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A number of IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) are available for programmers creating Java applications.
- NetBeans (Free) and derivatives like SunJavaStudio? (Commercial) and Compuware OptimalJ? (Commercial)
- JBuilder (Free Foundation Edition and Commercial)
- Eclipse (Free) and derivatives like WebSphereStudio (Commercial)
- IntellijIdea (Free for 30 days)
- JEdit (Free)
- JDeveloper (Commercial) NOTE: JDev is free until you go into production; so if you are just learning or prototyping, it's free
- DrJava
- Jext (Free)
- Gel (Free)
- AppDevStudio (Commercial available from SAS)
- JCreator (Commercial)
- Pramati Studio (Commercial)
- BlueJ (Free)
- Zeus for Windows (Shareware)
- The AbaGUIBuilder is a visual Java GUI builder written in Java designed to look like the Delphi/VB designer. The GUI Builder was conceived to help the application developer design and create UI Java applications in a rapid manner.
- jvider: GUI builder tool for Java™ Swing applications. With jvider you can easily design graphical user interfaces for your Java™ applets and applications.
- Java Development Environment for Emacs
- Abeille Forms Designer is a GUI builder for Java applications. Developers and designers can create complex, professional forms in minutes. Designers can drag and drop components onto a WYSIWYG editor. Full support for undo/redo and copy/paste is provided. Components can be easily customized by adding images or modifying their properties. Advanced fill effects are supported such as textures and gradients.
- Foam is an easy-to-use Java GUI development system, featuring simplified GUI screen building without traditional layout headaches. Foam separates GUI designs from Java code. Great for beginners and professionals alike.
- JFormDesigner ™ is an innovative multi-platform WYSIWYG GUI designer for Java ™ Swing user interfaces. It is easy and intuitive to use and provides a lot of powerful features like IntelliGap ™, move of columns or rows, in-place-editing of tab titles and titled borders, generation of nested Java classes and others. JFormDesigner supports various layout managers like JGoodies FormLayout, TableLayout, GridBagLayout, BorderLayout and others.
- JACK - a Java API Explorer
- and many more -- see JavaWorld's list
Important features these IDEs typically support include:
- text editor for Java sources colored according to syntax
- code completion which shows you available classes and methods for your current code, and sometimes JavaDoc documentation
- compiling individual sources or entire applications, typically with Javac
- running the application to try it out
- running the application in a debugger, usually using JPDA
- creating a deployable package for the application, for example an applet, JAR, WAR, EAR, JavaWebStart page, or native installer
- Refactoring
- creating Swing-based GUI forms
- binding classes to XML schemas or database tables
- creating EJBs and maintaining connections between them
- writing JSPs and viewing them in a container like Tomcat
- creating and running Ant build scripts
- creating UML models from source code or vice-versa
- profiling an application and showing performance hotspots
- obfuscating a compiled application so it cannot be decompiled easily
- editing JavaDoc
- looking for common coding mistakes and antipatterns
- displaying code metrics
- wizard-driven Struts development
- generating unit testing classes based on JUnit
- memory and execution profiling
Java IDE Reviews
- TechBookReport Reviews of Java development environments (jEdit, jCreator) and books devoted to specific IDEs (Eclipse and BlueJ?).
Discussion about JavaIDEs
moved references from IDEs page (Jext & DrJava) and deleted duplicate page -- RonGoldman
IntellijIdea is really good. Gel is also really good and fast. Ideal for small development projects. (Comments apparently from Main.asrinath) DougPardee moved those comments down here, "below the line", 18-June-2003.
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