Using the Output Window
The Output Window is a multi-tab window displaying output from any component that produces output - such as the compiler or executed application or applet. Output from each component is presented on a separate tab: the Compiler tab, Debugger tab, and a tab for each executed process labeled with the name of the application being run.
By default, the Output Window is visible on the Running Workspace and is automatically displayed when you compile (Editing Workspace), execute (Running Workspace), or debug (Debugging Workspace) an application.
The Compiler tab is visible after compiling a Java source and displays compilation output and standard error. The output is color coded: errors are marked red, other text is blue. Double-clicking an error line on this tab brings forward the Editor window displaying the source, highlights the incorrect line in red, and positions the insertion point at the exact location of the compilation error. You can also jump to different compiler errors in the editor with keyboard shortcuts. Pressing Alt+F7 moves the insertion point to the previous error, and pressing Alt+F8 moves the insertion point to the next error in the file.
The Debugger tab is split vertically into two panes. The left pane displays the output of the application being debugged. The right pane displays useful debugging information such as details of the application's threads, thread groups and breakpoints as well as status messages from the debugger itself.
Any application currently being executed also has a separate tab in the Output Window. Its tab displays the standard output of the application. The standard input of the application (assuming the application tries to read anything) is also redirected here - more specifically, to the text field at the bottom of the window.
There are two properties which govern the use and re-use of application tabs:
Reuse Output Window Tab
andClear Output Window Tab
. These properties can be found on the property sheet ofExecution Settings
in the Global Options window (which can be opened by choosing Tools | Global Options... from the main menu). If theReuse Output Window Tab
property is set toTrue
, each individual application uses only a single output tab - that is, successive executions do not create new tabs. If theClear Output Window Tab
property is set toTrue
, the tab is cleared before reuse.Clear Output Window Tab
is useful only ifReuse Output Window Tab
is set toTrue
.Contextual menus which provide window management options are available on the tabs - see Window management. You can also right-click in the body of the pane for the options Copy to Clipboard and Clear Output.
An application's output tab also provides a right-click contextual menu, with the options Terminate Process and Close Output Window Tab.
Contents | Prev | Next | Index |