These instructions are meant to help guide you through the process of setting up Java and the BlueJ integrated development environment on a personal computer running Mac OS X. Installing the software on your personal computer is optional; you have access to the software in the computer labs on campus.
I do not have access to a Mac so I am unable to test these instructions. I cannot guarantee that you will have no problems. If you choose to install the software on your own computer, you do so entirely at your own risk.
According to Apple's website, Mac OS X comes with Java and the Java development kit software. Consequently, the only software you have to install is the BlueJ integrated development environment.
BlueJ is a free integrated development environment (IDE) that allows you to edit, compile, and run Java programs. The table below contains some links you might want to follow.
| BlueJ Home | http://www.bluej.org |
| BlueJ Software | http://www.bluej.org/download/download.html |
| BlueJ Documentation | http://www.bluej.org/doc/documentation.html |
Go to the download page and be sure to download the MacOS X version of the software (BlueJ-300.zip).
According to the BlueJ installation instructions, all you have to do is expand the install file (BlueJ-300.zip) and move the resulting folder to your preferred location (for example Applications). They also recommend that you update to the latest Java version (via the Software Update feature).
You can view the BlueJ tutorial and the BlueJ reference manual (and other documentation) on the BlueJ documentation page. Both of these are PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format) files. To view them you need Acrobat Reader which you can get from Adobe.
When you create a new class in a project, BlueJ uses a template file to create a skeletal version of the new class. (It is not important, at this point, that you know what a class is.) BlueJ comes with several template files and in this step you will add some new ones. Right-click on each of the links below (one at a time), choose the Save Target As option, and save the file in the "BlueJ/lib/english/templates/newclass" folder.
Finally, add the style checker extension to BlueJ. This is an extension of BlueJ that checks your source code for good programming style. Good style makes a program easier to read and to debug (find and fix errors). Before submitting a project, you should check the style of your project and correct any reported problems (they are called "errors" but are really just problems with your style).
Download the file checkstyle-extension-4.3-0.jar to the "BlueJ\lib\extensions" folder.