NetBeans: How to store source, separate from project files, separate from class files.

[Grant Robertson]

I would like to set up the director structure for my software development such that the source files, built files (classes and .JAR files), and the NetBeans project metadata are all stored in separate but semi-parallel directory structures. Is there any way to do that in NetBeans other than to start each project from "existing source"?

[K. Tsang]

Netbeans already does that for you when you create a new (Ant) project. Not sure about Maven projects.

The source files goes in the "src" folder, the class files goes in the "build/classes" folder and the jar in the "dist" folder along with any lib dependencies.

[Grant Robertson]

Perhaps I should have been more clear. I want all the source files from ALL of my projects to be in a directory structure under a single folder like this:

C:\Dev\src\com\mydomain
\mypackage1\
\mypackage2\
\mypackage3\

so that my "package root" for .java files will be C:\Dev\src for ALL projects.


And I want all of my compiled .class files to be placed under a different but parallel directory structure like this:

C:\Dev\build\com\mydomain
\mypackage1\
\mypackage2\
\mypackage3\

so that my "package root" for .class files will be C:\Dev\build for ALL projects.


And then all of my distribution files to be placed under yet another separate folder like this:

C:\Dev\dist\com\mydomain
\mypackage1\
\mypackage2\
\mypackage3\

so that my "package root" for .jar files will be C:\Dev\dist for ALL projects.

This way my default classpath can be ".;C:\Dev\dist;C:\Dev\build;C:\Dev\src" and all my packages will be together rather than spread out in dozens of different project folders, while still keeping my source separate from my class and distribution files.

[K. Tsang]

Ah if you want to do that then your so-called Netbeans project will be one BIG project.

Just curious why put everything into one BIG project? Unless you plan to share code in whatever way possible (which probably better to use library aka its own jar file hence its own project)

[Grant Robertson]

K. Tsang wrote:Ah if you want to do that then your so-called Netbeans project will be one BIG project.

Just curious why put everything into one BIG project? Unless you plan to share code in whatever way possible (which probably better to use library aka its own jar file hence its own project)

I know you are trying to help, but you have made an assumption that contradicts what I said in my question and then asked me why I am doing what you assumed I am doing, when I am not, in fact, doing that. ;^)

I want to be able to store all of my many project folders separate from my actual code and classes. And I want to store all my code for a particular package in the same actual folder rather than having some code for com.mydomain.mypackage actually stored under C:\dev\project1\src\com\mydomain\mypackage and some other code for the same package stored under C:\dev\project2\src\com\mydomain\mypackage. And please don't suggest that I could simply limit myself to putting all code for one package into a single project. That is a limitation I am not willing to accept.

In addition, I want to be free to use any IDE I want for any particular piece of code. If the code itself is stored under a NetBeans project folder, then it is more difficult to use that code in Eclipse or IntelliJ.

Finally, with all the source in one tree, instead of a bunch of scattered parallel trees, it is a lot easier to search for and use what I have created.