--- title: Creating and Running a Project with Eclipse order: 5 layout: page --- [[getting-started.first-project]] = Creating and Running a Project with Eclipse This section gives instructions for creating a new Eclipse project using the Vaadin Plugin. The task will include the following steps: . Create a new project . Write the source code . Configure and start Tomcat (or some other web server) . Open a web browser to use the web application We also show how you can debug the application in the debug mode in Eclipse. This walkthrough assumes that you have already installed the Vaadin Plugin for Eclipse and set up your development environment, as instructed in <>. [[getting-started.first-project.creation]] ifdef::web[] == Creating the Project endif::web[] ifdef::web[] _The following describes the creation of an Ivy project. The upcoming version of the Eclipse plug-in creates Maven projects. For that, see <>._ endif::web[] ifdef::web[] Let us create the first application project with the tools installed in the previous section. First, launch Eclipse and follow the following steps: . Start creating a new project by selecting from the menu "File > New > Project...". . In the [guilabel]#New Project# window that opens, select "Vaadin > Vaadin 7 Project" and click [guibutton]#Next#. + image::img/myproject-ivy-new-vaadin.png[width=70%] . In the [guilabel]#Vaadin Project# step, you need to set the basic web project settings. You need to give at least the __project name__ and the runtime; the default values should be good for the other settings. + image::img/myproject-ivy-settings.png[width=70%] [guilabel]#Project name#:: Give the project a name. The name should be a valid identifier usable cross-platform as a filename and inside a URL, so using only lower-case alphanumerics, underscore, and minus sign is recommended. [guilabel]#Use default location#:: Define the directory under which the project is created. The default is under your workspace folder, and you should normally leave it as it is. You may need to set the directory, for example, if you are creating an Eclipse project on top of a version-controlled source tree. [guilabel]#Target runtime#:: Define the application server to use for deploying the application. The server that you have installed, for example Apache Tomcat, should be selected automatically. If not, click [guibutton]#New# to configure a new server under Eclipse. [guilabel]#Configuration#:: Select the configuration to use; you should normally use the default configuration for the application server. If you need to modify the project facets, click [guibutton]#Modify#. The recommended Servlet 3.0 configuration uses the @WebServlet deployment, while Servlet 2.4 uses the old [filename]#web.xml# deployment. [guilabel]#Deployment configuration#:: This setting defines the environment to which the application will be deployed, to generate the appropriate project directory layout and configuration files. The choises are: *** [guilabel]#Servlet# (default) *** [guilabel]#Google App Engine Servlet# *** [guilabel]#Generic Portlet (Portlet 2.0)# + The further steps in the New Project Wizard depend on the selected deployment configuration; the steps listed in this section are for the default servlet configuration. ifdef::web[] See <> and <> for instructions regarding the use of Vaadin in the alternative environments. endif::web[] [guilabel]#Vaadin version#:: Select the Vaadin version to use. The drop-down list shows, by default, the latest available version of Vaadin. The selection includes nightly [literal]#++SNAPSHOT++# builds, if you want to keep up with the absolutely latest unstable versions. + You can change the version later in the [filename]#ivy.xml#. [guilabel]#Create TestBench test#:: When enabled, the application stub will include a test case for testing the UI with Vaadin TestBench, as described in <>. Vaadin TestBench API library will be included in [filename]#ivy.xml# as a dependency. Vaadin version 7.3 or later is required to create the stub. + You can click [guibutton]#Finish# here to use the defaults for the rest of the settings, or click [guibutton]#Next#. . The settings in the [guilabel]#Web Module# step define the basic web application (WAR) deployment settings and the structure of the web application project. All the settings are pre-filled, and you should normally accept them as they are. + image::img/myproject-ivy-web.png[] [guilabel]#Context Root#:: The context root (of the application) identifies the application in the URL used for accessing it. For example, if the project has a [literal]#++myproject++# context and a single UI at the context root, the URL would be http://example.com/myproject. The wizard will suggest the project name given in the first step as the context name. You can change the context root later in the Eclipse project properties. [guilabel]#Content Directory#:: The directory containing all the content to be included in the web application (WAR) that is deployed to the web server. The directory is relative to the root directory of the project. + You can just accept the defaults and click [guibutton]#Next#. . The [guilabel]#Vaadin project# step page has various Vaadin-specific application settings. If you are trying out Vaadin for the first time, you should not need to change anything. You can set most of the settings afterwards, except the creation of the portlet configuration. + image::img/myproject-vaadin.png[] [guilabel]#Create