15 Greatest Free Eclipse Plug-ins For Java Developers

Here are some great plug-ins that will prove handy for Java developers. CodeKill takes a look.  

Eclipse provides an integrated development environment which has a stretchable plug-in system enabling it to offer all functionality over its run-time system. It also differs from other applications.

Possessing a suitable Eclipse plug is crucial as it assists the Java developers in seamlessly developing and implementing applications that are J2EE and service-based. Please see below 15 greatest and free Eclipse plug-ins making a developer more productive -

Code Quality Plugins

1.FindBugs – This plug-in is utilized with eclipse IDE and is the software used for locating bugs in Java programs. It’s a free software licensed under Lesser GNU Public License. For further information you can go to -FindBugs

2.Checkstyle – This plug-in can be integrated to IDE Eclipse ensuring the Java code follows the coding standards. For further information you can go to - Checkstyle

3.ECLemma – This is a free tool that can be taken via Eclipse Public License providing fast development and test cycles. You can make use of the “launch” in the code coverage mode that functions like actual run/debug mode. For further information you can go to - ECLemma

Text Editor Plugins

4. AnyEdit Tools - The plug-in helps to add new editor to output consoles, toolbar, and it also help to import and export data. It is licensed under Eclipse Public License v1.0. For further information you can go to - AnyEdit Tools

5. Eclim - Eclim helps to bring Eclipse functionality to one of the best editors - Vim, wherein development can be done in various languages and it also provides bug fixing provisions. It is released under GPLV3. For further information you can go to -Eclim

6. Eclipse-rbe - Eclipse-rbe is used for editing Java resources and its features include warnings for missing values, sorted keys, conversion from/to Unicode etc. It is licensed under GNU library or LGPL. For further information you can go to - Eclipse-rbe

Dependency Management

7.Apache IvyDE – This is an Eclipse plug-in assisting in integrating Apache Ivy’s feature of dependency management to Eclipse. It also assists in managing dependencies in ‘ivy.xml’. For further information you can go to - Apache IvyDE

8.M2eclipse (Maven Plugin) – This assist in managing both simple and multi module projects, and Maven integration for Eclipse (M2eclipise) that assists in launching maven from Eclipse. It offers features like dependency management and automatic downloading. For further information you can go to - M2eclipse (Maven Plugin)

Version Control Integration Plugins

9.Subclipse - Subclipse is a SVN plug-in which offers support for subversion of Eclipse IDE and it is licensed under EPL 1.0. Subeclipse 1.6.x supports ColabNet Merge Client. Subclipse provides easy interface to use the features. For further information you can go to - Subclipse

10.EGit - EGit plug-in provides support, synchronizes view, reading for .git/ exclude files, provides rebasing and has streamlined commands for pulling and pushing. For further information you can go to - EGit

11.MercurialEclipse - MercurialEclipse is one of the active Version Control System which gives you access on registration. It is a reliable plug-in which provides cloning repositories, push-pull synchronization and enables easy rollback. For further information you can go to - MercurialEclipse

Framework Development

12.Spring Tool Suite – This offers development environment and tools like XML file wizards and graphical spring configuration editor that can be used for easy development. For further information you can go to - Spring Tool Suite

13.Spring IDE – This assists in developing Spring Application and offers interface for using the graphical editing framework. It display graphs of relationships and beans through the configuration files. Spring IDE
Continuous Integration Related Plugins

14.Hudson Status – This is a simple plug-in displaying the status (red/green) of a application on Hudson build server. It is quite a powerful continuous integration server used in a number of large software development projects. For further information you can go to - Hudson Status

15.Sonar Plugin - Sonar Plug-in for Eclipse provides powerful integration of Sonar with Eclipse. It highlights code quality problems as we browse the code. Since the code quality standards definition is centralized on Sonar server, it ensures all developers are following same quality standards. Sonar is a open source platform used for centrally controlling the source code quality of software projects. For further information you can go to - Sonar Plugin 


Shivam Kotwalia, CodeKill

9 Tips On Making The Best Use Of The Eclipse IDE!

Eclipse is one of the most popular tools used by web designers all over the world. 

It is surprising how many well trained and experienced developers use Eclipse in an inefficient manner. Many don't know how useful the IDE can actually be. Here are 10 tricks that will help you manage Eclipse and boost your productivity.

1. Text File Encoding: Under the default setting eclipse uses the encoding that suits your operating system. But if you’re looking to build a platform independent application then you will have to use the UTF-8 encoding. This takes care of problems with issues with special characters when running on a different OS. You can do this from the Preferences Menu -> General -> Workspace from your project specific settings.

2. Save automatically: Before starting on a build, choose the save automatically feature. This makes it easier to work on your project. This you can do from Preferences -> General -> Workspace.

3. Type Filters: This one is especially useful for RCP and SWT developers. Type filters can be used in order to remove suggestions for specific types like classes, interfaces etc. from the ‘Open Type’ dialog. These can be set from Preferences -> Java -> Appearances -> Type Filters.

4. “Step Filtering” not Debugging: This can be used in order to remove the types that you don’t want to see during debugging. Many developers like to do this as it helps them focus on the actual code without being distracted by other tasks. It is available under Preferences -> Java -> Debug -> Step Filtering.

5. Launch the previously launched application: This is important because it makes sure that the last configuration that you used is used in your new project as well. Without this, Eclipse’s default setting is to try to determine what the most appropriate configuration for the current projectis. You can set this using Preferences -> Run/Debugg-> Launching.

6. Store your Launch Configuration in a Project: The launch configuration is often something that developers spend a lot of time on. This can be saved into a file that can be further used in your various projects or builds. This comes from Menu -> Run -> Run Configurations -> Launch Configuration Tab -> Common.

7. Make a Launch Configuration always appear in the Menu: You can choose your favourite launch configuration and make them your permanent launch or debug menu. For this go to, Menu: Run -> Run Configurations -> Launch Configuration.

8. Organise imports on save: Removing and changing codes can lead to imported files becoming obsolete. In order to fix this and organise your import you will need to use Shift+Ctrl+o for Windows and Shift+CMD+o on Mac. This can be done from Preferences -> Java ->Editor -> Save Actions or in project specific settings.

9. Format edited lines on save: No matter who rode it, the Eclipse IDE makes sure that the code look uniform irrespective of who is writing the code. In this though, it is advisable to format only the edited lines of a code rather than formatting the entire body.

10.The code formatter in Eclipse is a very useful thing. It ensures that the code looks consistent in your projects — no matter who wrote it — and can be easily read and understood by anyone else. But, formatting the whole file can seriously mess up a diff between two versions of the file. So ‘format only edited lines on save’ might be the right choice if you want the have your code formatted and still be able to see what was changed in your code later on. This is available from Preferences > Java > Editor > Save Actions. 

Enjoy Eclipse
Shivam Kotwalia, CodeKill