Key Concepts

To work in the IDE, you need to be familiar with these concepts:

Templates

To begin a new project, first select a template for the kind of object you want to create. The template determines the initial appearance and behavior of the object, thus reducing the amount of time and effort involved in creating your application. Java components, such as Swing and Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) containers, are provided as standard templates. Templates are also provided for applets, classes, dialog boxes, HTML files, text files, and bookmarks. Choose File and chooose New to find the template you want to use. After choosing a template, provide a name for the new object you are creating and provide a package name. You can then add that package to the filesystem.

Filesystems

In the IDE, the Filesystems pane shows a hierarchical organization of the Java class path and its directories. By following each node in the Explorer window down to its lowest level, you can see which objects, classes, methods, or files exist in a particular directory within the classpath. When you work in a particular project, you can go to the Filesystems pane in the Explorer window and expand a filesystem node to view the objects contained within it. Select an item and right-click to view an object's properties, modify the properties, change the object itself, and more. If you want to work on applications or filesystems created outside of the IDE, you must mount the filesystem as instructed in the section on Filesystems in the IDE.

Modules

The IDE is built entirely from modules, independent pieces of software that are compiled separately. Even features central to the environment, such as the Source Editor, debugger, and Form Editor, are modules. You can expand this modular structure with extensions. View the modules currently installed in your environment by choosing Tools and chooose Options to open the Options window. Expand IDE Configuration and then expand System. Select Modules to see the list of modules. Right-click a module and choose Properties from the contextual menu to view or edit properties. Every module in the IDE can be customized to better suit your needs. You can also add or update modules by using the Update Center wizard, which you can access by choosing Tools and chooose Update Center.

Projects

When you work in the IDE, you are working on a project, which organizes the files required to produce an applet or an application. When you organize your files into a project, you can operate on the files as a whole. For example, when you compile a project, you compile all of the Java source files in it. You create and manage projects by using the Project menu in the main window. To view the files in the current project, click the Project tab in the Explorer window. The Project tab is always labeled with the name of the current project.
See also
A Tour of the IDE
Filesystems and the Java Classpath
Managing Objects in the IDE
Configuring the IDE

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