We have endeavored to make the application as easy to run as possible, by focusing on some basic tools and technologies that almost every Spring developer would have on their development machine. Nevertheless, we provide the supplementary "getting started" information in Getting started with JBCP Calendar sample code section in Appendix, Additional Reference Material.

The primary method for integrating with the sample code is by providing Maven 3 compatible projects. Since many IDEs have rich integration with Maven, users should be able to import the code into any IDE that supports Maven. As many developers use Maven, we felt this was the most straightforward method of packaging the examples. Whatever development environment you are familiar with, hopefully you will find a way to work through the examples while you read the book.

Many IDEs provide Maven tooling that can automatically download the Spring and Spring Security 3.1 Javadoc and source code for you. However, there may be times when this is not possible. In such cases, you'll want to download the full releases of both Spring 3.1 and Spring Security 3.1. The Javadoc and source code are at the top notch, if you get confused or want more information, and the samples can provide an additional level of support or reassurance in your learning. Visit the Appendix, Additional Reference Material, to find additional information about Maven, which gives information about running the samples, obtaining the source code and Javadoc, and alternatives to building your projects without Maven.