Java project: should .classpath .project file be c

Question

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• .classpath and .project - check into version control or not? 7 answers

Should I check in my .project and .classpath files?

My friend told me that I should only check in .java files and the build.xml to guarantee portability. He said ".classpath will cause you much less portability on different environment. .project is entirely your local eclipse setting"

I agree with him, but partially.

-- Not checking in .project file will make my development less efficient (I can't simply "import" a project code from a directory)

-- Not checking in .classpath file seems OK to me (?) if my build.xml is written carefully.

Anyone wants to share their experience here?

Answer 1

I don't really know eclipse preferences files, but with IntelliJ, those files are OS agnostics, which means that it won't ruin your portability. Unless you define libraries with a full path to your system (That would be pretty dangerous/stupid).

When you share preferences, you're sure that everyone will work with the same conditions on the project (plugins configuration, encoding, profiles [for intelliJ]) which can really be a good thing.

It doesn't bother me when some Eclipse files are here, and I think it shouldn't/doesn't really bother other developers when some hidden files just lay there.

Answer 2

There is nothing wrong with checking in .project and .classpath. I would do so, if your build.xml isn't able to create both of the files for you. As you said, it's uncomfortable to miss these files when you try to create a new eclipse workspace.

Before you check in .classpath you should be sure that there is no absolute path in it. Convert it into a relative one with a text editor.

Edit: Or even better, use eclipse classpath variables in your otherwise absolute pathes, like @taylor-leese commented.

Answer 3

I often have a similar, more general questionning. The problem essentially is :

• which files am I commiting for me?
• which files am I commiting for others?
• → How do I combine both objectives of "versionning"?

I offered discussing this there, so you may find more details about the problem, along with interesting solutions :)

---

The one I like best is the use of git submodule: keep your .project files etc. in a private commit repo. And make your final, pure, essential src production into a neat submodule nugget: a public repo.

project/ # root module
|   .git # private repo
|   .project
|   .classpath
|   momsNumber.txt
+---src/     # submodule
|   |   .git # public repo
|   |   main.java
|   +---package/
|   |   |    Etc.java

---

See there anyway.

Answer 4

One thing I would caution against with checking in .classpath file is make sure you don't reference files outside of your project. Eclipse stores the location of these files with a full filepath, and you would need to make sure other developers had those files in exactly the same place.

Answer 5

The key question with all such files is "Can they be reproduced automatically?" If not, check them into source control.

In this case, I'd say "yes," unless you're using maven, which has m2eclipse and the eclipse plugin to generate them for you.

Answer 6

For my 2 cents, I would rate it as a bad practice. Projects should not be tied to an IDE, and especially should not be tied to a specific version of an IDE.

Checking in Eclipse config files might work well for simpler and short-term projects. For larger projects that are developed over several years this will generally cause more hassle, as IDE versions change, and project config files don't. Just imagine checking in a 2 year old branch with Eclipse 2.0 config files in Eclipse 4.3 with some customized libraries and m2e integration... No fun at all...