Java — Documentation at your fingertips

Documentation for the APIs a Java developer normally encounters (J2SE, J2EE, J2ME) comes with the SDK. The problem arises with the third-party frameworks and components developers can’t do without. Most of the time, you use a binary distribution in a JAR and add it to the classpath. This lets the IDE offer code assistance.

The problem comes when we need the Javadoc for the actual API we’re using. There are two options. Download the source files so the IDE can process them and offer Javadoc, or find and download the documentation directly from the provider.

Neither option is ideal, at least for me. So I was very pleased by an initiative from Javalobby, which launched an online repository for Java APIs called JDocs. As of today, JDocs has indexed 106 APIs that can be searched online.

That’s good news in itself. Unfortunately, a problem has come up with the J2SE, J2EE, and J2ME documentation, over which Sun claims exclusive rights. Sun did ask for the documentation to be taken down, but as of today it’s still available. More about the issue on TheServerSide: JDocs.com: Sun protects itself, Javalobby wants to move on

For Eclipse users, the news is even better. There’s a plug-in, which lets you search the JDocs APIs from the comfort of the IDE.

Installing the plug-in

Help >> Software Updates >> Find and Install >> Search for new features to install >> New remote Site >> Name:JDocs Search plugin, URL:http://www.jdocs.com/plugins/eclipse/
 >> ok >> select JDocs Search plugin >> next >> select >> next >> install

Related Dagblog articles

• Free Javadoc
• Java documentation in HTMLHelp or WinHelp format