Downloading and Installing NetBeans IDE
5. NetBeans - Tips & Tricks: General Usage
These are the features that I find to be most useful in NetBeans:
- Maximizing Window (double-click): You can double-click on the "header" of any panel to maximize that particular panel, and double-click again to restore it back. This is particularly useful for editing source code in full panel.
- Code Auto-Complete (or Intelli-Sense) (ctrl-space): Enter a partial statement (e.g., Sys) and press control-space to activate the auto-complete, which displays all the available choices.
- Javadoc (ctrl-space, alt-F1): Place the cursor on a method or class, and press ctrl-space to view the javadoc; or right-click ⇒ Show Javadoc (alt-F1) to open it on a browser.
- Code Shorthand (tab): For example, you can enter "
sout
" and press TAB for "System.out.println
"; "psvm
" for "public static void main(String[] args) { }
" or "for
i" + tab for a for-loop. To view and configure code template, choose "Tools" menu ⇒ "Options" ⇒ "Editor" ⇒ "Code Templates". - Formatting Source Code (alt-shift-f): Right-click on the source (or from the "Source" menu) ⇒ Choose "Format". NetBeans will layout your source codes with the proper indents and format. To configure the formatting, choose "Tools" menu ⇒ "Options" ⇒ "Editor" ⇒ "Formatting".
You can also select the section of codes to be formatted, instead of the entire file. - Hints for Correcting Syntax Error: If there is a syntax error on a statement, a red mark will show up on the left-margin on that statement. You could click on the "light bulb" to display the error message, and also select from the available hints for correcting that syntax error.
- Rename (Refactor) (ctrl-r): To rename a variable, place the cursor on that variable, right-click ⇒ "Refactor" ⇒ "Rename" ⇒ Enter the new name. All the appearances of that variables in the project will be renamed.
- Small Programs: You can keep many small toy programs (with
main()
) in one Java project instead of create a new project for each small program. To run the desired program, on the "editor" panel ⇒ right-click ⇒ "Run File". - Source Toggle Comment: To temporarily comment-off a block of codes, choose "Source" ⇒ "Toggle Comment".
- Error Message Hyperlink: Click on an error message will hyperlink to the corresponding source statement.
- Command-Line Arguments: To provide command-line arguments to your Java program in NetBeans, right-click on the "project" ⇒ "Set as Main Project" ⇒ "Set Configurations" ⇒ "Customize..." ⇒ "Run" ⇒ select the "Main" class ⇒ type your command-line arguments inside the "Arguments" field ⇒ choose "Run" menu ⇒ "Run Main Project".
- Line Numbers: To show the line numbers, right-click on the left-margin ⇒ "Show Line Numbers".
- Changing Font Face and Size: Tools ⇒ Options ⇒ Fonts & Colors ⇒ In "Category", select "Default" ⇒ In "Font", choose the font face and size.
- Resetting Window View: If you mess up the window view (e.g., you accidentally close a window and cannot find it anymore), you can reset the view via "Window" menu ⇒ "Reset Windows".
- Code Templates: For example, when you create a new Java class, NetBeans retrieves the initial contents from the "Java Class" code template. To configure code templates, select "Tools" menu ⇒ "Templates" ⇒ Choose the desired template ⇒ "Open in Editor". To set a value of a variable used in the all the code templates (e.g.,
$User
), select "Tools" menu ⇒ "Templates" ⇒ "Settings". - Displaying Chinese Character: Need to choose a font that support chinese character display, such as "Monospace", in Tools ⇒ Options ⇒ Fonts & Colors ⇒ Syntax ⇒ default.
- Changing the JDK Location: The Netbeans configuration file is located at "
etc\netbeans.conf
". Edit the directive "netbeans_jdkhome
".