This tutorial explains the step-by-step guide for configuring the database connection within your Eclipse environment. It is one of the advantage for the developer to check the database operations within Eclipse itself instead of checking with external tool. However, this would not have the advanced database operations, but will be handy for checking the updated status of the database. This example demonstrates the MySQL database to be added in Eclipse, however the same steps will be applicable to other database. Before you install the database, you have to download the driver JAR file in your system.

1. Open Data Source Explorer in Eclipse

Open Window -> Show View -> Date Source Explorer

When you open the window, it would look like this below screenshot.

2. Create New Connection

Right click on the above database option and select “New” for creating the new connection from the database. This below wizard shows the list of databases it supports, here we select the MySQL for our example.

3. MySQL Driver

The below wizards helps you to configure the MySQL driver package and the connection details. This wizard shows the empty list, you have to click on the icon just beside the field “Drivers” which open the new dialog to add the MySQL drivers from your system. If you already have it configured, the the field “Drivers” would list the driver names.

Select the MySQL version to be configured.

If you don’t have the JAR files added, please add it manually by clicking on the “Add Jar/Zip” button.

Look at the below screenshot, the MYSQL driver is successfully configured and shown in the list. This wizard also helps you to test the connection. If you click on the button “Test Connection”, it will test the connection with database.

4. MySQL Data Source Configured in Eclipse

That’s it!. You have configured the database right within your Eclipse project. You can view the data by clicking on the options provided.

 

This example demonstrates how to create the JAR file within your Eclipse environment. If you are working with Eclipse IDE, it is easy to right click on the project and export the project contents to a JAR files. The export wizard takes input as the various parameters to create the JAR file. Lets look st the step-by-step guide.

1. Right Click On Project To Create JAR File

2. Select JAR File Option in Export Wizard

3. Select Content of JAR File

4. JAR Packaging Options

5. JAR Manifest Options

Rafactoring History is one of the rarely useful feature supported by Eclipse. If you are do lot of changes in the project, using this feature you could see the list of changes done on that project with the brief details about the changes. Note that this is not similar to the local history where local history maintains the version of the file itself which can be replaced with the old versions. Refactoring History provides the hint of all the changes done on the specific project. You can delete the details if you want.

Look at the below screen for updating the Refactoring History settings. If you look at the below picture, it shows the list of changes and time when the change completed. Also “Remove” button will be used for deleting the change history.

Navigate to the path — <Right Click Project> -> Properties -> Refactoring History

If you are working with Eclipse, it has the internal browser for running the web applications. By default, this option is set to its own Eclipse system web browser which will be running inside the Eclipse environment itself. Typically developers run the web applications using the “Run As” command by right click on the web projects. This would open the default browser configured for the Eclipse environment. Eclipse supports the configurations to change the default browser to FireFox, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer (IE). If you change the default browser, when ever you run the web applications, the application will open the configured browser.

Lets look the details of the configuration for default browser settings.

Navigate to the path Windows -> Preferences -> General -> Web Browser

Also you can add the another web browser apart from the list in the above screenshot by clicking on the “New” button. You have to provide the location of the browser installation directory in the system.

Eclipse provides cool short cut key for renaming the variables across within a class or entire workspace. If you are not aware of this feature, you would use “find” option and replace the variable with new name. But, this will lead to a problem of not renaming all the references. You can easily rename the variables by typing the short cut ALT + SHIFT + R in your Eclipse. There are two ways to to this:

1. Move the curson over variable name and type CTRL + 1 for quick fix which would suggest the option to change the variable in a file or workspace. You just select the desired one to start rename the variable.
2. Second option is to directly type ALT + SHIFT + R to rename the variable.

Look at the below screenshots which clearly describes how to do the renaming.

1. Short Cut Key : CTRL + 1

When you type the short cut key CTRL + 1, it will display the suggestion box like this one below.

2. Short Cut Key : ALT + SHIFT + R

When you type the short cut key ALT + SHIFT + R, it will change the editor like shown below to allow the editing variable names.

One of the awesome feature in Eclipse is to create the custom code template to insert on the appropriate context. For example, there is default for loop template is exist in the Eclipse IDE, if you type for and press CTRL + SPACE, it would insert the complete for loop syntax with the condition. This eliminates the need for writing the entire block. In the same way, we can write our own custom code template for most commonly used coding techniques. In this example, I have created a custom code template for checking the null values inside the methods. Lets look the below pictures.

