Eclipse: Step by Step

Whether you're an OO guru, a Java neophyte, or a professional business programmer, there is a good chance you will be using Eclipse someday soon. IBM spent millions of dollars on Eclipse before releasing it into the open source community, and you can take advantage of all of that development. But how do you get started?

The hardest part in learning a new language or a new tool is the beginning steps. And with open source software, sometimes you don't even know enough to know what questions to ask. If you are new to Java, you may not know a JDK from a JRE from a JAR. And it can take months to learn because there are few training manuals. First you have to know what you need, then you have to search to find all the software, then struggle through less-than-complete installation documentation and online "FAQs." Even the tutorials make assumptions about your experience.

And that is where Eclipse: Step by Step is different. It brings together all the pieces for you. . .think of it as training wheels for Eclipse. The book includes all required software on a handy CD plus detailed installation and configuration instructions. By the end of the book, you will have written a complete, working application and will know all the basics that will let you continue at your own pace.

Even experienced developers can make use of this book, since it covers three areas of crucial interest these days: Eclipse, IBM's Software Widget Toolkit (the SWT), and JDBC. If you have wanted to see a working application using any of those technologies, this book is for you.

Each step has a checklist of tasks to perform, and each task is meticulously documented with screen shots and editorial comments. Nothing is assumed, nothing left to your imagination.

Written by application developers for applications developers, this book will teach you:

• How to use the new Eclipse Integrated Development Environment
• IBM's Software Widget Toolkit (the SWT) and JDBC
• How to create a complete functioning application with Eclipse
• Where to get the software plus how to install it and how to configure it
• Options you would use in a real production environment to be instantly productive in Eclipse
• Steps you would need to take to create a program or modify an existing program