top

COMP 202: Principles of Object-Oriented Programming II

← DrJava Project Facility →

Home — Fall 2008

DrJava's Project facility allows the developer to organize their work into a cohesive unit. It allows the developer to

Manage multiple files and multiple packages easily and effectively
Distinguish between files that are part of a particular piece of work, separate from other files used for reference.
Separate compiled from non-compiled code.

Creating a Project in DrJava

First create a directory that will hold all the code and supplemental materials for your project. Use a folder name that is relevant to the project.
Below that directory, make two subdirectories:
1. src -- holds all the Java source files. Put any existing source code you have in here. If the code is in a package, then put the entire package directory here.
2. classes -- holds all the compiled class files.
Start DrJava and select Project/New...
Save the project in the project folder you created, using an appropriate name.
Go to Project/Project Preferences and set the Build Directory to be the classes directory you made above.
If you know what class holds the main() function, set the Main Document field to that class in the src directory.
Go to File/Open Folder... and open the src directory. This will bring in any existing code that you have.

Adding a File to the Project

Add a file to the project using File/New... or the speed button as usual. The file will be added to the project when it is saved with a name.
The same applies for new unit tests.

Compiling the Project

Under the Project menu, select Compile Project to compile everything in the project or Compile Open Project Files to compile just the files that are open.
The Compile All speed button compiles all files whether or not they are in the project.

Testing the Project

Under Projects, select Test Project.

Clearing the compiled files

This feature is useful when zipping up project directories when you don't wish to include the compiled class files.

Under Projects, click on Clean Built Directory. This will erase all files in the classes folder.

← DrJava Project Facility →