl+1	Cmd+1	Quick Fix
Ctrl+Space	Cmd+Space	Content Assist
F2	F2	Show Tooltip Description
Shift+F2	Shift+F2	Show External Javadoc
Ctrl+Shift+O	Cmd+Shift+O	Organize Imports
Ctrl+Shift+F	Cmd+Shift+F	Format Source
Ctrl+I	Cmd+I	Correct Indentation
Ctrl+/	Cmd+/	Toggle Comment
Ctrl+F	Cmd+F	Find and Replace
Ctrl+D	Cmd+D	Delete Line
Ctrl+Alt+Up	Cmd+Option+Up	Copy Lines Up
Alt+Up	Option+Up	Move Lines Up
Ctrl+Alt+Down	Cmd+Option+Down	Copy Lines Down
Alt+Down	Option+Down	Move Lines Down

Java Refactoring Shortcuts

Windows	OS X	Shortcut
Alt+Shift+R	Cmd+Option+R	Rename Element
Alt+Shift+L	Cmd+Option+L	Extract to Local Variable
Alt+Shift+M	Cmd+Option+M	Extract to Method
Ctrl+Shift+Y	Cmd+Option+Y	Change Method Signature
Ctrl+Shift+Z	Cmd+Option+Z	Undo Refactoring

Editor Window Shortcuts

Windows	OS X	Shortcut
Ctrl+E	Cmd+E	Open Editor Window
Ctrl+M	Cmd+M	Maximize Editor Window
Ctrl+W	Cmd+W	Close Editor Window
Ctrl+Page Up	Cmd+Page Up	Switch to Tab Left
Ctrl+Page Down	Cmd+Page Down	Switch to Tab Right
Ctrl+F8	Cmd+F8	Change Perspective
Ctrl+Shift+S	Cmd+Shift+S	Save All
Ctrl+Shift+W	Cmd+Shift+W	Close All
F5	F5	Refresh

Plug-Ins

Aside from a small "bootstrapping" core runtime, Eclipse is made up entirely of plug-ins. Small collections of plug-ins are logically grouped into "features" that are installed and uninstalled as a unit. This figure shows how everything fits together:

The Eclipse SDK is pre-packaged with over 100 plug-ins including plug-ins for basic text editing, Java development, online help, and plug-in development. Literally thousands of other plug-ins have been written to add support for other languages, reporting, charting, database manipulation, J2EE, UML, GUI editing, RSS reading, and so forth.

There are several places on the web where you can find and install plug-ins. The main ones are:

Plug-in Resource	Description
Eclipse Downloads Home http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/downloads	Select "By Project" or "By Topic" to access the plug-ins produced by all projects at eclipse.org. Most are downloaded as zip files that need to be manually unpacked like the Eclipse SDK.
Eclipse Plugin Central http://eclipseplugincentral.com	This site offers a plug-in directory, reviews, ratings, news, forums, and listings for products and services.
Yoxos Subscription Service http://www.yoxos.com	For a small yearly fee you can access the Yoxos Install Manager, which provides a convenient automatic discovery and update service for a consistent and tested set of plug-ins.
Source Forge http://sf.net	A large and growing number of Eclipse plug-ins are being developed in this open source nexus.
Pulse 2.0 Service http://www.poweredbypulse.com	Pulse 2.0 is a free service for discovering, downloading, and managing Eclipse plug-ins. Pulse allows sharing of profiles among multiple computes, great for bringing work home or showing tips to team members.

Community Web Sites

By installing Eclipse and reading this guide, you've already taken the first steps in joining the Eclipse community. To help you go further, web sites, articles, and other resources are available to assist you, as are thousands of Eclipse enthusiasts and professionals from around the world.

Community Web Sites	Description
Eclipse Zone http://eclipsezone.com	An online community for Eclipse users that includes exclusive articles, podcasts, and forums.
Eclipse Home Page http://www.eclipse.org	The Eclipse Foundation's home page.
Eclipse Newsgroups http://www.eclipse.org/newsgroups	Get peer support from thousands of other users and developers.
Planet Eclipse http://planeteclipse.org	Planet Eclipse is a window into the world, work, and lives of Eclipse users and contributors.
Eclipsepedia http://wiki.eclipse.org	The official eclipse.org wiki.
IBM AlphaWorks http://alphaworks.ibm.com/eclipse	Part of IBM's emerging technologies web site, this is dedicated to Eclipse and WebSphere-related projects and plug-ins.
IBM developerWorks http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource	developerWorks hosts a variety of tutorials, articles, and related information on Eclipse and other open source projects.
Apache http://www.apache.org	Apache software is used throughout Eclipse, and the two projects collaborate in many areas.
O'Reilly Open Source http://opensource.oreilly.com	The O'Reilly Resource Center provides a broad range of references and links to publications about open source.