Learning Java Using the Eclipse IDE

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Advantages to learning Java using the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE):

• Eclipse provides a number of aids that make writing Java code much quicker and easier than using a text editor. This means that you can spend more time learning Java, and less time typing and looking up documentation.
• The Eclipse debugger and scrapbook allow you to look inside the execution of the Java code. This allows you to “see” objects and to understand how Java is working behind the scenes.
• Eclipse provides full support for agile software development practices such as test-driven development and refactoring. This allows you to learn these practices as you learn Java.
• If you plan to do software development in Java, you’ll need to learn Eclipse or some other IDE. So learning Eclipse from the start will save you time and effort.

Downloading and Installing Eclipse
Before Installing Eclipse, you need to have either the Java JDK (Java development kit) or Java JRE  (Java runtime engine) installed on your computer. These are available at  http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp.
Installing the JDK or JRE is reasonably simple. Detailed, step-by-step instructions, if needed, are available in the PDF Eclipse Tutorial at the https://www.arctechsoftware.com/tutorial/welcomePage.do.

For Java development, the JDK is recommended because it allows you to see documentation and source code for the standard Java classes. However, either the JDK or JRE will work.

Here are the steps to install Eclipse 3.3 from www.eclipse.org:

• Navigate to www.eclipse.org/downloads
• Select “Eclipse IDE for Java Developers”. If your platform is Linux or MacOSX, be sure to select the link to the right. Note that you can use “Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers”, “Eclipse for RCP/Plug-in Developers”, or “Eclipse Classic” as well. All of these include the Java development portions of Eclipse used in this tutorial.
• On the www.eclipse.org/downloads page, follow the link “Find out more”. Scroll your browser to display the far right-hand side of the screen to the column “Tutorials and Help”. The first tutorial is a Screencam tutorial that steps you through downloading and installing Eclipse on Windows.

The Eclipse installation is very straightforward. There is no installation program. Instead, you just create the top-level folder and the unzip the file inside this folder. In Windows XP, for example, just copy the zip file to your root directory (e.g., “C:\”) and then unzip the downloaded zip file. This will create a folder called “C:\eclipse”. The Eclipse programs will be created in several subfolders (configuration, features, plugins, readme). The procedure for Linux is similar, except your unzip the .tar.gz file.