project template#:: Make the wizard create an UI class stub. [guilabel]#Application Name#:: A name for the application UI, shown in the title bar of the browser window. [guilabel]#Base package name#:: The name of the Java package under which the UI class of the application is to be placed. [guilabel]#Application/UI class name#:: The name of the UI class for the application, in which the user interface is developed. [guilabel]#Portlet version#:: When a portlet version is selected (only Portlet 2.0 is supported), the wizard will create the files needed for running the application in a portal. See <> for more information on portlets. + Finally, click [guibutton]#Finish# to create the project. [[getting-started.first-project.exploring]] == Exploring the Project After the [guilabel]#New Project# wizard exits, it has done all the work for you: an UI class skeleton has been written to [filename]#src# directory and the [filename]#WebContent/WEB-INF/web.xml# contains a deployment descriptor. The project hierarchy shown in the Project Explorer is shown in <>. [[figure.getting-started.first-project.exploring]] .A New Vaadin Project image::img/myproject-ivy-created.png[scaledwidth=60%] The Vaadin libraries and other dependencies are managed by Ivy. Notice that the libraries are not stored under the project folder, even though they are listed in the "Java Resources > Libraries > ivy.xml" virtual folder. [[getting-started.first-project.exploring.ui]] === The UI Class The UI class created by the plugin contains the following code: [source, java] ---- package com.example.myproject; import com.vaadin.ui.UI; ... @SuppressWarnings("serial") @Theme("myproject") public class MyprojectUI extends UI { @WebServlet(value = "/*", asyncSupported = true) @VaadinServletConfiguration( productionMode = false, ui = MyprojectUI.class) public static class Servlet extends VaadinServlet { } @Override protected void init(VaadinRequest request) { final VerticalLayout layout = new VerticalLayout(); layout.setMargin(true); setContent(layout); Button button = new Button("Click Me"); button.addClickListener(new Button.ClickListener() { public void buttonClick(ClickEvent event) { layout.addComponent( new Label("Thank you for clicking")); } }); layout.addComponent(button); } } ---- In a Servlet 3.0 project, the deployment is configured with servlet class and a [literal]#++@WebServlet++# annotation. The stub includes the servlet class as a static inner class. You may want to refactor it to a separate normal class. In a Servlet 2.3 project, you would have a [filename]#web.xml# deployment descriptor. For a more detailed treatment of the deployment, see <>. endif::web[] [[getting-started.first-project.maven]] == Creating a Maven Project ifdef::web[] _The following describes project creation in the upcoming version of the Eclipse plug-in, which creates Maven rather than Ivy projects. To use it, you must have installed the experimental version of the plug-in._ endif::web[] Let us create the first application project with the tools installed in the previous section. First, launch Eclipse and follow the following steps: . Start creating a new project by selecting from the menu "File > New > Project...". . In the [guilabel]#New Project# window that opens, select "Vaadin > Vaadin 7 Project (Maven)" and click [guibutton]#Next#. + image::img/myproject-new-vaadin.png[width=70%] . In the [guilabel]#Select a Maven archetype# step, you need to select the project type. To create a simple test project, select the [guilabel]#Single-module Application Project#. + image::img/myproject-archetype-selection.png[width=70%] . In the [guilabel]#Specify archetype parameters# step, you need to give at least the [guilabel]#Group Id# and the [guilabel]#Artifact Id#. The default values should be good for the other settings. + image::img/myproject-settings.png[width=70%] [guilabel]#Group Id#:: Give the project an organization-level identifier, for example, [packagename]#com.example#. It is used as a prefix for your Java package names, and hence must be a valid Java package name itself. [guilabel]#Artifact Id#:: Give the project a name, for example, `myproject`. The artifact ID must be a valid Java sub-package name. [guilabel]#Version#:: Give the project a Maven compatible version number, for example, `1.0-SNAPSHOT`. The version number should typically start with two or more integers separated with dots, and should not contain spaces. [guilabel]#Package#:: Give the base package name for the project, for example, [packagename]#com.example.myproject#. It is by default generated from the group ID and the artifact ID. [guilabel]#Properties#:: Enter values for archetype-specific properties that control naming of various elements in the created project, such as the UI class name. + You can change the version later in the [filename]#pom.xml#. + Finally, click [guibutton]#Finish# to create the project. [[getting-started.first-project.exploring]] == Exploring the Project After the [guilabel]#New Project# wizard exits, it has done all the work for you: a UI class skeleton has been written to the [filename]#src# directory. The project hierarchy shown in the Project Explorer is shown in <>. [[figure.getting-started.first-project.exploring]] .A new Vaadin Project image::img/myproject-created-annotated-hi.png[width=80%] The Vaadin libraries and other dependencies are managed by Maven. Notice that the libraries are