How to access ArcObjects Javadoc in Eclipse IDE

In this topic

About accessing ArcObjects Javadoc in Eclipse IDE
Adding the ArcGIS Engine Library
Accessing Javadoc from the Java Editor
Modifying the Javadoc location

About accessing ArcObjects Javadoc in Eclipse IDE

ArcObjects Javadoc is the documentation for the ArcObjects Java application programming interface (API). It is included with the ArcGIS Java Help System under the Reference section. The following sections describe how to access Javadoc information from the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE).

Adding the ArcGIS Engine Library

To access Javadoc information from the Eclipse IDE, you must add the ArcGIS Engine Library to your Java project build path. The ArcGIS Engine Library is a user library that is installed automatically when you install the ArcGIS Engine plug-in. The ArcGIS Engine Library includes arcobjects.jar and the Javadoc information for arcobjects.jar.

To add the ArcGIS Engine Library to your Java project file, perform the following steps:

Right-click the project in the Package Explorer window and select Properties. The Properties for MyJavaProject dialog box opens.
Select Java Build Path, click the Libraries tab, and click the Add Library button. See the following screenshot:

The Add Library dialog box opens
Select ArcGIS Engine Library from the list of user-defined libraries and click Next. See the following screenshot:

The ArcGIS Engine Library dialog box opens.
Click Finish. The Properties for MyJavaProject dialog box opens, and the ArcGIS Engine Library is added to your project's build path. The Javadoc location attribute of arcobjects.jar is listed under the ArcGIS Engine Library node. By default it points to the online resource center location of ArcObjects Javadoc. See the following screenshot:
Click OK to close the properties dialog box.

Accessing Javadoc from the Java Editor

To access Javadoc from the Java Editor, perform the following steps:

Open the Java file in the project using the Java Editor.

Eclipse IDE opens Java files in the Java Editor by default.

Position the mouse pointer over the object whose Javadoc information you want to view (a method name, for example). A pop-up window opens displaying the Javadoc information.
Press the F2 key to scroll through the information. See the following screenshot:
Optionally, select an object and press the F1 key to access the complete Javadoc information in the Eclipse Help (it opens in a separate window) as shown in the following screen shot:

Modifying the Javadoc location

The Javadoc location of the arcObjects.jar file specified by the ArcGIS Engine Library can be configured. If you want to point the Javadoc information to a local copy on disk, you can configure Javadoc by performing the following steps:

Select Windows and select Preferences from the Eclipse IDE main menu.
Select ArcGIS Preferences and type the location in the Javadoc Location URL text box. See the following screenshot:
Optionally, click Restore Defaults and the plug-in automatically detects the ArcObjects Javadoc location in the installation directory.
Click OK and restart Eclipse to apply the changes.