Mastering your Eclipse IDE - Java tooling, Tips & Tricks!

Demo session at EclipseCon Europe 2019.
YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/8WcntACvfl4

Eclipse IDE provides a lot of powerful features and capabilities. With so much functionality at disposal, many users don't use the full potential of the IDE. To be productive, mastering your IDE is as important as mastering your source code.

In this session, I will unleash many tips and tricks that will allow you to better use the Eclipse IDE and be more productive in your routine development tasks. I will cover various topics from efficiently organizing your workspace content to navigating, coding and debugging. This will include a glimpse of the cool new features added in the recent releases of Eclipse IDE.

With faster Java releases, it is an exciting time to be a Java developer. I will show you how the new tooling features in Eclipse IDE help you in making your experience more convenient and pleasant while working with the new Java versions.

During this talk, you will have many "Ah, I didn't know Eclipse can do that!" moments. Some of the examples include:

- Determining who last modified a line of code and when, plug-in spies
- Popping up an in-place outline of the element at current position
- Bookmarks and Tasks
- Grouping, sorting and sharing breakpoints
- Trigger points and trace points
- Tagging and filtering JUnit Jupiter tests
- Finding the functional method from lambda expressions and method references
- Quickly adding the missing module dependencies
- Identifying the inferred type for ‘var’
- Quickly enabling preview features and working with latest Java constructs like switch expressions

Come and learn about the best Eclipse IDE capabilities that you might not be knowing yet. There will be something new for everybody.

