[Bluej-discuss] What are the limits of synchronisation between BlueJ and Netbeans BlueJ edition?

[Hedley Finger]

I have been using BlueJ and Netbeans BlueJ together to develop a 
course assignment.   Both IDEs have the same project open at the same time.

Generally I use Netbeans to write the code and BlueJ to run and debug 
it.  But there are a few funny little quirks that irks.  For example, 
after using Netbeans if a class source file is opened in BlueJ it 
complains about missing files because of a crash and suggests that I 
rename a backup file as the latest version.  Trouble is, if the error 
message is ignored and the file is opened it is completely okay.

Another thing, if a project is compiled and built in Netbeans, BlueJ 
does not appear to know about it.  Even after Netbeans compilation, a 
class in BlueJ may still have its stripes, and has to be compiled 
again in BlueJ before it can be run.

Another tricky area is debugging.  If I set breakpoints in BlueJ, 
effectively a source file can be open in both BlueJ and Netbeans 
simultaneously.  So, if I forget and edit a file in BlueJ, is the 
view of that file in Netbeans supposed to update?  I have a feeling 
that I saw an open file in BlueJ update when the same file was edited 
in Netbeans.

Is the practice of using both IDEs simultaneously dangerous?  BlueJ 
is cool for debugging because you can run any method on its own and 
study the variables in the Inspector.  But Netbeans is also cool 
because of its neat code completion and cursor-tip display of the 
relevant class documentation.

If I put them both in a pot and stew for an hour, will I get an IDE 
that combines the best of both?  If only ...

Regards,
Hedley


--
Hedley Stewart Finger
28 Regent Street   Camberwell VIC 3124   Australia
Tel. +61 3 9809 1229   Mobile +61 412 461 558,
E-mail <mailto:hfinger at handholding.com.au>