Espresso: A Concentrated Introduction to Java
Summary: We describe how to compile and use Java in the Eclipse software development enviornment.
Prerequisites: Unix basics. Java basics. Java packages.
Disclaimer: Although I use the term Unix
throughout this document, the ideas apply equally well to Linux
, the variant of Unix we use in MathLAN.
Contents:
There are a variety of ways in which one can develop Java programs. It is certainly possible to develop Java programs using a simple editor, such as gedit, and command-line tools for compiling and running Java programs. However, many programmers find it easier to build programs in an environment designed explicitly for editing, running, and testing programs.
Eclipse is an industrial-strength integrated development environment designed generically for working with programs. Although Eclipse can be used to develop programs in a variety of languages, it is frequently used as a Java development environment. Eclipse has been implemented for all three major operating systems (Macintosh OS X, Microsoft Windows, and Unix variants, including Linux).
Because Eclipse is designed for professional software development, you may find it a bit cumbersome at first. However, after a week or two, you will find it relatively comfortable for software development, and a few weeks later, you'll find that it helps you work more efficiently.
For the purposes of your initial work in Java, you will find it most
convenient to have one class per file. (As we will soon see, if you make
changes to one class, this limits the amount of extra work the computer
must do to incorporate changes.) The name of the file must match the
name of the class. It must also end with the suffix .java
.
For example, if I created a class named First
, it would go
in the file First.java
. Fortunately, Eclipse follows this
naming convention.
As suggested above, it's a little bit cumbersome to set up
Eclipse to edit a Java program (that is, a collection of
.java
files).
/home/username/CSC152/Eclipse
.
In comparison to all of the setup steps mentioned above, running your Java program is fairly easy. Save your file, and then select Run as Java application from the Run menu. In many cases, the output will appear in a console at the bottom of the screen.
At times, you will find it more convenient to set up your project
outside of Eclipse and then import the directory structure
and .java
files into Eclipse. It is also relatively
straightforward to create projects that way.
Code
, I would
create the directory Code
(or, more precisely,
/home/username/CSC152/Code
.
username.packagename
requires two directories, a username
directory direclty within the project directory, and a
packagename
directory within the
username
directory.
/home/username/CSC152/Code
as the directory.
Sunday, 30 January 2005 [Samuel A. Rebelsky]
Tuesday, 30 August 2005 [Samuel A. Rebelsky]
Wednesday, 25 January 2006 [Samuel A. Rebelsky]
Thursday, 26 January 2006 [Samuel A. Rebelsky]
Thursday, 30 March 2006 [Samuel A. Rebelsky]
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