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- <html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>General Questions</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.73.2"><link rel="start" href="index.html" title="jEdit Frequently Asked Questions"><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="jEdit Frequently Asked Questions"><link rel="prev" href="intro.html" title="Introduction"><link rel="next" href="installation.html" title="Installation Questions"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">General Questions</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="installation.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="sect1" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="general"></a>General Questions</h2></div></div></div><p>This section deals with some background information, how to obtain the
- latest version of jEdit and how to obtain further information/help.</p><div class="qandaset"><dl><dt>1. <a href="general.html#about">About jEdit</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2497958">What is jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2498357">What is the difference between a text editor and a
- word processor?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2497755">What features does jEdit have?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2495870">What is a jEdit “plugin”?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2495930">How do I get documentation on jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2495968">Is there a newsgroup or mailing list devoted to
- jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496091">Is there a web site devoted to jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496162">Are there copyright restrictions on the use of
- jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496234">Is jEdit only useful for programming in Java?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496273">Do I need to know Java to use jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496316">What software do I need to install and run
- jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496358">I've just started to learn programming. Is jEdit a
- good choice for my first text editor?</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>2. <a href="general.html#get-answers-div">Getting answers</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496412">How do I get answers to my questions about
- jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496507">Where can I get interactive help for jEdit?</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>3. <a href="general.html#bugs">Reporting bugs</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496554">How do I report a bug I have found in jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496604">What information should I include in a bug
- report?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496688">How do I track the status of a jEdit bug
- report?</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>4. <a href="general.html#contact">Contacting jEdit developers</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496744">How do I contact members of the jEdit developer
- team?</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>5. <a href="general.html#latest-version">Getting the latest version</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496803">How do I obtain the latest version of jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2547149">How do I obtain a copy of the jEdit source
- code?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2547203">Where can I get the latest version of this
- document?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2547230">How do you set the classpath and compile the Java
- files in jEdit?</a></dt></dl></dd></dl><table border="0" summary="Q and A Set"><col align="left" width="1%"><tbody><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><h4 class="title"><a name="about"></a>1. About jEdit</h4></td></tr><tr class="toc"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2497958">What is jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2498357">What is the difference between a text editor and a
- word processor?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2497755">What features does jEdit have?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2495870">What is a jEdit “plugin”?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2495930">How do I get documentation on jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2495968">Is there a newsgroup or mailing list devoted to
- jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496091">Is there a web site devoted to jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496162">Are there copyright restrictions on the use of
- jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496234">Is jEdit only useful for programming in Java?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496273">Do I need to know Java to use jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496316">What software do I need to install and run
- jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496358">I've just started to learn programming. Is jEdit a
- good choice for my first text editor?</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2497958"></a><a name="whatis"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>What is jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>jEdit is a programmer's text editor written in Java,
- originally developed by Slava Pestov, now maintained by
- others. It has an easy to use interface that resembles that
- of many other Windows and MacOS text editors. It is also
- highly customizable, and contains a “<span class="quote">plugin</span>”
- architecture that allows its features to be extended by
- additional programs.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2498357"></a><a name="difftext"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>What is the difference between a text editor and a
- word processor?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>These categories are not absolute but refer to the
- primary purpose of an editing program and the focus of its
- features.</p><p>A text editor is an application that edits files
- containing plain text without automatically formatting the
- text for printing or other publication. Typically the
- contents of such a file consists of data used by another
- application - for example, source code that a compiler will
- process or markup text that a web browser will display. A
- word processor deals with the preparation of documents for
- printing or similar publication. Besides editing text, a
- modern word processor allows the user to choose multiple
- fonts, margin sizes, line spacing, indentation, and a
- variety of other details that affect the appearance of the
- document being edited. In a text editor, these features are
- present, if at all, only in a basic form, and for the
- limited purpose of helping the user compose and organize the
- text. In place of word processing features, a text editor
- contains many features that allow the user to prepare and
- work with text quickly and efficiently.</p><p>The jEdit application is a text editor, not a word
- processor. It contains a large assortment of features for
- manipulating source code, markup text, and other text files.
