Salisbury University Java

A VSCode extension for COSC117 students at Salisbury University. Built to help beginners who are not tech-savvy get started with Java quickly.

Features

Auto File Template

When creating a new .java file, the extension automatically:

• Derives the package name from the folder structure under src/
• Inserts a default class with a main method using the filename

Example: Creating src/animals/Dog.java produces:

package animals;

public class Dog {
    public static void main(String[] args) {

    }
}

Project Scaffolding

Create a new Java project with standard structure in the current directory:

1. Press Cmd+Shift+P and search for "Create Java Project"
2. Enter a project name
3. The project is created with:

   project-name/
     src/
     bin/
   

No new window opens - you stay in your current workspace.

One-Click Run

Click the Run button in the editor title bar to run your code. The extension:

• Compiles all .java files in the project's src/ folder
• Automatically finds the class with main method
• Creates bin/ within the project for compiled files

Multi-File Support

All Java files in the project are compiled together, so you can have multiple classes that reference each other (e.g., Main.java using Person.java, Calculator.java, etc.).

Error Simplification

Translates complex Java compiler errors into beginner-friendly messages shown in the Problems panel.

Installation

1. Open the extension folder in VSCode
2. Run npm install
3. Press F5 to launch the extension in the debugger

For Distribution

npm run compile
vsce package

This creates a .vsix file that can be installed via Extensions: Install from VSIX in VSCode.

Commands

Configuration

Project Structure

When running code, the extension expects:

your-project/
  src/
    Main.java
    Helper.java
    Person.java
  bin/         (created automatically on run)