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Editors Views Perspectives

You use an Editor to enter text into Eclipse.

  • The JDT Java Editor provides syntax coloring, code completion, code recommendations, and code formatting, among other features.

  • A simple text editor is also included as part of the Eclipse Platform.

  • Other editors, such as an HTML editor, can be added as plug-ins.

  • Multiple editors can be open at once and they will appear as stacked instances with individual tabs for selection.

Views display information about an object; they typically supplement the data that is visible in the current editor.

  • The JDT provides a Package Explorer and Outline views, among others.

  • You'll see compiler errors in the Problems view

  • Text your program outputs will show in the Console view.

  • If your program reads data from System.in (say, using a Scanner), you can type it in the console.

  • Display additional views by choosing Window | Show View.

A Perspective is a pre-defined combination of editors and views arranged in the workbench for a particular kind of programming.

  • You can switch from one perspective to another to see the appropriate combination of views and editors for your current needs by choosing Window | Open Perspective.

  • The Window menu also allows you to save, customize, reset, and close Perspectives.

Open Perspective

The Java EE perspective is the default perspective that you will see after dismissing the welcome screen.

  • It includes the kind of views a developer would use while working on Java web applications.

  • Eclipse remembers which views you've used recently and provides buttons at the top right to switch back and forth.

Drill

Take a close look at the buttons across the top of Eclipse. Hover over each one to show what they do. Also go to File | New to see what wizards are listed there in the current, Java EE perspective. Look at the names of the views along the bottom. * Go to Window | Perspective | Open Perspective. * Choose Java. Notice the different views and buttons: * On the left, instead of Project Explorer you see Package Explorer. * There's now a New Class button in the button bar. * The File | New menu is now very different.

Close the Outline view on the right, and close the Package Explorer view on the left. * Now go to Window | Perspective and choose Reset Perspective..., answering Yes at the prompt.

Let's open a new view: * Go to Window | Show View and choose Tasks. * This view looks for Java comments of the form // TODO ... and displays them.

We'll stay in the Java perspective for this part of the program.

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