How to get J2EE source code

[Abhijit Das]

hi,
I want to get the J2EE 1.4 source code to plug in the ItelliJIdea 6.x .
I want get all the J2EE java files in the IDE to get better understanding while working . Although I have the J2ee API in html form to refer it. :roll: :roll:
But i want to similar set up in web module as I am using in the core java module in the IDE.
we will get the J2SE source code while downloading JDK as src.zip format.

Thanks . :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Peter Johnson]

There is no single Java EE source. Most of the Java EE specs define interfaces that are then implemented by the app server vendors. So what you need to do is get the source for one of the app servers and add the appropriate sources to the IDE.

[Abhijit Das]

hi,
I want the source code only to see the java files while working on IDE. As we have got in the J2SE(core java) module in IDE.

I can refer to the java file if any doublt over the J2EE API.

Thanks :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Bauke Scholtz]

Please leave those bold and colors away. It reads annoying.

Back to the actual question: I think you didn´t understood his answer.

Java EE is an abstract specification. If you need the source code, then you need to take a look at the concrete Java EE implementation. Examples of concrete Java EE implementations are Sun Glassfish, Apache Tomcat, JBoss AS, etcetera. Most of them are open source. Just check the manfacturers homepage. If you have for example Apache Tomcat, then you can download the source here: http://tomcat.apache.org/download-60.cgi (under "source code distributions" at bottom of page).

[Tim Holloway]

Actually, to pick nits, there are two types of J2EE source code. J2EE (and JEE) is a standard specification from Sun Microsystems. They supply the source code for the specification, which is primarily the APIs and external data structure definitions. In most cases this is all you'd actually need, since the internals of J2EE implementations are supposed to be opaque.

IntelliJ should not have a problem here. I worked with it for years. In any event, IntelliJ (and Eclipse) is capable of decompiling and presenting the parts of the spec that you'd normally need.

The second part of J(2)EE is the implementation, and as I said, unless you're having a server-specific problem, you normally won't need that. Many J2EE products are open source (JBoss, JOnAS, GlassFish, Tomcat, Geronimo, etc.). If you really need to see what's inside them, just download the source and make it an IntelliJ project. JetBrains has been very generous with supplying free copies to IntelliJ to open-source project developers, so most of these projects will not be a major problem to make into IntelliJ projects.

For commercial servers such as WebSphere and WebLogic, the source code is not available, with the exception of open-source subsystems that they may have incorporated, such as WebLogic's use of ANTLR. In cases like that, you're either on your own or you contact their product support group (after all, that's one of the things you're paying for.)

[Abhijit Das]

Hi,
I understood the answer but my question is not being cleared to them.
There are some classes are in abstract or concrete classes. Although , I can have the interface and pluged in the my IDE to get the method signature and most importantly the javadoc for it.

Actually, I am not interested with the implementation of the methods of J2EE APIs, only get the source code to plug-in the IDE to get the JAVADOC.
As I mentioned in the begining of the post.


Ok, thanks for the link, I have downloaded the Tomcat zip file .I will try to plug in the zip file in IDE to get the javadoc.

I am methioning some of the concrete classes : Cookie.java, SimpleTagSupport.java.,,,,,,,,,, .


Thanks once again.

[Abhijit Das]

Hi Bauke Scholtz ,
Thanks for the link.
Can I have the JBoss x.x link to get the sorcece . I think it is open source.

[Bauke Scholtz]

Yes. It´s just available at their homepage.

[Tim Holloway]

You don't need the source code to be able to access the J2EE javadocs. If you did, you'd be seriously handicapped when using closed-source products.

I don't remember how to do it in IntelliJ, but in Eclipse, you can attach a javadoc URL (such as http://java.sun.com/j2ee/1.4/docs/api/index.html ) to project API JAR files. Or you can be friendly to Sun's servers, download the javadocs from java.sun.com and reference the local copy.

If you have an API JAR, the method signatures are part of the class definitions in that JAR and the IDE's code assist feature will look them up and suggest completions as you type.

[Paul Clapham]

Let me also suggest that if you are going to be stepping through Java EE source code in your debugger, you are very likely going to be wasting a lot of time. Only if you are looking for bugs in the Java EE implementation would that be useful, but the fact that you had to ask where to get them suggests you aren't at that level of programming yet. Most likely you are like the rest of us and are just looking for bugs in your own code. In which case, just step over the methods which are part of Java EE.