I like to develop applications even though it’s not my main job. However, I am aware that when developers use a particular tool, for example, an IDE or a new language, it is best to review the official documentation of it. In this way, they get firsthand the help and knowledge needed to improve the use of the tools. Especially, when a programming language is as extensive and dynamic as Java that, with each version incorporates new features designed to improve it. On the other hand, Netbeans is one of the most used IDE for the development with Java and it is required to exploit all its potential. So, in this post, you will learn how to integrate Javadoc into Netbeans. In short, from Netbeans itself, you will have access to the official Java documentation.
So, let us start.
What is Netbeans?
In case you are a beginner or don’t know it, Netbeans is the best to program in Java. It is an open source IDE that is now part of the Apache foundation. This guarantees that it will remain as open source and that it has the backing of a large community.
In addition, this IDE can be easily configured through plugins that extend its functionality. For example, it can be integrated with GIT or another version control system. Or simply change its appearance. Of course, there are many extensions ready to use.
Finally, it is good to say that Netbeans also supports other types of languages such as PHP or HTML. However, it is true that Java is where its main focus is.
Integrate the Javadoc to Netbeans
A great advantage of Netbeans is that we can integrate the official Java documentation into the IDE. This helps too much to know the methods and classes of Java as we work. Above all, it is useful when the programmer is novice or is starting with the language.
On the other hand, always using the official Java documentation will make our code cleaner because we will know specifically what each thing is for.
So let’s go for it.
We can integrate the Javadoc into Netbeans in two ways. First, we can download all the documentation from this link. This is convenient if you do not have a great connection frequently or simply don’t depend a lot on the internet. The other way is to add the URL of the documentation.
Open Netbeans and click on the Tools menu. Next, click on the Java Plattforms option.
Then you will see on the left side the Java versions that are installed and added in Netbeans. In this case, I only have Java 12 that we taught to install recently. When you click on the Java version, in the middle, there will be the Javadoc tab, click on it and if you downloaded the Javadoc click on Add Zip/Folder. If you will do it directly from the website, click on Add URL. And add the corresponding Javadoc URL.
There you go. Now when you use Netbeans and its desktop shortcuts, you will have access to the Java documentation that will explain that particular method. As you can see in the image.
So, that’s it.
Conclusion
Creating applications is not as simple as many people think, however, there are tools that help this process. Today in this post, you have learned how to integrate Javadoc to Netbeans to improve the way we program in Java.
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