Sublime Forum

Sublime Text and Learning Java for Beginners?

#1

I’m going to start out learning Java and I would like to use Sublime Text to do so. Trouble is, I don’t know exactly what I need to do to get setup prior to starting and I don’t even know what I need enough to ask how to do it. I’ve seen some tutorials people have posted for building and compiling on Windows but I don’t know if these same methods will work for me. Mainly I have a Mac desktop and some Linux laptops. I’ll be primarily using my Mac so any tips for that will be greatly helpful.

I’m also using Sublime Text 2 right now because I just haven’t had the time to update and check out 3. Would you recommend upgrading to v3 for Java? Ie the tools are built-in or just better for learning Java? I also have experience with JS and Python mostly so I’m not worried too much about learning Java in and of itself, just the tools needed to install and getting running prior to starting.

Thanks for any pointers.

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#2

If you are completely new to programming computers then maybe I could recommend starting out with a text editor and the command line, just as I started out with emacs and C++ nearly 20 years ago. This will allow you to get an understanding of the basic processes of coding, compiling, running, and checking output, without introducing too much complexity at once.

If you have programmed other languages before, then I highly recommend you don’t use Sublime Text to learn to develop Java apps. Use tools specifically designed for Java and you will be much happier. Just having access to a fully functional debugger is worth using an IDE like Eclipse all by itself, but combine that with intrinsic support for “projects”, code completion, and continuous compilation, and things will go much smoother for you.

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#3

Well I do have some experience with other languages and I’ve even started learning Java several years ago but I got busy. At that time I was using Eclipse and the Eclipse-based Aptana and while I liked those IDEs for awhile, I eventually grew out of favor with them and moved on. I exceptionally enjoy Sublime and I understand it might not be the best tool out of the box, I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t have to go back to Eclipse and there might be some plugins that help Sublime become the tool for Java. If you’re saying there isn’t really anything out there, I’ll take your word for it and reinstall Eclipse.

PS, I’m a vim guy, myself lol so I probably won’t be trying any emacs anytime soon.

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#4

You will not get the same fancy features from Eclipse/Netbeans on Sublime, but this may help you: stackoverflow.com/questions/1056 … ime-text-2

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#5

Personally I think that an ide like eclipse is going to be a much better option than sublime text, use the right tool for the right job.

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#6

Checkout JDebug(https://github.com/jdebug/JDebug) plugin for sublime text for debugging java code remotely

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#7

Yep, you’ll probably save a lot of time using the intelligence of an IDE like eclipse to find existing methods and properties of classes and generate all the (unneeded ?) code to make the compiler happy (No I don’t like Java :blush: ).
In addition it will show you your errors and even propose some solutions.

After a while when you become fluent in Java, you can drop the IDE and use ST only, especially when modifying existing code.

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#8

Here’s some of the best Java tutorials for beginners.

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#9

There is a package called Javatar. https://packagecontrol.io/packages/Javatar

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