User guide

Chapter 2.
7
The Eclipse Integrated Development
Environment (IDE)
The entire user interface in Figure 2.1, “Eclipse User Interface (default)” is referred to as the Eclipse
workbench. It is generally composed of a code Editor, Project Explorer window, and several views.
All elements in the Eclipse workbench are configurable, and fully documented in the Workbench User
Guide (Help Contents). Refer to Section 2.2, “Useful Hints” for a brief overview on customizing the
user interface.
Eclipse features different perspectives. A perspective is a set of views and editors most useful to
a specific type of task or project; the Eclipse workbench can contain one or more perspectives.
Figure 2.1, “Eclipse User Interface (default)” features the default perspective for C/C++.
Eclipse also divides many functions into several classes, housed inside distinct menu items. For
example, the Project menu houses functions relating to compiling/building a project. The Window
menu contains options for creating and customizing perspectives, menu items, and other user
interface elements. For a brief overview of each main menu item, refer to Reference > C/C++ Menubar
in the C/C++ Development User Guide or Reference > Menus and Actions in the Java Development
User Guide.
The following sections provide a high-level overview of the different elements visible in the default user
interface of the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE).
2.1. User Interface
The Eclipse workbench provides a user interface for many features and tools essential for every phase
of the development process. This section provides an overview of Eclipse's primary user interface.
Figure 2.1. Eclipse User Interface (default)