IDEs have evolved so much along the years that it's hard to imagine writing Java code without using one. It's always possible, of course, to use text editors or very simple IDEs, but Eclipse provides so many features to make the writing of code easier and faster, that once you get used to it, chances are you will never look back.
Given the productivity gain that an IDE like Eclipse might provide, mastering it is almost as important as mastering Java programming itself. The goal of this chapter is to present the most important features Eclipse has to offer to Java programmers.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
Create a new Java project or import an existing one
Navigate swiftly through the code
Use Java views effectively
Refactor code in an easy and safe way
Get Eclipse to generate code and fix code issues