eXTERNAL Tools Usage with Eclipse December 19, 2007

Using the External Tools feature in Eclipse

Eclipse is one of the best things to happen to the world of Java development. An open source community development project it may be…but planned well it is….
The code is strong in this one…..

All right that’s enough of me tryin to speak like Yoda.

So let’s talk about some hidden gems in eclipse. Here’s something most of developers may not use effectively. The external tools set of power tools that eclipse.
If I were to describe it 2 words Simbhu style “Chanceless !! Super !!”

Anyway through the course of my learning I have used it following configurations:

There are times when most of us developers would have used the command prompt in tandem with eclipse.
The legendry command prompt

This is my personal favorite; I mean there’s never been a time when I could do without this one. So the Console view we have in eclipse it logs at the data. So I was wondering if it’s possible to have the command prompt running from the Eclipse itself. Turns out that it can be done and it’s easier than what I would have expected.

So here how we do it:
Open the External Tools window:

In the location just specify the windows executable that needs to be run.
Let give a suitable name for the Lauch configuration like:
Command Prompt Launch

All right once this is done the launch target can be viewed by clicking
Run  External Tools

This illustration is an indication of the same.
So when we click on 2 that’s Command Prompt Launch
Tadaaa!!!

A sweet command prompt just for me and that too within eclipse, wow how cool is that.

So that cool the command prompt shell gets embedded in the SWT window or view or whatever but what about the AWT or Swing stuff.

I tried to add the PointBase DataBase UI which is a classic Swing/AWT program.
So went ahead with the standard configuration and ran the external target.
Alright opens up the UI as a standard Java Application.

The GC in Eclipse – Hidden Gems Inside Eclipse November 21, 2007

The thing I like most eclipse is that it has an amazing community concept going sure other folks are trying this but i’m not sure if the Eclipse success has been emulated elsewhere.
Anyways i use quite a few Java IDES, IntelliJ in a couple of previous projects and yup it’s one amazing IDE.

One feature that’s kinda useful for clearing the memory is a small trash can icon like the one below that clears up the memory.

Check it out the IntelliJ style

This is a neat feature simple, sweet and much needed.
I used to wonder if there was a similar feature in eclipse turns out that there is.

Checkout this URL:
http://dev.eclipse.org/viewcvs/index.cgi/~checkout~/platform-ui-home/dev.html

Me being the eclipse fan that i am i checked it out immidiately

The easy Find and Install; Accept the license and restart the workbench

Check out the config that here plugin’s got to offer from the Preferences pane.

And after the install’s completed you get to view the memory indicator on the right hand side of the eclipse window.

Yup a really useful little feature another feature that I love.

To the amazing people @ eclipse community – Thanks