Eclipse IDE Pocket Guide

Entering Code

You could run the program now, but it wouldn't be very interesting. So, let's add a few lines to print something out. Start by deleting the generated comment that says:

	//TODO Auto-generated method stub

Figure 3-4. Now the package has a file in it. You can further expand the file to see its classes.

Then replace it with this code:

	           for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
		System.out.println(
			"Hello, world " + i);
	}

When you're done, the Java editor should look similar to Figure 15.

Figure 3-5. This is 10 times better than the usual "Hello, world" program.

The editor looks innocent enough, but through its clever use of colors and annotations, the window is quietly conveying a great deal of information. A large number of options to control this information can be found under Window → Preferences → Java → Editor.

Tip

Press Ctrl+Shift+F (or select Source → Format) to reformat your code and fix any indentation and spacing problems. Do this early and often. If you'd like, you can customize the formatting rules in the Java preferences.