Working with Java Free-Form Projects in NetBeans IDE

Say you have a small scale Java project and use Ant for your build purposes. Thus, you have the Java classes and you have the 'build.xml' file. Now, as the project size increases you feel that you need an IDE to take care of the project build and other logistics. I will show you how you can do that using the "Java Free-Form Project" feature in NetBeans 6.1 Beta

Software:

• NetBeans 6.1 Beta
• JDK 1.6

1. Create a "New Project" and choose "Java Free-Form Project":

   

2. Select the directory where your existing project lives and point to the 'build.xml' and fill up other details:

   

3. Map the project actions to targets in your Ant build.xml file:

   

4. Choose your source folder:

   

5. Click Finish and now your project structure is imported:

   

Now you can continue editing and running your application from the IDE itself!