Eclipse Tips & Tricks

1. Eclipse Day India 2014 | Eclipse Tips and Tricks
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Noopur Gupta
Eclipse JDT/UI Committer
IBM Software Labs, Bangalorenoopur_gupta@in.ibm.com

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Show Workspace Location in the Title Bar
OR
(-showLocation)

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Show Workspace Name in the Title Bar
(Window > Preferences > General > Workspace)

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Create Eclipse shortcuts with default workspaces
(-data workspacePath)

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Working Sets
Package Explorer >
Configure Working Sets…
Package Explorer >
Top Level Elements >
Working Sets

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Abbreviate package names with custom rules
Window > Preferences >
Java > Appearance > Abbreviate package names

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Export/Import
File > Export…
General > Preferences
File > Import…
General > Preferences

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Talk to Eclipse : Start typing and get the results from many categories of UI elements.
+
Ctrl
3

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+
Ctrl
O
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Quick Outline:
To list the structural elements of the file (such as classes, fields, methods for a Java source file). In-place Outline:
To pop up an in-place outline of the element at the current cursor position.
+
Ctrl
F3

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Toggle Breadcrumb tool bar buttonShowsthepathtotheelementatthecursorposition. Navigatetootherelementsviadrop-downsandinvokeactions(whenotherviewsarenotvisible). Also available on multiple editors that are open side-by-side.

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Ctrl+Clickonapropertykeyinthe*.propertiesfileshowstheplacesinsourcecodewhereitisbeingusedandtakesyoutothereferencingcode.

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Findsundefined,unusedandduplicatekeys.
Source > Find Broken Externalized Strings

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Fromastacktraceinlogfile,insteadoflocatingthefileandgoingtothelinenumberviaCtrl+L,useJavaStackTraceConsole. Copythestacktracefromlogfileandclick: Copythestacktraceandpasteontheconsole: ClickonthehyperlinksforJavaclassnameswithlinenumberstonavigate. Clickingontheexceptionnameinstacktracewillcreateanexceptionbreakpoint.
Navigate > Open from Clipboard
Console view > Open Console (drop-down menu) > Java Stack Trace Console
OR

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Toopenthefoldercontainingaresource,inyoursystem'sfileexplorer.
Context menu: Show In > System Explorer

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+
+
Alt

F1
+
+
Alt

F2

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JustcopytheJavacodeandpasteonPackageExplorer. AnewJavaprojectwillbecreatedandthefilewillbeopenedintheJavaeditor.

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Todeterminewholastmodifiedalineofcodeandwhen.

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
+
Ctrl

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ToseetheJavadocinsuchcases,pressandhover. Whenthereisanerror/warningatanidentifier,thecorrespondingmessageisshownonhoverinsteadoftheJavadoc. Updatetexthoverkeymodifersat:
Window > Preferences >
Java > Editor > HoversToseethesourceonhover,
pressandhover.
Or use Javadoc view.
Or use Declaration view.

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ToignorecertaintypesfromtheOpenTypedialog,contentassist,quickfixproposals,importorganizationetc.
Window > Preferences > Java > Appearance > Type FiltersExample:

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TemplatesareshowntogetherwiththeContentAssist(Ctrl+Space) proposals. Thereareexistingtemplatesthatyoucanconfigureordefinenewtemplates.
Window > Preferences >
Java > Editor > Templates
OR
Templates view

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Tofindallread/writeaccessestotheselectedfieldorlocalvariableinthechosenscope.
OR

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Toeditlargenumberofalmostidenticallines.

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Tovieworeditmultiplesectionsofalargefileatonce.
splits the editor one above the other
splits the editor side by side
+
+
Ctrl
Ctrl
_
{

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FormatterOff/Ontagscanbeusedinanycommenttoturntheformatteroffandon. Example:TopreventformattingofSQLqueries.

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+
Ctrl
1
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Don’ttypetoomuchyourself–LetEclipsehelpyouwithquickfixes, quickassists,refactorings,contentassistandmore. Examples:
Quick Assist:
Quick Fix:

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+
=
Delete current line
Ctrl
D
+
/
=
Move line(s)
Alt


+
=
Maximize/Minimize Editor/View
Ctrl
M
+
+
=
To upper case/ lower case
Ctrl

X
+
=
Comment/Uncomment line
Ctrl
/
/
Y
+
=
Quick Switch Editor
Ctrl
E
+
+
Alt


=
Expand selection to enclosing element
+
+
=
Lists all keyboard short cuts
Ctrl

L
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Examples:

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Tostepintoasinglemethodwithinaseriesofchainedornestedmethodcalls. Example:
+
+
Ctrl
Alt
Click
+
Ctrl
F5
OR
OR

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LineBreakpointConditionalBreakpointExceptionBreakpoint:
Whenexceptionsarepassedoverseverallayers,theyareoftenwrappedordiscardedinanotherexception.Tofindtheoriginsofanexception,useExceptionbreakpoint.Theexecutionwillsuspendwhenevertheexceptionisthrownorcaught.

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ClassloadBreakpoint:
Toinspectwhoistryingtoloadtheclassorwhereisitusedforthefirsttime. Watchpoint:
Tosuspendtheexecutionwhereafieldisaccessedormodified. MethodBreakpoint:
Tosuspendtheexecutionwhenthemethodisenteredorexited.

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:Apointincodewherethedebuggerdoesnotbreaktheexecutionbutonlyprintstoconsole. Todebugraceconditionsortoseetheorderofthreadsexecution. Topreventtheadditionofprintstatementsinthecodewhiledebugging.
Set a conditional breakpoint withSuspend when 'true'option and a condition which is always false (eg: return false;) as the last statement.

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Tofilteroutspecifiedclassesandpackageswhilestepingintocodeduringdebugging.
IntheDebugview,theselectedstackframe'spackageordeclaringtypecanbequicklyaddedtothelistoffiltersbyselectingFilterTypeorFilterPackagefromthestackframe'scontextmenu.
Window > Preferences >
Java > Debug > Step Filtering
OR

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Acontainerforrandomsnippetsofcodethatcanbeexecutedanytimewithoutacontext. ToexperimentwithanAPIortestapieceofcode(algorithm/method). Noneedtocreateanewproject/class/mainmethod/ runtheapplicationtotest.

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LASTBUTNOTTHELEAST!
Help > Welcome >
What’s New
Help > Tips and Tricks...

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