Frquently Asked Questions
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Q. How do I start using the plugin?
A. Please download the jar file from the download link above. Then put it in the plugins folder of eclipse and restart eclipse. To effectively use the plugin, one has to configure it first.
Q. How can one configure the plugin?
A. You can configure it by going to Windows -> Preference -> Fast Code Pereference.
Q. Is there any feature of the plugin that can be used without configuring it first?
A. Pretty much none. But "Create Import" and "Create Instance" will work without configuring it first.
Q. Why is there one create similar menu although there are four items in the configuration?
A. Four items in the configuration represent four different types of classes or value beans. Depending on the classes you click the plugin determines what action to take.
Q. Configuring the plugin seem like long process, is there any shortcut?
A . Configuring it for use may take a while depending on how fast one learns new things. But most of the elements are pretty standard. If one's project is not too far away from standard practice, configuring it may not may not take long at all. Besides, only one person in the team can configure it and others can simply import the preferences from him/her. There may be faster way to set up also. To do this, simple go to the filesystem on your computer and go to ${workspace}\.metadata\.plugins\org.eclipse.core.runtime\.settings where ${workspace} refers to the location of the workspace. In that directory, there should be a file named fastcode.prefs. You can take this file from someone who has configured it completely and then place in the same directory and restart eclipse.
Q. Can two different types of classes reside in the same package for the plugin to work?
A. Absolutely, as long as they have different pattern, e.g. DAO classes end in DAO and value bean classes end in Bean.
Q. Do we need to have all DAO classes in same package for this plugin to work?
A. Absolutely not. One can have FooDAO com.test.foo package and BarDAO in com.test.bar package. In that, one needs slightly change the configuration. In the From class one needs to put something like (${ANY_PACKAGE}).dao.(.*).(${ANY_CLASS})DAO and in the To Class one needs to put ${1}.service.${2}.${3}Service. Notice there are three regular expression groups in stead of ususal two.
Q. There are so many items in the create configuration in the preference. Is there any way to remove them completely?A. Absolutely, there is a check box at the bottom of the screen which says 'Remove unused configurations'. You can check this button and click OK. All unused configuration items will be gone from the view.
Q. If I remove configuration items, can I put them back If I need them later?
A. Absolutely, at the bottom of the screen, there is a restore configuration button.
Q. Is a there a way to put my own custom configuration?
A. This one is little tricky, but not too difficult. To have a custom configuration, one has to edit the jar file. Open the jar file with your favorite unzipping software, then edit the file called org/fastcode/util/fast-code-config.xml. Format of the file should be very familiar. Once changed, you need to restart eclipse. A typical configuration looks like :
Q. What kind of files can be created with this plugin?
A. Pretty much any kind of files needed for java development, interface, classes, value beans, spring configurations, dozer bean mapping configurations, jsps, resource bundles, struts config etc.
Q. Is there anything that this plugin does not do?
A. This plugin does not connect to database and create DAO or POJOs to start with. For that there are plenty of good plugins available in the market. Also the plugin cannot do complex methods or jsps by itself. It only creates similar classes from a given classes also create associated files e.g. the implementation of interface and several types of configuration files.
Q. What are junit test profiles and do I need to create one?
A. A deafult porfile is created for junit tests. This profile applies to all classes. If someone wants to different kinds junit tests (e.g. one kind of test for DAO classes, and another for Service classes), then different profiles are necessary.
Q. What do I do if I get errors?
A. You can go to your workspace/.metadata and look at your logs. You might want to look into your preference and make sure all fields are entered correctly.
Q. Does the plugin work with java below version 5?
A . It is recommended to use Java 5.0 or above. But if you are not using Java 5.0, you temporarly switch to Java 5.0 and use some of the features like "Create Similar Class".