setting your IDE(eclipse) for java desktop application

Question

I've an the Eclipse IDE with android sdk as I am an android developer. I want to develop a simple java desktop application consists of splash screen and a login screen which is connect to MS SQL through JDBC. Now, how will I enable my Eclipse to let me develop java desktop applications. or shall I use net beans. I have also downloaded the netbeans 8.0 but it not showing me the java desktop application. Also, I have installed and unzip the JDBC driver,there are 2 jar files sqlJDBC and sqlJDBC4. Please kindly tell me which jar file shall i use.

Answer 1

Since you've been using Eclipse with Android SDK, you probably have Java already installed and you don't need to worry about downloading extra libraries to use the Swing framework.

To start in Swing, take a look at the official Swing tutorials to learn how to develop desktop applications. After you've learned the basics, try to incorporate JDBC drivers to connect to your SQL Server.

You should add the sqljdbc4.jar Class 4 JDBC file to your Java Build Path to make a connection to your SQL Server.

Answer 2

Since you will be building desktop applications, you will most likely need an IDE which allows you to visually build the UI. This usually makes development quicker.

That being said, unlike Netbeans, Eclipse does not come with a GUI builder out of the box. You will need to find and install a plugin which works for you (check here for some of them, if you are using Swing).

In Netbeans, you should be able to simply create a Java Application to which you add JFrames and other UI components.

That being said, the Swing platform is giving way to the JavaFx platform, so if you are building something from scratch, I would recommend you give this a look since it should offer a richer way to build the User Interface.

Answer 3

Eclipse IDE with android sdk have Java already installed. I use the same eclipse for my Android and swing development. Just go to File and create a new Java project. See the screenshot of my eclipse for better understanding: