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For a Java developer,, how helpful is using an IDE with features like auto complete?

Is there any drawback? Is it wise to go with simple editor and build the src with build tools manually though it is little more time consuming?

Muthukannan Kanniappan
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  • You can bash a nail in with a stone, but why wouldn't you use a hammer if you have one? – pap Aug 07 '12 at 06:41

8 Answers8

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The only times you should not use an IDE:

  • End of the World scenario where IDEs no longer exist, perhaps after the rise of the machines. It is however debatable whether you should code your skynet-attacking virus in Java....
  • Studying for the SCJP exam. This is really important if you want to do well.

At all other times use an IDE and as many of its features as possible. Auto-complete is especially useful when learning, to discover new methods and classes.

Adam
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1. Never use an IDE, when you are tying to grasp the Language Syntax and Symantics.

2. Not using the IDE at the earlier stage of your learning will help you to grasp the knowledge of understanding your mistakes and the compilers behaviors. When you make a Syntactical or a Logical error, the compiler will throw certain error message, trying to decode that message will help you understand the compiler's working.

3. It even helps you learning which classes are in which packages.

4. But IDE are a Boon in the Production Network. Its an indispensable tool. The faster, accurate and optimized rate of production is all owed to IDE.

Kumar Vivek Mitra
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If you are learning, it's best to memorize the syntax, learn without the help of an IDE. But, if you are developing code professionally, IMO, IDEs increase productivity alot.

Prasanth
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I feel that IDEs come in very handy if you are working on a large project.

You can also take a look at this thread here - Why should I use an IDE?

Community
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intellectual_stretch
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i have been doing java programming for years and i can't work without eclipse auto completer :p

fajrian
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If you don't know what you are doing, an IDE will go a long way to protect you from having to learn. If you do know what you are doing, the IDE will make a serious attempt to compel you to do it the IDE's way.

The IDE will group all of your development environment in one big window, and will prevent you from spreading things out over the desktop to suit yourself - unless, of course, you can do that while remaining within the one big window.

Because the IDE knows more than you do, it will stop you from doing things that are baaad. For instance, if you look at a chunk of code and say: "this code should be moved into a subroutine", the IDE will make your life hell when you first write a call statement for your new subroutine right above the block of code, then write the subroutine statement (or function statement...whatever is appropriate for this language) on the next line, then write the closing statement for the subroutine below the block of code, all without first moving the code out of the function in which it resides.

Because it knows better than you, the IDE informs you of all your errors trying to write a subroutine within a subroutine. Because it knows better than you, it puts up repeated error messages while you are attempting to match up your argument lists between the calling line and your new subroutine, whose defining statement is in the body of a routine and directly below the calling line. It complains when you make those indicated changes to the block of code to make that block of code part of this new subroutine.

And it isn't even nice enough to apologize when you then cut/paste that new subroutine out of the middle of a routine and into a place of its own, after you are done defining everything.

In theory you can turn off these "helpful features" that are blocking you from being productive and getting on with the job. To do that you have to find the correct tab on the correct sub-requester beneath the correct tab on the correct requester which is started from the correct sub-menu under the correct menu item on the proper menu, which can be accessed from the big IDE window when the conditions are right.

Autocomplete is nice, and showing you the members of an object is also nice, except when you didn't want that and the tooltips box is obscuring the next three lines, which is what you really are interested in.

IDEs do have their place. As far from me as possible.

Nandkumar Tekale
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An IDE is a productivity tool which helps in enhancing productivity of a developer. A developer should always try to use more than one IDE lets say try using both Eclipse and Netbeans in Java

Anuj Mehta
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When you are working on real-life java projects IDE is necessary to save time and be more productive. Except of autocomplete IDE has many useful tools like profiler, debugger, static code analyzers (like PMD for instance).

It is reasonable to focus on the project, not on command line arguments and playing around with command line tools, like javac, jar, etc.

But when you are just starting to learn java, then simple editor is preferable. To let you understand the core mechanisms of compiling, packaging, and so on.