Transcript

1. Noopur Gupta Eclipse JDT co-lead IBM @noopur2507 @EclipseCon @EclipseJavaIDE Java tooling, Tips & Tricks! Mastering your IDE
2. OVERVIEW Appearance Navigation Investigation Coding Debugging Java Tooling JUnit 5 Tooling
3. • Window > Appearance • Hide Toolbar, Status Bar • Full Screen (Alt + F11) • Show key bindings when command is invoked • Zoom in Text Editors • Zoom In: Ctrl + + (or) Ctrl + = • Zoom Out: Ctrl + - • Pinch gestures on touch-enabled devices • Working Sets • Preferences > Java > Appearance • Abbreviate Package Names with Custom Rules • Sort Library Entries Alphabetically in Package Explorer APPEARANCE
4. • Quick Access / Find Actions (Ctrl + 3) • Quick Switch Editor (Ctrl + E) – Open editors list • ‘Delete’ key – close editor • Quick Outline (Ctrl + O, twice to show inherited members) • In-place Outline (Ctrl + F3) • Configure problem severity quick fix (Ctrl + 1) • Hovers (Preferences > Java > Editor > Hovers) • In-place Javadoc (with error/warning on element) • Ctrl + Shift and hover, or use Javadoc view • In-place source code • Shift and hover, or use Declaration view • Sticky Hover (F2) – Open attached Javadoc in a Browser • Expand vertical ruler icons upon hovering NAVIGATION
5. • Go to last edit location (Ctrl + Q) • Alt + Left/Right – move backward/forward in editor navigation history • Markers • Bookmarks • Right-click on left editor pane > Add Bookmark… • Bookmarks view • Tasks • Right-click on left editor pane > Add Task… • Tasks view • Preferences > Java > Compiler > Task Tags • Show In (Alt + Shift + W) > System Explorer NAVIGATION
6. • Plug-in Spies • Alt + Shift + F1 – Plug-in Selection Spy • Alt + Shift + F2 – Plug-in Menu Spy • Alt + Shift + F3 – Show Contributing Plug-in • Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F9 – Layout Spy • Plug-in Image Browser • Externalized Strings • Ctrl + Click on key in .properties file to find referencing code • Show Revision Information • To determine who last modified a line of code and when • Right-click on left editor pane > Show Revision Information INVESTIGATION
7. • UI Responsiveness Monitoring • For automatic detection and logging of stack traces when Eclipse UI is unresponsive • Window > Preferences > General > UI Responsiveness Monitoring • Java Stack Trace Console • Copy stack trace from log file and Navigate > Open from Clipboard (Ctrl + Shift + V) • Click on hyperlinks to jump to the code • Click on exception name hyperlink to create an exception breakpoint INVESTIGATION
8. • Content Assist - Insert or Overwrite • Replace existing text while invoking content assist • Press ‘Ctrl’ to toggle while content assist is active • Content Assist Templates • Configure/Create in Templates view, Export/Import in Preferences • Content Assist Postfix Proposals • Preferences > Java > Editor > Content Assist > Advanced • Auto Activation of Content Assist • Auto activation triggers for Java • Disable insertion triggers except ‘Enter’ • Preferences > Java > Editor > Content Assist • Type Filters • Ignore certain types from content assist, imports organization, quick fixes, open type dialog etc. • Preferences > Java > Appearance > Type Filters CODING
9. • Code Minings (as decorative text; via extension point) • Preferences > Java > Editor > Code Minings • Show references • Show implementations • Show method parameter names or, Show method parameter hints – Ctrl + Shift + Space • Block Selection Mode (Alt + Shift + A) • To edit a large number of almost identical lines at the same time • Expand selection to enclosing element (Alt + Shift + Up / Down) • Duplicate lines (Ctrl + Alt + Up / Down) • Move lines (Alt + Up / Down) • Delete lines (Ctrl + D) CODING
10. • Smart Step Into (Ctrl + F5 or Ctrl + Alt + Click) o To step into a single method within a series of chained or nested method calls • Step Filters o To filter out specified classes and packages while stepping into code o Preferences > Java > Debug > Step Filtering • Run to Line (Ctrl + Alt + Click on left editor pane) • Grouping and Sharing breakpoints – Breakpoints view o Sort by name or creation time o Group by various categories or create working sets o Share by exporting/importing breakpoint groups DEBUGGING
11. • Tracepoint • A point in code where the debugger does not break the execution but only prints to console • Prevents the addition of print statements in code while debugging • Can be used to debug race conditions or to see the order of execution of threads • Run > Toggle Tracepoint • Trigger Point • Set a breakpoint as trigger point in Breakpoint Properties • All the breakpoints (except trigger points) are disabled until a trigger point is hit • All the trigger points are disabled after a trigger point is hit and all the trigger points will be re-enabled for the next run • Remove all trigger points – context-menu action in Breakpoints view • Hit count - The breakpoint suspends the execution of a thread only when it is encountered for the Nth time. DEBUGGING
12. • Paste Code on Package Explorer • A new Java project will be created and the file will be opened in Java editor • Java 13 – Switch Expressions, Text Blocks – As preview features • Enable preview features in Preferences • Switch Expressions and Enhanced Switch Statements • Add missing case statements and default case • Split case labels • Ctrl + Click on ‘case’ and ‘default’ to jump to the target location in switch • Text blocks • Double-click to select text block content • Refactoring e.g. Extract to local variable (replace all occurrences), Inline local variable • Ctrl + I to indent JAVA TOOLING
13. • Java 11 and Java 10 - ‘var’ support • Declare extracted local variable’s type as ‘var’ • Replace ‘var’ with inferred type & vice-versa • Hover to view the inferred type for ‘var’ • Ctrl + Click to navigate to the inferred type of ‘var’ • Java 9 – Java Platform Module System • Convert to modular project - create module-info.java action • Add libraries to module path • Configure properties of module graph • Quick fix to identify and add required module to module-info.java • Create and export a non-empty package in a single step from module-info.java • Quick fix to provide a service implementation from module-info.java JAVA TOOLING
14. • Java 8 – Lambda Expressions and Method References • Convert anonymous class to lambda and back • Convert lambda to method reference and back • Add inferred lambda parameter types • View and navigate to the functional method • Refactoring on functional interface instances e.g. Change method signature • https://wiki.eclipse.org/JavaX/Examples, X is Java version JAVA TOOLING
15. • Quick assist to create JUnit Jupiter test class and test method • Grouped assertions and combined result comparison • Navigate to failing source location • Double-click on entry in JUnit view’s failure trace • Click "Show Stack Trace in Console View" button and use the hyperlinks • Tagging and Filtering (@Tag) • Configure Tags dialog in JUnit launch configuration • Embracing JUnit 5 with Eclipse IDE – Webinar JUnit 5 TOOLING
16. • List all keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + Shift + L) • Configure keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + Shift + L - twice): Preferences > General > Keys • Eclipse Help > Tips and Tricks… • Eclipse Help > Welcome > What’s new • New and Noteworthy: https://www.eclipse.org/eclipse/news/4.x • Twitter • @EclipseJavaIDE • #EclipseTips • Instagram RESOURCES
18. Thank You! @noopur2507 @EclipseCon @EclipseJavaIDE