not stored under the project folder, even though they are listed in the "Java Resources > Libraries > Maven Dependencies" virtual folder. [[getting-started.first-project.exploring.ui]] === The UI Class The UI class created by the plug-in contains the following code: [source, java] ---- package com.example.myproject; import com.vaadin.ui.UI; ... @Theme("mytheme") @Widgetset("com.example.myproject.MyAppWidgetset") public class MyUI extends UI { @Override protected void init(VaadinRequest vaadinRequest) { final VerticalLayout layout = new VerticalLayout(); final TextField name = new TextField(); name.setCaption("Type your name here:"); Button button = new Button("Click Me"); button.addClickListener( e -> { layout.addComponent(new Label("Thanks " + name.getValue() + ", it works!")); }); layout.addComponents(name, button); layout.setMargin(true); layout.setSpacing(true); setContent(layout); } @WebServlet(urlPatterns = "/*", name = "MyUIServlet", asyncSupported = true) @VaadinServletConfiguration(ui = MyUI.class, productionMode = false) public static class MyUIServlet extends VaadinServlet { } } ---- [[getting-started.first-project.widgetset]] == Compiling the Widget Set and Theme Before running the project for the first time, select [guilabel]#Compile Widgetset and Theme# from the menu shown in <>. [[figure.getting-started.first-project.compilewidgetset]] .Compile Widgetset and Theme Menu image::img/myproject-compilewidgetset.png[width=50%] [[getting-started.first-project.coding]] == Coding Tips for Eclipse One of the most useful features in Eclipse is __code completion__. Pressing kbd:[Ctrl+Space] in the editor will display a pop-up list of possible class name and method name completions, as shown in <>, depending on the context of the cursor position. [[figure.getting-started.first-project.coding.codecompletion]] .Java Code Completion in Eclipse image::img/codingtips-codecompletion.png[] To add an [literal]#++import++# statement for a class, such as [classname]#Button#, simply press kbd:[Ctrl+Shift+O] or click the red error indicator on the left side of the editor window. If the class is available in multiple packages, a list of the alternatives is displayed, as shown in <>. For server-side development, you should normally use the classes under the [package]#com.vaadin.ui# or [package]#com.vaadin.server# packages. You can not use client-side classes (under [package]#com.vaadin.client#) or GWT classes for server-side development. [[figure.getting-started.first-project.coding.import]] .Importing Classes Automatically image::img/codingtips-automaticimports.png[scaledwidth=80%] [[getting-started.first-project.server]] == Setting Up and Starting the Web Server Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers has the Web Standard Tools package installed, which supports control of various web servers and automatic deployment of web content to the server when changes are made to a project. Make sure that Tomcat was installed with user permissions. Configuration of the web server in Eclipse will fail if the user does not have write permissions to the configuration and deployment directories under the Tomcat installation directory. Follow the following steps: . Switch to the Servers tab in the lower panel in Eclipse. List of servers should be empty after Eclipse is installed. Right-click on the empty area in the panel and select "New > Server". + image::img/tomcat-startserver-1.png[] . Select "Apache > Tomcat v7.0 Server" and set [guilabel]#Server's host name# as [literal]#++localhost++#, which should be the default. If you have only one Tomcat installed, [guilabel]#Server runtime# has only one choice. Click [guibutton]#Next#. + image::img/tomcat-startserver-2.png[] . Add your project to the server by selecting it on the left and clicking [guibutton]#Add# to add it to the configured projects on the right. Click [guibutton]#Finish#. + image::img/tomcat-startserver-3.png[] . The server and the project are now installed in Eclipse and are shown in the [guilabel]#Servers# tab. To start the server, right-click on the server and select [guilabel]#Debug#. To start the server in non-debug mode, select [guilabel]#Start#. + image::img/tomcat-startserver-4.png[] . The server starts and the WebContent directory of the project is published to the server on http://localhost:8080/myproject/. + image::img/tomcat-startserver-5.png[] [[getting-started.first-project.run]] == Running and Debugging Starting your application is as easy as selecting [guilabel]#myproject# from the [guilabel]#Project Explorer# and then "Run > Debug As > Debug on Server". Eclipse then opens the application in built-in web browser. .Running a Vaadin Application image::img/runningMyProject.png[width=60%] You can insert break points in the Java code by double-clicking on the left margin bar of the source code window. For example, if you insert a breakpoint in the [methodname]#buttonClick()# method and click the [guibutton]#What is the time?# button, Eclipse will ask to switch to the Debug perspective. Debug perspective will show where the execution stopped at the breakpoint. You can examine and change the state of the application. To continue execution, select [guilabel]#Resume# from [guilabel]#Run# menu. .Debugging a Vaadin Application image::img/debuggingMyProject.png[] Above, we described how to debug a server-side application. Debugging client-side applications and widgets is described in <>.