Using the Options Window

You can use the Options window to change any of the IDE's configurable settings. You can apply specific settings globally or by project.

The left pane of the window contains a tree view of all of the configurable items in the IDE. The column under the Show Levels (<<) button displays the Project Setting  icon for settings that have a configuration specific to the current project. The right pane displays a property sheet, which contains the names and values of the settings for the item selected in the left pane. Some settings require multiple tabs for distinct categories of properties.

To open the Options window:

To edit a setting, click the setting's value in the property sheet.

Levels of Settings

The IDE can store settings at three levels:

By default, changes to general IDE settings are applied at the User level. Changes to settings that are more likely to vary by project are applied at the Project level. For example, unless you specify otherwise, changes to settings for compiling, running, and debugging are applied to the Project level.

The cells in the column under the Show Levels (<<) button indicate whether the corresponding settings are defined at the level of the current project or not. If the cell corresponding to the node you are configuring is empty, any changes that you have made in the property sheet are applied at the User level. If the cell contains the Project Setting icon, any changes that you have made in the property sheet are applied only to the current project.

You can see a table view of how the settings are stored by clicking the Show Levels (<<) cell. There are columns for project, user, and default settings. Each row represents a group of settings.

The following table defines the icons used to indicate the levels for settings.

Icon Description
 The settings for the corresponding node are defined at the level indicated in the column's title. Any changes made to those settings apply at that level.
 The settings for the corresponding node are inherited from a higher level.
 The settings for the corresponding node are ignored.

To configure a setting only for the current project:

  1. Choose Tools and choose Options.
  2. In the top row of cells, click the Origin of Setting (<<) cell to display the levels for the settings.
  3. Navigate to and select the node for the settings you want to configure.
  4. Click the cell in the Projects column for the settings node you have selected. Choose Define Here.

    The Project Setting icon appears in the Origin of Setting (<<) column.

  5. In the property sheet, configure the desired settings.

To configure a setting for all projects:

  1. Choose Tools and choose Options.
  2. In the top row of cells, click the Origin of Setting (<<) cell to display the levels for the settings.
  3. Navigate to and select the node for the settings you want to configure.
  4. Click the cell in the User column for the settings node you have selected. Choose Define Here.

    The Project Setting icon appears in the Origin of Setting (<<) column.

  5. In the property sheet, configure the desired settings.
Note If you create a user-level definition for a setting that already has a project-level definition for the current project, the project-level definition is removed. However, the user-level definition does not override project-level definitions for other projects.

To revert from a project setting to a user setting:

  1. Choose Tools and choose Options.
  2. In the top row of cells, click the Origin of Setting (<<) cell to display the levels for the settings.
  3. Navigate to and select the node for the settings you want to configure.
  4. Click the cell in the User column for the settings node you have selected. Choose Revert Definition.

    You are then prompted to check your work. Make sure you want to remove that node's configuration for the current project. If you click Yes, the project reverts to the setting stored at the User level.

To revert to the default setting:

  1. Choose Tools and choose Options.
  2. In the top row of cells, click the Origin of Setting (<<) cell to display the levels for the settings.
  3. Navigate to and select the node for the settings you want to configure.
  4. Click the cell in the Default column for the settings node you have selected. Choose Revert Definition.

    You are then prompted to check your work. Make sure you want to remove that node's configuration for the current project. If you click Yes, the project reverts to using the setting stored at the Default level.

See also
Configuring a Mounted Filesystem
Specifying Java Settings for a Project
Specifying the Default Compiler
Specifying the Default Executor
Specifying the Default Debugger

Specifying the Default Javadoc Search Engine
Specifying the Default Javadoc Executor
Modifying Doclet Properties
Using a Web Browser With the IDE
Configuring Menus

Configuring Toolbars
Configuring System Settings
Customizing the Output Window

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