Add comments and Javadocs in Eclipse with a single keystroke
When you want to work with comments in Eclipse, you could use the slow way of moving to the start of the line, pressing // and then repeating this for all the lines you have. Or you could use the quick...
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Quick ways to navigate Eclipse editors using the keyboard
You’ll often end up with a lot of open editors in Eclipse and consequently needing to navigate between them. You can use the mouse for this, but that often disturbs your flow when your typing, slowing...
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Convert nested/anonymous classes into top level classes using Eclipse...
Nested classes, eg. anonymous classes, are often more convenient than creating separate classes, especially when working with something like the Command pattern or event listeners. For example: JButton...
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Configure those annoying tooltips in Eclipse to only popup on request
Whenever you hover over any piece of code in Eclipse, it pops up a tooltip that displays more information about the item, such as its declaration, variable values or Javadoc information, as in the...
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The fastest ways to open editors in Eclipse using the keyboard
Something you do a lot in Eclipse is open files such as classes, XML files and property files in editors. But using the mouse to hunt through the Package Explorer folder hierarchy takes a long time,...
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Generate, rename and delete getters/setters instantly in Eclipse
Despite the arguments and debates about getters and setters in Java, the fact is that they’re a reality and you have to work with them. But managing getters and setters is a time-consuming effort....
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The easiest ways to navigate methods in a class using Eclipse keyboard shortcuts
Java classes can get big and hairy, making it difficult to find the method you’re looking for when browsing or editing a class. There is no specific order to where methods can be in a class and...
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Skip over certain classes when using Step Into in Eclipse’s debugger
Whenever I use the Step Into feature (F5) in Eclipse’s debugger, I’m mainly interested in stepping through code in my own classes, not the ones from external libraries or even Java classes. For...
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Compare two workspace or external files in Eclipse
We all have our favourite diff tools for comparing files and it’s probably not Eclipse itself, unless you’re comparing version controlled files. But sometimes you’ll want to compare two files from...
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Disable Eclipse formatting for certain sections of code only
In a previous tip, I showed how to automatically format code every time you save in Eclipse or how to manually format by pressing Ctrl+Shift+F. These work great most of the times but sometimes you want...
View ArticleEssential tools to manage import statements in Eclipse
It’s a big hassle to manually organise package import statements so it’s important to know what tools are available so your IDE can handle imports as quickly and quietly as possible. Adding import...
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Run a single JUnit test method in Eclipse
Normally you would run all JUnit tests to ensure that changes haven’t broken any of the tests. But sometimes you want to focus on a single test method and only rerun that test, especially if running...
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Easy ways to identify different branches when using Eclipse
When working on different branches in Eclipse, you’ll often find yourself wondering if you’re working in the right workspace for the right branch. This is especially an issue if you have multiple...
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