ColdFusion Enterprise

Here is a step by step all-in-one guide to installing and configuring Eclipse on Windows to work with ColdFusion 8:

• Eclipse Setup
• Configuring CFEclipse
• ColdFusion 8 Extensions

Eclipse Setup

1. Download Eclipse - Choose the latest version of Eclipse Classic (currently 3.3.1.1 as of 1/28/2008).
2. Unzip the zip file into a directory of your choosing. Typically, I like to unzip this into C:\apps\. Whatever directory you choose, when you unzip this file the root for the install will be the “eclipse” directory. So, in my case, this would be C:\apps\eclipse.
3. Open up C:\apps\eclipse\eclipse.exe. This is the executable file for the Eclipse IDE (it is a good idea to create a shortcut to this file on your desktop or toolbar).
4. When you launch Eclipse, it will ask you what your Workspace will be. This is of more use for Java development than ColdFusion. I typically accept the default here, check the “Use this as the default and do not ask again” checkbox, and click Ok.
5. You can close the welcome page by clicking on the X next to Welcome. This will show you the default perspective of Java. The next steps entail configuring the CFEclipse plugin for Eclipse to work on your ColdFusion applications.

Configuring CFEclipse

1. Go to http://www.cfeclipse.org and click on the Download link.
2. Following these directions, you should be able to easily configure the CFEclipse plugin.
3. To use the CFEclipse perspective, inside of Eclipse, go to Window -> Open Perspective -> Other. Choose CFEclipse and click OK.
4. To create a new CFEclipse Project (similar to a Dreamweaver site):
   • Go to File -> New -> Project.
   • In the Select a Wizard dialogue box, expand CFEclipse, click on CFML Project and click next
   • Name the Project (similar to a Dreamweaver site name), and browse to the local/network directory where the project is contained (i.e., C:\ColdFusion8\wwwroot\myapp\).

ColdFusion 8 Extensions

1. Go to the ColdFusion downloads section of the Adobe website.
2. Download both the ColdFusion 8 Extensions for Eclipse and the ColdFusion 8 Help Files for Eclipse.  Follow the simple instructions on the page for installing the ColdFusion 8 Help Files.
3. To install the ColdFusion 8 Extensions for Eclipse:
   1. Go to Help -> Software Updates -> Find and Install
   2. Search for New Features to Install and click Next
   3. Click on new archived site, and find the file that you just downloaded (it’s named: cf8_extensions_for_eclipse.zip).  Click OK.
   4. Make sure that cf8_extensions_for_eclipse.zip is the only one that is checked, and click Finish.
   5. For Select Features to Install, check the box next to cf8_extensions_for_eclipse.zip and click Next.
   6. Accept the License agreement, click Next, then click Finish.  When prompted, click Install All.
   7. Once it is finished installing, you will be prompted to restart Eclipse.  Click Yes.  Eclipse will reboot, and you will be all set.