CSC300 / CSC402: Tools

(Click here for one slide per page)

Follow these steps, in order. Try to follow the instructions exactly to minimize any installation issues.

• Remove any existing version of Java from your computer.

• Install graphviz.

• Install IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition.

• Install the code for this class.

• Set up your IntelliJ IDEA project.

If you run into problems, please email me or send me a message on Discord. You can also come to my office hours.

If you spend more than 30 minutes trying to figure out a problem with any of these steps, don't waste your time. I will be happy to help.

This step is necessary to draw the pictures, which is useful for debugging. Install the latest version.

On Windows or Linux, download and install Graphviz from here: Graphviz

If you run into problems, have a look at New simplified installation procedure on Windows.

On a mac, you need to install Homebrew

Once you have homebrew, just enter the following commands on the Terminal:

brew update
brew install graphviz

Please install the Community Edition. It has all the features we need for this class, and there's no need to buy a license to use IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate.

Standalone Installation. Choose the correct platform!

If you already have IntelliJ IDEA on your machine, you should update it by going through the menus.

• Linux/Windows: Help -> Check for Updates... and then follow the prompts.
• Mac: IntelliJ IDEA (top left) -> Check for Updates... and then follow the prompts.

• Download the code archive for this class.
• Unzip the archive somewhere on your machine.
  • The algs4 directory will be the "top-level" directory for your IntelliJ IDEA project.
  • It should contain a subdirectory named src, a subdirectory named data, and a file named pom.xml.
  • Do not edit the pom.xml file.
  • At this point, do not change the contents of the project directories or any files under the project directory.

Start up IntelliJ IDEA. Click the Open tile.

Navigate to the algs4 directory where you unzipped the course code archive and Click OK.

When the project opens, go to the Build menu and choose Build Project.

A message should pop up at the bottom of the IDEA application window telling you that The SDK is not specified for module algs4. Click the Configure... link.

NB: The picture here is old. You should select Language Level 21.

Add an SDK.

Select an SDK. Amazon Coretto 21.0.2 should be fine. Accept all the defaults in the dialog box. Click Download. The JDK will be installed for you. NB: The picture here is old, but you should choose JDK version 21!

Note that things may look slightly different if you use Linux or MacOS.

Email me with any questions.

Click OK.

IntelliJ IDEA will set up your project. You can watch the progress (lower right-hand corner of the IntelliJ IDEA application window).

In the project pane on the left-hand side of IntelliJ IDEA, navigate to src/main/java/algs11 and select Hello. Right click and select Run 'Hello.main()' in the context menu.

In the bottom third of the application window, in the Run area, you should see the program print Hello. This indicates that you have successfully set up IntelliJ IDEA, Java, and the code for the course. At this point, you have compiled and run your first Java program!

One final step: In IntelliJ IDEA go to File -> Settings (on Windows/Linux) or IntelliJ IDEA -> Settings (on a Mac) and change your tab settings as follows. This will help with code formatting when I look at your code. Pro tip: Most programmers I hang out with can't stand tabs! It's a pretty standard practice to use the tab key and have your editor replace tabs with spaces.