- As a programmer's text editor, it also has many features to
- help programmers manage their projects and work with other
- programming tools.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2497755"></a><a name="features"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>What features does jEdit have?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>The short answer is, too many to list here. There is a
- detailed list available on the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jedit.org/index.php?page=features" target="_top">jEdit web
- site</a>, but here are some of the major
- features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>Comprehensive online help</p></li><li><p>Multiple editor windows and split editing panes
- within a single editing window</p></li><li><p>Unlimited undo/redo</p></li><li><p>Copy and paste with an unlimited number of
- clipboards (known as “<span class="quote">registers</span>”)</p></li><li><p>“<span class="quote">Markers</span>” for remembering
- positions in files to return to later</p></li><li><p>Rectangular selection</p></li><li><p>Multiple selection for manipulating several
- chunks of text at once</p></li><li><p>Syntax highlighting for more than 80 file
- types</p></li><li><p>Intelligent bracket matching that skips quoted
- literals and comments</p></li><li><p>Auto indent and word wrap</p></li><li><p>Abbreviations</p></li><li><p>“<span class="quote">Folding</span>” display mode that hides
- levels of indented text specified by the user</p></li><li><p>Search and replace using both literal text and
- regular expressions</p></li><li><p>“<span class="quote">HyperSearch</span>” option to show all
- found matches in a list</p></li><li><p>File management functions available from within
- jEdit, including deleting and renaming files and
- creating new directories</p></li><li><p>Choice of character encoding for loading and
- saving files</p></li><li><p>Automatic compression and decompression of
- GZipped (.gz) files</p></li><li><p>Plugin support for loading files from ZIP and
- TAR archives</p></li><li><p>Plugin support for loading and saving files on
- FTP servers</p></li><li><p>Fully customizable keyboard shortcuts, tool bar
- and right-click context menu</p></li><li><p>Macro system permitting recording and writing
- of macros in the BeanShell scripting language</p></li><li><p>An internal “<span class="quote">plugin manager</span>” that
- downloads and installs new and updated plugins from
- within jEdit</p></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2495870"></a><a name="what-plugin"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>What is a jEdit “<span class="quote">plugin</span>”?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>A plugin is an application that is designed to work
- with jEdit by providing additional features that can be used
- from within the main program. Often the plugin will provide
- a visible user interface in a window that can be docked to
- jEdit's main view window.</p><p>There are currently over 120 publicly available
- plugins that provide such services as a Java source code
- browser, a command-line shell, templated text insertion, and
- source code project management. They can be downloaded,
- installed, and kept current from within jEdit's
- “<span class="quote">Plugin Manager</span>”. There is also a section of
- the jEdit web site called <a class="ulink" href="http://plugins.jedit.org/" target="_top">Plugin Central</a> that
- maintains a descriptive index and download links for all
- publicly available plugins.</p><p>Additional questions and answers regarding plugins may
- be found in the section of this document entitled
- “<span class="quote">Working with Plugins</span>”.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2495930"></a><a name="get-doc"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>How do I get documentation on jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>There is a comprehensive User's Guide available from
- within the program using the <span class="guimenu"><strong>Help</strong></span> menu.
- The User's Guide can also be downloaded from the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jedit.org/index.php?page=download&platform=source" target="_top">
- jEdit web site</a> in Portable Document Format (PDF),
- suitable for online display or printing.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2495968"></a><a name="is-newsgroup"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Is there a newsgroup or mailing list devoted to
- jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Currently there is no newsgroup devoted to jEdit.
- There are three active mailing lists that are freely
- available by subscription:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>The <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-users" target="_top">
- jedit-users list</a>, for comments and questions
- about using jEdit and its features</p></li><li><p>The <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-devel" target="_top">
- jedit-devel list</a>, for discussion of
- development issues by members of the developer team
- and other interested persons</p></li><li><p>The <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-announce" target="_top">
- jedit-announce list</a>, a low-volume list used
- for announcing new releases of jEdit and
- plugins</p></li></ul></div><p>Each of these lists can be obtained on a full-text
- message or a daily digest basis. The daily digest bundles
- groups of postings in a single email message.</p><p>If you are only interested in version announcements
- and plugin updates, <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-announce" target="_top">
- subscribe to the jedit-announce list</a>. If you would
- like to participate in discussion or ask questions regarding
- jEdit, <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-users" target="_top">subscribe
- to the jedit-users list</a>. If you are interested in
- jEdit's development or want to write plugins, <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-devel" target="_top">
- subscribe to jedit-devel</a>.</p><p>Do not cross-post to both lists. All jEdit developers
- are subscribed to both the jedit-users and jedit-devel
- lists, so a post to jedit-users will be seen by most members
- of both lists. Also, keep in mind that both jEdit-users and
- jEdit-devel are high-traffic lists, and can fill up your
- mailbox unless you check your email regularly.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496091"></a><a name="is-website"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Is there a web site devoted to jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>There are several. The official <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jedit.org" target="_top">jEdit web site</a> contains
- extensive information on all things having to do with jEdit.
- There are also resources available for those interested in
- jEdit development on the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit" target="_top">jEdit project
- page</a> of the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net" target="_top">SourceForge web
- site</a>.</p><p>The <a class="ulink" href="http://community.jedit.org" target="_top">jEdit
- Community</a> web site has articles on jEdit and related
- topics, user-submitted macros and other download resources,
- and listings of web links of interest to jEdit users. It has
- a message board system to allow users to ask questions and
- provide feedback on the project without having to subscribe
- to jEdit's mailing lists. Because the message boards have
- relatively low volume, using the mailing lists will often be
- a more effective approach.</p><p>The jEdit Community site also has an
- “<span class="quote">Interactive FAQ</span>” facility that allows you to
- post questions to be answered by other users, and a
- screenshot gallery containing images submitted by
- users.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496162"></a><a name="copyright"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Are there copyright restrictions on the use of
- jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>The jEdit application is free, “<span class="quote">Open
- Source</span>” software released under the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html" target="_top">
- GNU General Public License 2.0</a>. This ensures that
- jEdit and its source code remains freely available for use
- and distribution by the public. For specific copyright
- questions, you should review the GPL 2.0 and seek
- appropriate advice. Broadly speaking, there are no
- restrictions on the use of the program as a text editor, and
- its source code can be copied or modified for use in another
- program that is governed by the General Public
- License.</p><p>Plugin application that are available using jEdit's
- Plugin Manager facility, as well as plugins available
- through the <a class="ulink" href="http://plugins.jedit.org" target="_top">Plugin
- Central</a> web site or <a class="ulink" href="http://community.jedit.org" target="_top">jEdit Community</a>,
- are governed either by the General Public License or another
- commonly recognized “<span class="quote">Open Source</span>” software
- license. This means that use of the application, including
- use for commercial purposes, is unrestricted without any
- requirement of royalty or license fee payments. To
- incorporate source code or an application or plugin as a
- whole in another application, you must consult the specific
- license terms to determine whether and on what basis you are
- permitted to do so.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496234"></a><a name="java-only"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Is jEdit only useful for programming in Java?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Absolutely not. Many of the jEdit's plugin
- applications, and a few of the macros distributed with the
- program, target the Java language or integrate tools used in
- Java development. However, the core application is designed
- to work with any programming or markup language. Included
- with jEdit are packages providing syntax highlighting,
- abbreviations and other programming support for over 60
- programming languages and file types, including C, C++, C#,
- Cobol, HTML, Java, Javascript, Lisp, Pascal, Perl, PHP,
- Python, Ruby, TCL, Visual Basic and XML. The full list can
- be found on the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jedit.org/index.php?page=features" target="_top">jEdit web
- site</a>.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496273"></a><a name="knowing-java"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Do I need to know Java to use jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>No. In fact, you do not need to know any specific
- programming language other than the ones with which you
- work.</p><p>At some point in your use of jEdit, you will no doubt
- want to write your own macros to execute long or complex
- routines with a single command or keyboard shortcut. Macros
- in jEdit are written in a simplified dialect of Java called
- <a class="ulink" href="http://www.beanshell.org" target="_top"> BeanShell</a>.
- Its syntax will be familiar to users of Java, C++ and other
- object-oriented languages, and it is not hard to learn even
- if you have no experience with those languages. The User's
- Guide provided with jEdit contains an extensive tutorial on
- writing macros.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496316"></a><a name="needed-software"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>What software do I need to install and run
- jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Since jEdit runs on a Java platform, at a minimum you
- will need a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) package. If you
- are planning to use jEdit to program in Java, you will need
- a full Java Development Kit (JDK) package. We recommend
- obtaining a JDK package.</p><p>The current version of jEdit, version 4.3, requires a
- Java runtime environment having a release version of 1.5 or
- greater. It will not run on versions 1.4 or 1.3. The <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jedit.org/index.php?page=compatibility" target="_top">jEdit
- web site</a> contains a detailed discussion on the
- compatibility of various publicly available JDK's for the
- major operating systems.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496358"></a><a name="just-learning"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>I've just started to learn programming. Is jEdit a
- good choice for my first text editor?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>It is an excellent choice. Its basic features are
- extremely easy to use, and you will find things like
- abbreviations, keyboard shortcuts and macros to be great
- time-savers. It has built-in packages called “<span class="quote">edit
- modes</span>” that automatically display keywords, tags, and
- other program elements in different colors, making it easier
- to view and organize your code. It works well with many Open
- Source and proprietary programming tools. Because of its
- extensive customization features, it can adapt to your
- preferences and work patterns as you become more
- experienced. Finally, it's free, so you can buy a lot of
- programming texts with the money you will save.</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><h4 class="title"><a name="get-answers-div"></a>2. Getting answers</h4></td></tr><tr class="toc"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496412">How do I get answers to my questions about
- jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496507">Where can I get interactive help for jEdit?</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496412"></a><a name="get-answers"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>How do I get answers to my questions about
- jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>You should look for answers in the following
- places:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>The User's Guide available from the
- application's <span class="guimenu"><strong>Help</strong></span> menu.</p></li><li><p>This FAQ document.</p></li><li><p>The archives of jEdit's mailing lists. Archives
- for both the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.geocrawler.com/redir-sf.php3?list=jedit-users" target="_top">
- jedit-users list</a> and the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.geocrawler.com/redir-sf.php3?list=jedit-devel" target="_top">
- jedit-devel list</a> are available.</p></li></ul></div><p>If you cannot find help using those resources, post
- your question to the <a class="ulink" href="mailto:jedit-users@lists.sourceforge.net" target="_top"> jedit-users
- list</a>. You will have to <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-users" target="_top">
- subscribe to the mailing list</a> in order to post, but
- it is well worth it, and you can elect to have daily bundles
- of messages sent to you to keep email traffic down. Many
- questions are answered on the mailing list within 24 hours.
- The developers who respond to user questions generally do
- not send direct replies, so you will need to monitor
- messages from the mailing list is order to obtain an
- answer.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496507"></a><a name="interactive-help"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Where can I get interactive help for jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>There is an IRC channel, <code class="filename">#jedit</code>,
- available on the irc.freenode.net server that is dedicated
- to jEdit support and discussion among developers. You can
- reach it using any IRC client (including Chatzilla), as well
- as the IRC plugin for jEdit.</p><p>There is almost always someone from the developer team
- signed on the channel. Just say hello and describe your
- problem.</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><h4 class="title"><a name="bugs"></a>3. Reporting bugs</h4></td></tr><tr class="toc"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496554">How do I report a bug I have found in jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496604">What information should I include in a bug
- report?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496688">How do I track the status of a jEdit bug
- report?</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496554"></a><a name="report-bugs"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>How do I report a bug I have found in jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>To be as helpful as possible to the jEdit developer
- team and other users, you should use the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?group_id=588&atid=100588" target="_top">
- bug tracker database</a> that the jEdit project
- maintains on the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net/" target="_top">SourceForge web site</a>.
- You need to be a SourceForge member to post a bug
- report.</p><p>Before posting a bug report, spend a few moments
- searching the bug database to see if a similar report has
- already been made. The bug tracker has a search facility
- that will let search for bug reports using a variety of
- criteria. If you find a similar bug report, and you have
- additional information to contribute, post a comment to the
- report. If you do not find a similar bug report, submit a
- new report.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496604"></a><a name="bug-report"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>What information should I include in a bug
- report?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>The form in the bug tracker report provides several
- fields for submitting information. If you are unsure about a
- particular item, leave it at the default setting provided in
- the form.</p><p>The more important fields are “<span class="quote">Category</span>”,
- “<span class="quote">Summary</span>” and the “<span class="quote">Initial
- comment</span>”. When you write your initial comment
- describing the bug, you should specify the versions of
- jEdit, the Java platform and operating system you are using,
- because bugs often arise that are specific to particular
- versions. Sometimes the bug arises from the Java runtime
- environment or even the operating system, and knowing these
- details helps the developer team design testing and other
- debugging strategies.</p><p>One of the macros installed with jEdit is called
- <span class="guimenuitem"><strong>Make Bug Report</strong></span>. You will it find
- under the <span class="guimenuitem"><strong>Misc</strong></span> category of the
- <span class="guimenu"><strong>Macros </strong></span> menu. This macro extracts
- information regarding your jEdit installation and a stack
