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[ BUILD # : 200409131800 ] [ JDK VERSION : J2SE 1.4.2 ] The UI won't let me create a new empty freeform project. I know it's called "... with existing Ant script" but I'd really like to see some way to create the build script along with an empty directory structure, based on e g some template project. I'd like to configure different template freeform projects with a build file and a project file, set up all the actions I want to integrate and then register such projects with NetBeans as templates. Later I can easily select a template from the list in the New Project UI.
I have in fact suggested that there be an "Empty Freeform Project" template, but Jano was not comfortable with it, I think. You can make a project with no sources, but you have to have at least a build script to start with. Supporting user-customizable templates for the whole project is quite another thing, rather more difficult, which should be filed separately I think. There is no general plan for how to make user-customizable project templates. (The infrastructure for defining project templates as a module is quite straightforward, but I mean the UI for creating and customizing the templates in the IDE without writing code.)
For project templates please see issue #49646.
Is this really an 'ant' RFE? In response to my recent plea on cat50, I would LOVE to see a 'freeform project' (or whatever you want to call it) with nothing but a folder as a target. (Or is that even necessary?) Heck, even a build script should be optional (IMHO - since there are default targets that exist outside of the nromal project source tree for NB). Perhaps I'm going about it all wrong, but the current implementation does make me feel a bit claustraphobic. It's as if we need to think outisde the Java box that we're used to to see some of the potential cool uses of a formal 'project' that doesn't quite fit the mold with a 'standard' project structure. Maybe by adding some of these more less-than-strict options, people will start feeling more inclined to extend the capabilities beyond just Java support. Imagine this (as sick as it sounds).. developing a .NET project on Mac with a spiced up Netbeans IDE running on mono.. :) Cheers!
clever - the freeform project type lives in ant/freeform, so that is what we use for Issuezilla. However you can have a freeform project with no build script, hence no special actions. This RFE is simply that the NB GUI will not let you *create one* - if you have one on disk, you can open it. It won't do you much good for developing .NET or whatever, though, unless all you wanted was a plain text editor, because that's all you're going to get out of it. If you want support for a different language / platform / etc., you will need special project types and a whole lot of other IDE support modules that I won't even go into here.
Created attachment 25484 [details] Example of an empty project; unzip and open; not too exciting but it works; config is in nbproject/project.xml (should be self-explanatory)
Please do not increment the Version of a bug/RFE - it is supposed to be the version in which it was originally reported. If it's still open, it's assumed to also apply to all later versions.
Makes sense to me.. I'll do some experimenting if I find time. Regarding the .NET editorial, I do realize that there would be significant work needed and new modules added (among MANY other things), but I think that a lot of people don't see Netbeans as an extensible IDE. Not a huge concern for me, but fun to tease. Who changed the version? Not I.. Again, thanks for the extra info!
I am playing with a module in ant/freeform/samples that has some extra templates for freeform projects. Currently 1. Completely empty - no Ant script, just a blank space with a project.xml. 2. Basic Java project, with most commonly wanted targets (incl. IDE-specific bindings). Plan to also have 3. Demo - of a complete, working multi-project system (e.g. Anagrams game split into lib + GUI projects).
Did #3 too. All in CVS. Will publish for dev AU, i.e. available in dev builds. If some folks try it out and everything seems good we could consider putting it on the 5.0 AU (maybe beta server).
Scheduled to be published on dev alpha AU; should probably appear in a day or two, so marking fixed for now. Remains to be seen whether we would want something like this in the standard IDE distribution, on stable AU, etc. Also cf. issue #49646 re. being able to make your own project templates generally. The module development support in 5.0 supports this, but it may be too heavyweight for a lot of users, TBD.
I plan to publish this module on nbextras.org for 5.0 users, so while it won't be available in the standard IDE distribution, it will still be possible.
Can't really be said to be fixed if it's in a module no one knows about, I guess.
As a tweak, I ensured that freeform projects with no Ant build script are displayed with a generic "project" icon and do not show the Ant target mapping panel. Checking in ui/ProjectCustomizer.java; /shared/data/ccvs/repository/ant/freeform/src/org/netbeans/modules/ant/freeform/ui/ProjectCustomizer.java,v <-- ProjectCustomizer.java new revision: 1.25; previous revision: 1.24 done Checking in ui/View.java; /shared/data/ccvs/repository/ant/freeform/src/org/netbeans/modules/ant/freeform/ui/View.java,v <-- View.java new revision: 1.24; previous revision: 1.23 done Checking in FreeformProject.java; /shared/data/ccvs/repository/ant/freeform/src/org/netbeans/modules/ant/freeform/FreeformProject.java,v <-- FreeformProject.java new revision: 1.45; previous revision: 1.44 done
No plans to implement further.