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JDT Core Component

Development Resources

If you are already a JDT Core developer, check out the Development Resources. In particular, this section summarizes the various development streams.

JDT Core

JDT Core is the Java infrastructure of the Java IDE. It includes:

  • An incremental Java compiler. Implemented as an Eclipse builder, it is based on technology evolved from VisualAge for Java compiler. In particular, it allows to run and debug code which still contains unresolved errors.
  • A Java Model that provides API for navigating the Java element tree. The Java element tree defines a Java centric view of a project. It surfaces elements like package fragments, compilation units, binary classes, types, methods, fields. 
  • A Java Document Model providing API for manipulating a structured Java source document.
  • Code assist and code select support.
  • An indexed based search infrastructure that is used for searching, code assist, type hierarchy computation, and refactoring. The Java search engine can accurately find precise matches either in sources or binaries.
  • Evaluation support either in a scrapbook page or a debugger context.
  • Source code formatter

The JDT Core infrastructure has no built-in JDK version dependencies, it also does not depend on any particular Java UI and can be run headless.

Get Involved!

If you are interested in participating in the development of the JDT Core component, check out the developer’ s mailing list:

jdt-core-dev@eclipse.org.
Chat with people there about your problems and interests, and find out what you can do to help.

The JDT Core team is open to suggestions for improving both the experience of Java developers using the Java IDE, and clients to the JDT Core APIs. If you are interested in Java language semantics, compiler technology, Java tooling in general (behavior of our current tools, suggestions for new tools), then please interact with the JDT Core team so that we can build an even better Java IDE.

For more detailed information, check out the Development Resources.

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