Java and Eclipse Setup

This guide will walkthrough the steps necessary to install the latest versions of Java and Eclipse on your local system.

Install Java 10

You need to make sure you have the latest version of Java Standard Edition (SE) Development Kit 10 (JDK 10) installed on your system. When downloading, keep in mind:

• Do NOT download Java 8. We will be using Java 10 in class. There are some differences between Java 8 and Java 10, and the lecture code may not compile on your system.

• Do NOT download Java Enterprise Edition (EE). We will be using the Standard Edition (SE) in class. Java EE is used to create enterprise applications.

• Do NOT download just the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). The Java Development Kit (JDK) includes the JRE, which is necessary to run Java code. The JDK also includes the Java compiler, which we will need in class.

To install the Java SE 10 JDK, go to:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

Click the “JDK Download” button for Java SE 10, accept the license agreement, and download the appropriate file for your system. Run the installer and follow the prompts.

Once done, open a terminal window and verify the version using java -version and javac -version. The output will be similar to:

$ java -version
java version "10.0.1" 2018-04-17
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 18.3 (build 10.0.1+10)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM 18.3 (build 10.0.1+10, mixed mode)
$ javac -version
javac 10.0.1

Note that $ above indicates the command prompt, and the lines below that are the output.

Install Eclipse Photon

You need to make sure you have the latest Eclipse IDE for Java Developers package for Eclipse Photon (v4.8). The direct download link is:

https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/release/photon/r/eclipse-ide-java-developers

Do NOT download the IDE for Java EE Developers, as we are using Java SE in class. There are installers available for Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux. Once downloaded, double-click the installer.

Setup Folders

I recommend you create a CS 212 folder, and within it create these subfolders:

• Workspace: This will be the folder for your Eclipse workspace.
• Repositories: This will be the folder for your GitHub repositories that will be used for homework and project submission (and Eclipse).
• Libraries: This will be the folder for your user libraries that will be installed in Eclipse. This folder will start empty, but will grow throughout the semester.

Eclipse does not behave well when you combine or nest the Workspace and Repositories folders. Keep these separate!

Configure Eclipse

Eclipse is a free, powerful, open-source, and configurable IDE. I recommend you spend some time configuring Eclipse to meet your needs. For example:

• Change the fonts used in the editor (reference). You can find several options on Google Fonts. My favorites are Source Code Pro Light, Roboto Mono Light, Anonymous Pro, and Incosolata. There are many fans of the customizable Input font as well.

  

• Change your save actions (reference). I usually remove unused imports and fix indentation at least.

  

• Change the code formatter (reference). You can set the brace style, where newlines and spaces are used, and fix how Eclipse formats try-with-resources code blocks.

  

• Customize the autocomplete code templates (reference, examples). I usually create one for printf myself.

• Change the layout and add different views. I usually add the Tasks view, which shows me all of my TODO comments.

The official guides for Eclipse are located at:

http://help.eclipse.org/photon/index.jsp

Eclipse is under active development, and bugs happen. Keep this in mind. For example, there is a bug with customizing newlines in the Java code formatter (but there is a posted fix).