Contents

• Using Code Completion and Code Generation
• Generating Code Using Code Completion
• Generating Code Using the Code Generation Dialogs
• Managing the Import Section
• Using Editor Line Tools
• Smart Code Completion and Live Templates
• Smart Code Completion
• Live Templates
• Code Highlighting
• Instant Rename

Note: Click the Arrow button in the center of each video to start playback. Each video contains on-screen text identifying important procedures and concepts which automatically pause playback. To resume playback of the videos, simply click the displayed on-screen text or use the controller below the video.

Software Needed for the Tutorial

Before you begin, you need to download or install the following software on your computer:

• NetBeans IDE 6.0 (download)
• Java Standard Development Kit (JDK) version 5.0 or version 6.0 (download).

Generating Code Using Code Completion

Generally speaking, Code Completion is useful for filling in missing code, such as symbols and keywords, automatically. As of NetBeans IDE 6.0 you can now also use Code Completion to generate whole methods. This is useful if you want, for example, to generate a constructor, override methods, or implement methods. Later in the tutorial, we'll also take a look at some other interesting new features of NetBeans 6.0's Code Completion, such as generating arbitrary constructors using the Code Generation dialog.

The first thing we will look at is the writing of a JavaBean representing an email message. The bean skeleton containing the private fields needed for storing the data has already been prepared for us so we now need to create a reasonable constructor for it, as shown in the following procedure and demo.

To generate a constructor using code completion:

1. Place the cursor at the location in the file where you want to generate the constructor and press Ctrl+Space.
2. In the Code Completion window that appears, select the constuctor which will initialize its fields (Mail(String subject, String body) - generate, in this case). Notice that the IDE gives you the option of generating either the default constructor or a constructor which will initialize all uninitialized fields.
3. Press Enter.
   

   The IDE implements the selected constructor in the specified location. Note that the IDE also offers the possibility of overriding or implementing methods from superclasses and superinterfaces.

Generating Code Using the Code Generation Dialogs

The IDE's Java editor is capable of generating the constructs you commonly use automatically. In this section, we'll take a look at the procedure.

The next thing we want do is to generate the Getter and Setter for the fields and make sure that we can use the class in collections, which requires having equals() and hashCode() methods. The IDE's Java editor is capable of generating the constructs you commonly use automatically. Notice as we go through the example procedure that the IDE's Code Generation dialog also enables you to do much more, including creating delegating methods, generating constructors for intializing arbitrary set of fields, etcetera.

To generate getters and setters:

1. Press Alt+Insert to invoke the code generation menu.
2. Select the element that you want to generate from the list of displayed items (Getter and Setter..., in this case).
3. In the dialog that appears, select the field for which you want to generate getters and setters and click OK.
   

   The IDE generates the getters and setters code automatically.

The next thing we need to do is to generate an Equals and Hashcode using Alt-Insert.

To generate equals and hashcode:

1. Press Alt+Insert to invoke the code generation menu.
2. Select the element that you want to generate from the list of displayed items (equals() and hashCode()... in this case).
3. In the dialog that appears, select the fields you want to base your equals and hashCode methods on and click OK.
   

   The IDE generates the required equals and hashcode.

Managing the Import Section

The IDE's Java editor provides several ways to add import statements for one or more classes, each offering you a list of possible classes to import when you click on the light bulb error mark or press the appropriate key combinations. In addition, the Editor also displays error hints that assist you with removing imports that aren't needed in your source.

After making the necessary changes to our file in the previous section, you may have noticed that the IDE's Error Stripe displayed a warning in the Editor's righthand margin indicating that there is an unused import in our file. In order to fix this, we'll use the IDE's helpful new Remove Unused Imports command so we can see how it works.

To remove unused imports:

1. Place the cursor on the line of the class that wasn't imported and press Alt+Enter. Alternately, you can click the warning mark in the Annotation Stripe (along Editor's left edge).
2. Choose Remove unused import from the pop-up menu. Notice that you can either remove one or all unused imports from the import section.
   

   The IDE removes the unused import statements from the file.

The IDE's Java editor also provides several other methods for managing imports, such as pressing Ctrl-Shift-I to import multiple types at once and pressing Alt-Shift-I while the cursor is positioned in a type identifier, which enables you to import that specific type.

Using Editor Line Tools

Here we want to create two private static fields of the string type for our username and password. Using the Editor's Line Tools feature, we can rapidly duplicate the line where the cursor is positioned and copy/paste or move it to a new line immediately below the first. This feature is particularly useful when repeatedly duplicating or moving lines for which most of the code is the same and only isolated portions need to be adjusted, such as in the case when initializing an array, for example. After doing so, you can then edit the field values as necessary.

To duplicate the current line or multiple selected lines:

1. Position the cursor on the line or selection you want to duplicate.
2. Press and hold Ctrl-Shift, then press either the Up or Down cursor key to copy and paste the code above or below the original line.
   

   The IDE duplicates the designated line or selection in the desired location.

To move current line or multiple selected lines:

1. Position the cursor on the line or selection you want to move.
2. Press and hold Alt-Shift, then press either the Up or Down cursor keys to move the current line or selection above or below the original line.
   

   The IDE moves the designated line or selection in the desired location.