Here are a set of steps to get your projects working at home (though not the only way). Some of the below software is on the FANG CD provided to the students, but this will give the most up-to-date versions of the software.

  1. Download the lastest Java JRE (Java Runtime Environment), currently JRE 6 Update 3, and install. Leave the installer's options to their defaults unless you know what you're doing, same goes for the next step.
  2. On the same page, download the latest JDK (Java Developer Kit), currently JDK Update 3, and install.
    Note that the JDK technically includes a JRE version of its own that is used for development, but it is a good idea to have a seperate JRE from the above step for programs to run on.
  3. Download Eclipse. Pick the "Eclipse IDE for Java Developers" in whichever operating system flavor you run.
    • This will be a compressed (.zip if you're in windows) folder.
    • Unzip the file. At the location you unzipped to there will be a new folder called "eclipse"
    • There is no installer for Eclipse in Windows, just go into this folder and run eclipse.exe (the one with the big purple globe icon).
    • Open it now, before it loads a dialog pops up asking to define a workspace. You can make this anywhere you want, but make note of where you choose. It is easiest to check the box that asks to make that the default workspace so it doesn't ask every time it starts up.
    • Eclipse will now load and most likely a screen will come up with a blue/green theme with some circular icons. Click the "arrow" one that takes you to the Workbench (student should be familiar with this view, there are many panes in this view).
    • Once you do that, close Eclipse.
  4. Put the CD that we burned in class into your drive and open it up.
  5. There should be a "workspace" folder on the CD, copy this (right-click and select copy or left-click to highlight and type ctrl+c).
  6. Now, find where you made the eclipse default workspace from step 3 in Windows explorer.
    For example, when asked in step 3, the default value was C:\Documents and Settings\[your user name]. So in that directory there will be a folder called workspace.
    If you changed the value of the default to say C:\development, then C:\development would have a "workspace" folder.
  7. Once you are at the proper directory, paste the copied workspace folder over the workspace folder.
    So, for the cause of the default value, go to C:\Documents and Settings\ and then paste over the workspace folder there.
  8. Now start eclipse again.
    • It should startup at the Workbench automatically this time and load the projects from class into the Package Explorer (by default the leftmost pane in the window).
    • If they do not show up (the package explorer is blank), then right-click inside the package explorer pane and select "Refresh", the projects should now appear.
    • If this still does not work go back into explorer and see what the names of the folders in the workspace are. In Eclipse, for each folder, make a new java project and name it exactly the same as the folder (the student should be familiar with making a project). Now refresh the package explorer in Eclipse again and the work should appear.
  9. From here the students should be familiar with how to do things.
Some other notes: