Eclipse tips and tricks

I've been working in Java for around a year and a half now. One of the best things about Java is working with Eclipse. It is a very good product.

When I started out, I found the product to be complex and intimidating. That's no surprise. While it has a good user interface, it's a powerful product with a number of concepts to grasp. Some people like to jump right in with new technology. For myself, I don't like starting without knowing anything.

Before starting Java development, I wanted something to read for an overview of how to use Eclipse effectively. It turns out that Eclipse has such a document. Under Help, click Tips and Tricks. This will bring up the tips and tricks switchboard.

From the switchboard I selected the Java development option, then the platform option. Each option brought up an extensive overview of useful things a developer could use. I printed off both and read them over.

It took around 2+ hours to read both tips and tricks right through. It was time well spent. I gained a much better understanding of what was going on in Eclipse and how to use it effectively. Especially useful were some of the time saving features and shortcuts.

I'd say that the 2-3 hours I spent reading the tips and tricks that first morning paid off in time saved within around the first two weeks. After that it's been all gravy. The Ctrl+Shift+R trick alone that I didn't know about before has saved me more than the amount of time I spent reading the tips and tricks. There are a number of things I use all the time in there that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

When a new version of Eclipse comes out I reread the tips and tricks. They are updated to cover the features of the new releases. Also I sometimes absorb stuff that I might have overlooked previous times I read it.

So if you're starting out in Elipse, or even of you've been using it for a while, I recommend you read the tips and tricks.