4 - C H A P T E R -

C H A P T E R 4

Using Your Newly Installed Forte for Java 4 IDE

After you have successfully installed the Forte for Java 4 IDE, use the information in this chapter to launch, set up, and register your Forte for Java 4 IDE. Details about the available command-line switch options are also included.

Setting Up Your Forte for Java 4 IDE

When you first start up the Forte for Java 4 IDE, you are prompted to:

Specify the user directory to use with the IDE

Indicate whether you would like automatic update checking

Use the following steps to guide you through setup of your initial IDE environment:

1. Start the Forte for Java 4 IDE.

For the supported Solaris operating environments or a Red Hat Linux environment, type:

$ cd ffj-install-dir/bin

$ runide.sh

For a Microsoft Windows system, double-click the Forte for Java 4.0 EE icon created on your desktop or click the Start menu and choose Forte for Java 4.0 EE Forte for Java. Alternatively, from a command prompt window, type:

C:\>cd ffj-install-dir\bin

C:\ffj-install-dir\bin>runidew.exe

If this is the first time you are installing this version of the Forte for Java 4 IDE on a Microsoft Windows system, you are prompted for the user directory.

2. On a Microsoft Windows system, type the name of the directory where you want the IDE to store your settings and project information, and click OK.

Ensure that the directory you choose is in a place that is always accessible to your system. If you have different versions of the IDE, use a different user directory for each IDE version. This directory should be different than the directory where the IDE is installed.

The recommended name for the user directory in a Microsoft Windows system is drive:fully-qualified-path\ffjuser40ee. This name is entered as the UserDir value of the Software\SunMicrosystems, Inc.\Forte for Java key in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry. This value is not deleted when the IDE is uninstalled. The name will be reused by future installations of this version of the IDE if the UserDir value is not explicitly deleted from the Microsoft Windows Registry. Refer to some troubleshooting information in TABLE 9-3, if you want to use a different location for your user directory.

The Settings Import wizard appears.

3. In the Settings Import wizard, specify whether you want to import your settings from a previous version of the IDE.

If you do not want to import your previous user settings, select No and click Finish to exit the wizard.

For supported Solaris or Red Hat Linux environments, the default user directory is created and named $HOME/ffjuser40ee.

On a Microsoft Windows system, the user directory is created in the previous step or set to the same user directory you specified in a previous installation of this version of the IDE if you did not remove the previous UserDir value in the registry.

If you want to import your previous user settings, select Yes and click Next.

You are prompted for the location of the user directory for the previously installed IDE.

i. Specify the path or click Browse to locate the directory. Click Next.

The IDE imports the settings.

ii. Click Finish to exit the wizard.

The IDE continues with the startup and the Setup wizard appears.

4. If you are behind a firewall, specify the proxy server information.

5. Select the window mode, and click Next to continue with the setup.

6. Click Finish to continue with IDE startup, or click Next for additional setup options.

If you clicked Finish, the IDE continues with the startup and several windows appear. The registration wizard appears. Continue with Step 10 below.

(Solaris only) If you clicked Next and you installed the Solaris Developer Modules, the Text Editor Preference pane appears. Continue with Step 7.

Otherwise, if you clicked Next, the Module Installation pane appears. Continue with Step 8.

7. (Solaris only) In the Text Editor Preference pane, select the text editor you choose to use with the IDE. Then, click Next to continue with the setup, or Finish to continue with the IDE startup.

The installation of the Solaris Developer Modules includes the XEmacs and VIM text editors. You can select from the IDE's built-in editor, XEmacs, or VIM as the default text editor to use with the IDE. If you decide to modify the default text editor at a later time, choose Tools right arrow Setup Wizard from the main menu of the IDE.

If you clicked Finish, the IDE continues with the startup and several windows appear. The registration wizard appears. Continue with Step 10 below.

Otherwise, if you clicked Next, the Module Installation pane appears.

8. In the Module Installation pane, specify which module you want enabled or disabled. Then, click Next to continue with the setup, or Finish to continue with the IDE startup.

By default, all the modules installed with the IDE are enabled. Disable a module by doing the following:

a. Click on the Enabled property value for the module.

b. Click a second time and select False to disable the module.

If you clicked Finish, the IDE continues with the startup and several windows appear. The registration wizard appears. Continue with Step 10 below.

If you clicked Next, the Update Center pane appears.

9. From the Update Center pane, Specify how often you want the IDE to automatically check the Update Center and select the Forte for Java Update Center as the update center from which you want to obtain the updates for modules of your choice.

Click Finish to continue with the IDE startup. Several windows appear and the registration wizard appears.