1. Open Templates in Eclipse

As a first step, open the templates window by navigating to Windows -> Preferences -> Java -> Editor -> Templates. This dialog box displays all the configured templates. You can edit any of the existing templates or create the new template by clicking on the “New” button. Also there is an import option for importing the available templates in a file.

2. Create New Template

After you click on the “New” button, you would see the small dialog window as below. Here you have to provide the following details:

1. Name : Name of the template. This will be displayed as the suggestions when you type CTRL + SPACE
2. Description : This field is explanation for the template.
3. Pattern : This is the actual template pattern that will be applied in the code. Here this template checks for the “null” value of the local variable and throws the NullPointerException if it is null.

After you fill the detail, click on the “OK” button. Your template would be saved.

[code lang=”java”]
if (${arg:localVar} == null)
throw new ${exception:link(NullPointerException,IllegalArgumentException)}("${arg:localVar} is null");
[/code]

3. Use Custom Code Template

Now it is time for the implementation demo. Just type “null” and then press CTRL + SPACE. You would be seeing the below suggestion box which shows the custom template we have just added in the above step. Also in the right side pane it shows the actual implementation that will occur. Here the variables are substituted with actual local variables. Once you press the “Enter” key, this code will be inserted. Like this you can create more complex templates.

When you are working within a class, often you would need to look up or navigate to the specific method in the same class. If you are not aware of CTRL + O short cut, then probably you would have searched the method using search dialog or scroll down manually to the method. However, if you type CTRL + O, Eclipse will prompt a inline dialog box with the list of variables and methods defined in the same class. Private members will be displayed in red icon and public members will be displayed with green icon. Developer can click on the method and navigate to that location. It saves lot of time. Lets look at the screenshot of how it looks like.

 

In Eclipse environment, library means set of JAR files which is used for implementing a particular framework or version. By default, Eclipse comes with set of libraries used for the Java environments, Web applications, etc. which are known as the system / web libraries. To make things simpler, Eclipse has the facility to create own library with the set of JAR files selected by the developer. This custom user library can be used across all the projects in the Eclipse workspace. This tutorial explains how to create user library in step-by-step guide.

1. Open Java Build Path

Libraries and dependencies has to be configured in the Java build path option. Navigate to Windows -> Preferences -> Java Build Path. Click on the “Add Library” button.

 

2. Open Library Window

Once click on the “Add Library”, a window will open. Then click on the “User Library” option.

3. Open User Library List Window

4. Add User Library Name

5. Add JARs to User Library

6. Add User Library To Classpath

Once you are ready with the library, it can be added to the classpath of any projects.

This example illustrates how to add the server instance using the server wizard in Eclipse. One of the greatest advantage of using the IDE’s like Eclipse is that developers can use the server instances inside the editor itself without leaving the Eclipse environment. Eclipse itself supports the multiple server adapters to easily integrate the server by just location the server installation directory. Here I have added the screenshots to add server for more clarity.

1. List Server Runtime Environments

Navigate to Windows -> Preferences -> Server -> Runtime Environments  to open the window for listing the configured runtime environments. You can configure the as many as servers within your eclipse instance. Click on the “Add” button to add new server instance.

2. Select Server Type

Once you have clicked the “Add”, you will be presented with the list of server types supported by the Eclipse. If it is not listed, try to download by clicking the link “Download additional server adapters”.

3. Select Server Location

This is the last step to configure the server. Here click on the “Browse” button and select the home directory of the server type you have selected in the previous step. If the selected folder is not valid server configuration, you will see an error. Clicking on the “Finish” button will add the server to the server panel. Server is ready for the use.

One of the cool feature in the Eclipse IDE is to retrieve the old back up of change done for each file from the local history. Many of the developers are not aware of this feature to get the old changes when somethings are overwritten by mistake. There is setting in the Eclipse to change this default settings by removing the local history or set the preferred days and file size as the limit to maintain the local history.

Local History Settings in Eclipse

To navigate to the local history settings, use the following path.

Windows -> Preferences -> General -> Workspace -> Local History

By selecting the check box “Limit History Size”, you can update the settings. If you remove the selection, it will be saved for ever it would reduce the eclipse performance. The files are stored in the local disk itself. Look at the screenshot of the window for update the settings.

The old versions can be retrieved by right click on the project and select the menu local history. Look at this screenshot.