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Java Java Objects (Retired) Meet Objects Creating Classes

What kind of project should I start ? how does console differ from eclipse?

I am taking the Java course and would like to star a side project. I already have a project in mind, however not sure how to implement it. I would like to make a sign in page or app in which people can take pictures of documents and submit in a digital drop box for other folks to look at with perhaps a quick search as long as you are signed in. I feel like it is such as easy project, however I am unsure where to start?

Should I be using and starting something with Eclipse? I feel stuck and that no matter how much I progress in the course I won't budge.

1 Answer

Hi Martin.

Eclipse is just an IDE or integrated development environment. There are other options like IntelliJ (my favorite), text editors like Sublime Text, or command line editors like Vim. Whichever you choose is a matter of preference.

Full fledged IDEs like IntelliJ or Eclipse offer support for refactoring, code generation, auto completion, integration with source control, plugins, customization, and tons more.

Give IntelliJ a try, it's even part of the last track of the Java course.

As for a side project I would say it depends on your experience and what you wanna target. Is this going to be an android app, a web app, a desktop app? In any case I see all three requiring a database, as you need a way to securely and efficiently store user credentials and registration info. If this is beyond your current skill set there are courses and tracks for databases here on Treehouse.

Other fun projects I think are cool would be a text-based adventure game. You know, the ones where you can move in rooms by typing commands, hold items in your inventory, encounter bosses, etc. It's great practice for creating classes, inheritance, methods, and you'd be amazed at how much you can learn about proper code organization, separation of concerns, and creating a project that can scale and grow in the future.

Another one could be implementing mathematical problems in Java and solving them. A cool site for this is Project Euler (I think the website is projecteuler.net).

If you need any more help I'll be happy to answer :) I'm on Twitter all the time so pong me there if I don't reply here quickly.

Hope this helped :)