Development using Two Windows

An alternative to just using commands is to use two windows. This involves having an editor window and a compiler window, and switching between them. In one window, your favourite editor is running, with the program permanently loaded into it. The other window is a shell window in which you issue the javac and java (and possibly jdb) commands. In Unix, to get an editor window to run permanently, use an & character at the end of the line:

> jedit Prog.java &    ( run editor in separate window )
> javac Prog.java      ( use the shell for compiling/running )
...

The development cycle is:

• make changes to the program in the editor window
• use file:save or whatever in the editor window to write the changes to the file
• use the javac command in the shell to recompile the program
• if there are no compile errors, use java (or jdb) to test the program
• repeat

The main features of this approach are:

• + It is relatively simple
• + It works with most platforms and all languages
• + You can stick to your favourite editor
• + It can be very efficient because it gets rid of the overhead of repeatedly starting up the editor
• -- There can be delays in repeatedly running the compiler
• -- You can get very confused if you forget to save the file in the editor, or forget to recompile the program in the shell.

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