- trace from the last error recorded by jEdit's Activity Log
- and places it in a new text buffer. In many cases, the
- information furnished by the macro is all that is necessary
- to provide a helpful description of a bug. You can simply
- cut and paste the output of the macro into the
- “<span class="quote">Initial comment</span>” field of the bug report
- form.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496688"></a><a name="bug-track"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>How do I track the status of a jEdit bug
- report?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>If you know the bug report number, go to this web
- address:
- <strong class="userinput"><code>http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=######&group_id=588&atid=100588</code></strong>,
- where <strong class="userinput"><code>######</code></strong> is the bug report
- number. If you don't know the bug report number, you can
- browse and search the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?group_id=588&atid=100588" target="_top">
- bug database</a> to find the problem in which you are
- interested.</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><h4 class="title"><a name="contact"></a>4. Contacting jEdit developers</h4></td></tr><tr class="toc"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496744">How do I contact members of the jEdit developer
- team?</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496744"></a><a name="contact-team"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>How do I contact members of the jEdit developer
- team?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>If you want to ask a question, make a feature request
- or offer other general comments, the easiest way is to join
- and post a message to the <a class="ulink" href="mailto:jedit-users@lists.sourceforge.net" target="_top"> jedit-users
- mailing list</a>. All developers are members. If you are
- interested in working on jEdit or writing a plugin for it,
- use the <a class="ulink" href="mailto:jedit-users@lists.sourceforge.net" target="_top"> jedit-devel
- list</a>. Email addresses for individual developers can
- be found on the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net/project/memberlist.php?group_id=588" target="_top">
- SourceForge web site</a>.</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><h4 class="title"><a name="latest-version"></a>5. Getting the latest version</h4></td></tr><tr class="toc"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2496803">How do I obtain the latest version of jEdit?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2547149">How do I obtain a copy of the jEdit source
- code?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2547203">Where can I get the latest version of this
- document?</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="general.html#id2547230">How do you set the classpath and compile the Java
- files in jEdit?</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2496803"></a><a name="get-latest-version"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>How do I obtain the latest version of jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>The program is in a continuing state of evolution. It
- is usually available in two versions, a
- “<span class="quote">stable</span>” version and a
- “<span class="quote">development</span>” version. A stable version
- represents a release of jEdit that is considered to be free
- of serious bugs or performance problems and suitable for
- general use. A “<span class="quote">development</span>” version includes
- new features or new elements of program design that require
- testing and possible further refinement. A development
- version contains the token “<span class="quote">pre</span>” in its version
- number, as in <code class="literal">4.3pre5</code>.</p><p>The latest stable and development versions of jEdit
- are always available from the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jedit.org" target="_top">jEdit web site</a> and from
- the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net/%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20projects/jedit" target="_top">jEdit
- project page</a> of the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net" target="_top">SourceForge web site</a>,
- which hosts jEdit's development resources.</p><p>In addition, a plugin named <span class="application">Check jEdit
- Version</span> can be run from within jEdit by
- selecting <span class="guimenuitem"><strong>Check jEdit Version</strong></span>
- from the application's <span class="guimenu"><strong>Plugins</strong></span> menu. It
- queries the jEdit web site, compares version information
- with the version of the currently running instance of jEdit,
- and reports the result to the user in a message box. It will
- tell you if you do not have the latest version of jEdit,
- regardless of whether that version is in
- “<span class="quote">stable</span>” or “<span class="quote">development</span>”
- form.</p><p>Finally, if you subscribe to the <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-announce" target="_top">
- jedit-announce</a> or <a class="ulink" href="http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jedit-users" target="_top">
- jedit-users</a> mailing lists, you will receive an email
- whenever a new release of jEdit becomes available.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2547149"></a><a name="get-source"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>How do I obtain a copy of the jEdit source
- code?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>The latest version of jEdit's source code is available
- from the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jedit.org/index.php?page=download&platform=source" target="_top">
- jEdit web site</a> or the <a class="ulink" href="http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=588" target="_top">
- SourceForge web site</a>. The web site provides the
- source code for the latest stable and development version,
- while the SourceForge site has a more extensive archive
- covering earlier versions.</p><p>If you are interested in testing the absolutely latest
- changes to jEdit, and you are familiar with compiling your
- own Java programs and working with Subversion, you can
- download the current code maintained in the <a class="ulink" href="http://jedit.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/jedit/" target="_top">SourceForge
- SVN repository</a>.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2547203"></a><a name="get-latest-faq"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Where can I get the latest version of this
- document?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>The latest release of this document is available on
- the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jedit.org/FAQ/index.html" target="_top">jEdit
- web site</a>.</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2547230"></a><a name="jedit-compile"></a><p><b>Q:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>How do you set the classpath and compile the Java
- files in jEdit?</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><p><b>A:</b></p></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>Consult an article on the <a class="ulink" href="http://community.jedit.org" target="_top">jEdit Community</a> web
- site entitled “<span class="quote">Build jEdit yourself: the 'Open' in
- Open Source</span>”.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="installation.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Introduction </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Installation Questions</td></tr></table></div></body></html>