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:
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.
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.
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