Using Abbreviations

The Source Editor has a set of customizable abbreviations that can expand from a few predefined characters into a full word or phrase. This feature is particularly useful for long and frequently used Java keywords.

To expand a Source Editor abbreviation:

Tip To add a space without checking for abbreviations, press Shift-spacebar.

To see or customize the list of abbreviations:

  1. Choose Tools and choose Options.
  2. Expand Editing and expand Editor Settings, and select an editor.
  3. Select the Abbreviations property and click the ellipsis (...) button. The Abbreviations property editor appears, enabling you to view, add, edit, or remove abbreviations.
Tip To specify where the insertion point is placed after an abbreviation is expanded, place a vertical bar (|) in the expansion text. For example, the serr abbreviation is defined in the Java editor as:

System.err.println("|");

When serr is expanded, the insertion point is placed between the quote marks.

See also
Using Code Completion
Using the Word Match Feature
Sharing Source Editor Settings

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