Directory-Based Projects

In Visual J++, projects are directory-based, which means the project is defined by the files in the project directory structure on the hard disk. For example:

• Adding a file or folder to the project adds the item to the project directory structure on the hard disk.
  
  
• Adding a file to the project directory structure through the file system adds the file to the project, provided the file type is specified in the project filter. Visual J++ uses a filter to determine which types of files typically belong to a Java project. For more information, see The Project Filter.
  
  
• Adding a folder to the project directory structure through the file system adds the folder to the project. All files in the folder, whose types are specified in the project filter, are added to the project as well.
  
  
• Moving or copying a file or folder within the project moves or copies the item on the hard disk, and vice versa.
  
  
• Renaming a file or folder in the project renames the item on the hard disk, and vice versa.

Note   When removing a file or folder from the project, you can choose to leave the item on the hard disk or completely delete it.

For more information about directory-based projects, see Different Project Models in Source Code Control.

In addition to the relationship between the project structure and the file system, the hierarchy of Java packages in the project directly maps to a hierarchy of folders in the project (or file system). In Project Explorer, you can choose to display your project in one of two views:

• Directory view (the default view) displays a hierarchical list of all project subfolders, according to the project directory structure on the hard disk. Each Java package in the project is displayed as a subfolder.
  
  
• Package view displays project subfolders as Java packages, in a flat list. Note that package view displays only .java files and the folders that contain .java files. Each folder that is displayed is listed by its fully-qualified package name. The project node itself is considered the default package.

For more information about setting the view in Project Explorer, see Choosing the Project View.