Preface

This is the book I wanted to read when I started using Eclipse three years ago. The book didn't exist—until now. It's different from other books that assume you know nothing, but it does not leave you hanging if subjects such as JUnit or CVS are unfamiliar. If you are experienced in Java development or are already working with Eclipse, you'll still benefit from a clear description and examples that can turn you into a power user. This book distills the extensive features and preference settings so that Eclipse becomes the indispensable tool it has become for me.

The topics presented in Eclipse Distilled are essential knowledge for anyone using Eclipse to develop Java applications, whether you are creating new plug-ins that extend Eclipse or building and testing enterprise applications. Other books have been written about developing new plug-in contributions for Eclipse (see references at the end of Chapter 1). This book is about using Eclipse. In it, we work on an order management and product catalog application while learning Eclipse.

Many project teams are striving to become more agile by following an iterative development process and accommodating new or changing requirements throughout the lifecycle. Your team may be following a specific methodology, such as Extreme Programming (XP), or customizing a set of agile development practices suited to your organization's culture and project requirements. Successful agile development requires a combination of management practices and software development practices. This book describes specific capabilities that are designed into Eclipse to support agile development while writing, building, and testing your code.

This book is based on my personal experiences and those of others around me while using Eclipse to build production code. I've monitored the Eclipse newsgroups for three years, and I've included answers to common questions and misunderstandings in this book. While distilling these topics I tried to convey a deeper insight into how Eclipse works and how you can use it in the most productive way.

You will benefit from Eclipse Distilled if

• You are developing any kind of Java application and are either new to Java or already an expert. You'll step through wizards while creating and running your first Java project and use the advanced capabilities while debugging, unit testing, and more.

• You are creating new plug-ins for Eclipse and need a deeper understanding about how Eclipse works and how it is used for professional development. The most successful plug-ins fit seamlessly into the natural flow of activities performed by Eclipse users.

• You are applying agile development practices or would like to do so. Even if you are part of a traditional, non-agile project team, you can still benefit from applying unit testing, refactoring, and continuous integration to your deliverables.

• You really don't care about methodology but want expertise in Eclipse that only comes from a deeper understanding of how it was intended to be used.

• You are a college student using Eclipse for a class project. Having access to an open source development tool with these capabilities allows more complete, realistic assignments and team projects, and it prepares you for quick transition into your first job.