The workbench is the place where users create, develop, build, execute, debug, and manage development resources.
Workbench has one editor area. When a file is opened from the Project Explorer view, the editor is displayed in the editor area. Multiple editors are displayed in the editor area in layers by default. However, the editor area can be split horizontally or vertically to display two or more editors simultaneously.
A vertical ruler is displayed as the left edge of the editor area. It displays markers associated with the range displayed in the editor area. For example, error and warning markers, markers that indicate breakpoints or places that match search items and other markers can be displayed. An outline ruler is displayed at the right edge of the editor area. It shows where certain markers are associated in the file as a whole, not just the part of the file visible in the editor area. The user can click on a marker in the outline ruler to display in the editor area the part of the file near that marker.
Point
From the workbench, users can also start any desired application to use as an external editor. However, external editors are not displayed in the editor area, and the support functions described above are not available for them.
Views provide support for development tasks. Some examples of views are:
Views for displaying and managing development resources (for example, the Project Explorer view and the Navigator view)
Views for supporting editing tasks (for example, the Outline view and the Snippet view)
Views for supporting debug tasks (for example, the Breakpoint view and the Variable view)
Each view has its own toolbar and menu. Operations performed from a view toolbar or menu only affect items in that particular view.
Note
Only one display of the same type of view can be displayed in one workbench.
A perspective defines the initial set of editors and views displayed by the workbench, their layout, and the items displayed in their toolbars and menus. Perspectives are prepared in advance for specific tasks. For example, the Java EE perspective contains the views to be used when developing Java EE applications, and the Debug perspective contains the views to be used when debugging an application. Users can select the perspective that best suits the task content.
