Lesson 1 - Environment Setup

Lesson 1: Environment Setup

Summary

• Concepts: Learn about JDK, its installation, environment setup, and IDE usage.
• Practice: Verify JDK installation, create and run a Java program in IntelliJ IDEA, and set up a project structure.

Watch Lesson 1: Java For Beginners #1 - Setup JDK & IntelliJ (Start Coding in 10 Minutes)

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Concepts

Java JDK

1. Installing Java JDK
   • Explanation of JDK and its importance
     • Java Development Kit (JDK): A software development environment used for developing Java applications.
     • Importance: Provides the necessary tools (compiler, debugger, etc.) to write, compile, and run Java programs.
   • Steps to download and install JDK from Oracle’s website
     • Open a web browser and go to the Oracle JDK download page.
     • Select the appropriate version for your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux).
     • Download the installer and run it.
     • Follow the installation prompts to complete the installation.
   • Setting up environment variables (JAVA_HOME, PATH)
     • Windows:
       1. Open the Start menu, search for "Environment Variables", and select "Edit the system environment variables".
       2. In the System Properties window, click on "Environment Variables".
       3. Under System Variables, click "New" and add JAVA_HOME with the path to the JDK installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-14).
       4. Find the Path variable, click "Edit", and add %JAVA_HOME%\bin to the list.
     • macOS/Linux:

       1. Open the terminal.

       2. Edit the .bash_profile or .zshrc file using a text editor (e.g., nano ~/.bash_profile).

       3. Add the following lines:

          export JAVA_HOME=/path/to/jdk
          export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH

       4. Save the file and run source ~/.bash_profile or source ~/.zshrc.

IntelliJ IDEA

2. Installing an IDE (IntelliJ IDEA)
   • Explanation of IDE and why we use it
     • Integrated Development Environment (IDE): A software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development.
     • Importance: Simplifies coding, debugging, and testing by providing tools and features like code editors, compilers, debuggers, and project management.
   • Steps to download and install IntelliJ IDEA
     • Open a web browser and go to the IntelliJ IDEA download page.
     • Select the Community Edition (free) for your operating system (Windows, macOS or Linux).
     • Download the installer and run it.
     • Follow the installation prompts to complete the installation.
   • Basic tour of the IDE interface: projects, editors, menus
     • Projects: Contains the files and folders of your Java project.
     • Editors: Where you write and edit your Java code.
     • Menus: Provides access to various tools and settings, such as file management, code navigation, refactoring, and debugging.

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Practice

Exercise 1

1. Verify JDK installation by compiling and running a simple Java program via command line.

   • Open a text editor and write a simple Java program:

     public class HelloWorld {
         public static void main(String[] args) {
             System.out.println("Hello, World!");
         }
     }

   • Save the file as HelloWorld.java.

   • Open a command line terminal.

   • Navigate to the directory where you saved HelloWorld.java.

   • Compile the program using javac HelloWorld.java.

   • Run the program using java HelloWorld.

Exercise 2

2. Create and run a "Hello World" program in IntelliJ IDEA.

   • Open IntelliJ IDEA.

   • Create a new Java project.

   • In the project structure, right-click on src and select New -> Java Class.

   • Name the class HelloWorld.

   • Write the "Hello World" program in the editor:

     public class HelloWorld {
         public static void main(String[] args) {
             System.out.println("Hello, World!");
         }
     }

   • Run the program by clicking the Run button or right-clicking in the editor and selecting Run 'HelloWorld.main()'.

Exercise 3

3. Set up a project structure in IntelliJ IDEA.

   • Create a new project in IntelliJ IDEA.

   • Familiarize yourself with the project structure: src folder for source files, out or build folder for compiled files.

   • Add a package within the src folder (right-click src -> New -> Package).

   • Create a new Java class within the package (right-click package -> New -> Java Class).

   • Write a simple Java program and run it to ensure everything is set up correctly.

     • In the editor, replace the default code with the following:

     package com.example;
     
     public class Main {
         public static void main(String[] args) {
             System.out.println("Hello, IntelliJ IDEA!");
         }
     }

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