10. From the Registration wizard, select your preferred method of registration.

Choose "Register using the web" to register your Forte for Java 4 IDE software using the web, or to edit your existing registration information if you have changed Forte for Java 4 IDE editions.

The registration page appears on your web browser and you can proceed to register the product, create a new Forte for Java Developer Resources account, or update your account.

Registering your Forte for Java 4 IDE through the web enables you to:

Use the Update Center to download and install new modules and updates specific to your environment

Subscribe to the Early Access Program (http://forte.sun.com/eap) and receive new, nonpublic builds of the IDE, as well as preview releases of Forte for Java modules, patches, and bug fixes

Receive product announcements, if desired

Use the same user name and password to access the Update Center, the Early Access Program, and the Sun Download Center (from which you might have downloaded the Forte for Java 4 IDE)

If you are already registered with the Forte for Java Developer Resources, Sun Download Center, or mysun.sun.com, you can use the same user name and password, but you are prompted for additional information.

Note - To maintain your Forte for Java Developer Resources account using the web, choose Help right arrow Registration Wizard from the main window of the IDE. Or, go to http://forte.sun.com/services/registration/ accountmaintenance.html.

This method of registration registers only your Forte for Java 4 IDE.

If you decide to register with Forte for Java Developer Resources at a later time, choose Help right arrow Registration Wizard from the main window of the IDE.

11. From the Automatic Update Check dialog box, specify whether you want to check for new IDE updates.

If you reply Yes, the Update Center wizard appears. Follow the instructions on the wizard to complete the setup for automatic update checking.

If you reply No, you can start the Update Center wizard at a later time by choosing Tools Update Center from the main window of the IDE.

12. Continue to Chapter 5 for instructions on validating your installation of the IDE.

Using the Startup Command-Line Options

The IDE startup scripts for all supported platforms can be run with additional options. These command-line options are specified with flags.

In a supported Linux or Solaris environments, for example, you might type:

# runide.sh -help

On a supported Microsoft Windows system, for example, you might type:

C:\>runidew.exe -help

Alternatively, you can put the options in the ffj-install-dir/bin/ide.cfg file. The IDE reads this file before parsing any command-line options. You can break options into multiple lines in ide.cfg.

TABLE 4-1 lists the startup command-line options for all supported platforms.


Switch Options	Description
`-h -help`	Prints usage.
`-jdkhome` jdk-home-dir	Selects an SDK other than the default SDK. On Microsoft Windows, by default, the IDE checks the registry and selects the latest SDK available.
`-hotspot -server -client -classic -native -green`	Explicitly specifies the Java virtual machine (JVM) variant to be used. The terms "Java virtual machine" and "JVM" mean a virtual machine for the Java platform.
`-cp:p` additional-classpath	Prepends the specified class path onto the IDE's class path.
`-cp:a` additional-classpath	Appends the specified class path to the IDE's class path.
`-ui` UI_class-name	Selects a given class as the IDE's look and feel.
`-fontsize` size	Sets the font size, expressed in points, in the IDE's user interface.
`-single`	Launches the IDE from ffj-install-dir instead of from your ffj-user-dir directory. Runs the Forte for Java 4 IDE in single-user mode. The default mode is multiuser.
-fortecc fcc-path	(Solaris only) Specifies the path to the Forte Compiler Collection to use for this session of the IDE. Overrides any default settings created in the IDE or user directory.
`-userdir` ffj-user-dir	Explicitly specifies the ffj-user-dir directory (the location where your user settings are stored). If this option is not used in Solaris or Linux operating environments, the location is user-home-dir`/ffjuser40ee`. If this option is not used on a Microsoft Windows system, the user is prompted at the initial startup of the IDE for the ffj-user-dir directory to use. On Microsoft Windows systems, this value is stored in the registry for later use.
`-J`jvm-flags	Passes specified flags directly to the JVM.
`-J-Xverify:none`	Tells the JVM not to verify the correctness of the bytecode for faster startup. Bytecode verification is a slow process. Whenever a class is loaded, the JVM scans all bytecode and detects an invalid byte sequence even if a method is never called. Also, the JVM loads certain classes referred to in method signatures and in the method body, even though they are not called during startup. However, setting this flag removes some of the protection that the Java language gives you. (Refer to the JVM documentation for more information.)
`-J-Xms24m`	Sets up the initial heap size of the JVM to 24 MB. This switch prevents the JVM from extending the heap size during startup, which enables faster startup time for the IDE.

In the Solaris and Linux environments, users can modify startup scripts to suit their needs.