Checkstyle4nb is an installable module for Netbeans 6.0 which provides integration with Checkstyle 4.3. Checkstyle is an excellent tool for helping developers to adhere to a Java coding standard.
Features
Checkstyle4nb features:
- Ability to set all checkstyle configuration options through a XML configuration file. If configuration file is not provided, the Sun Java Coding Conventions is used.
- Optional properties file with further variables.
- Checkstyle is added to the tools menu when right clicking within the source edit window, to the toolbar, to the menu when right clicking a Java file.
- Output from Checkstyle is directed into a standard Netbeans output window.
- Selecting an error within the Checkstyle output window will highlight the source line that the error occurred on.
Installation
The full package contains an nbm module you install via the Netbeans Tools/Update Center option. Select "Install Manually Downloaded Modules (.nbm Files)", add the module from the distribution file and then select install. At this time the nbm is not signed, you will therefore be warned of this during the installation process.
Checkstyle4nb release follow the release numbers from the checkstyle project. i.e. Checkstyle4nb releases based upon Checkstyle 4.2 will be named com-ammatsun-checkstyle4nb-4.2.x where x is the Checkstyle4nb identifier.
Download
Download the earlier version 4.3.1 (updates to fix issues on Netbeans 6.0; released Dec/11/2007).
Download the earlier version 4.2.2 (package names have been modified to be accepted on google codes, the module remains the same and it has been tested on Netbeans 5.5; released on Nov/09/2006, but has some issues in with some configurations of certain IDEs).
Download the earlier version 4.2.1 (tested with NetBeans 5.0; initial release on Jul/13/2006).
Alternatives
An alternative plug-in to "checkstyle4nb" is "Checkstyle Beans", a very nice checkstyle plug-in for NB 6.0 that verifies code adherence as soon as the file is saved with marks on the side bars, next to the opened Java file. "checkstyle4nb" does not have the feature to filter sections of the code that are automatically generated by the IDE, but "checkstyle4nb" can be considered complementary to "Checkstyle Beans" when you have large projects and you do not want the IDE to slow down when several files are saved or you want to check all files in some package/folder with a single click.