To start a new project, click on File -> New
Project from the NetBeans menu at the top. You'll see the following dialogue box
appear:
![index-1.gif]()
We're going to be create a Java Application, so select Java under Categories,
and then Java Application under Projects. Click the Next button at the bottom to
go to step two:
![index_1.png]()
In the Project Name area at the top, type a Name for your Project. Notice how
the text at the bottom changes to match your project name (in the text box to
the right of Create Main Class):
arjunfirstproject.Main
If we leave it like that, the Class will have the name Main. Change it to
ArjunFirstProject:
As below (Now, the Class created will be
called ArjunFirstProject, with a capital"A" "F", capital "P". The package is
also called arjunfirstproject, but with a lowercase"a" "f" and lowercase "j".
![index_1.png]()
The default location to save your projects appears in the Project Location text
box. You can change this, if you prefer. NetBeans will also create a folder with
your project name, in the same location. Click the Finish button and NetBeans
will go to work creating all the necessary files for you.
When NetBeans returns you to the IDE, have a look at the Projects area in the
top left of the screen (if you can't see this, click Window > Projects from the
menu bar at the top of the software):
![index_2.png]()
![index_3.png]()
Click the plus symbol to expand your project, and you'll see the following:
Now expand Source Packages to see your project name again. Expand this and
you'll see the Java file that is your source code.
![index_4.png]()
This same source code should be displayed to the right, in the large text area.
It will be called ArjunFirstProject.java. If you can't see a code window, simply
double click ArjunFirstProject.java in your Projects window above. The code will
appear, ready for you to start work.
The coding window that appears should look like this (we've changed the author's
name):
![index_5.png]()
One thing to note here is that the class is called FirstProject:
public class ArjunFirstProject {
This is the same name as the java source file in the project window:
ArjunFirstProject.java. When you run your programmes, the compiler demands that
the source file and the class name match. So if your .java file is called
arjunfirstProject but the class is called ArjunFirstProject then you'll get an
error on compile. And all because the first one is lowercase "A" and the second
one uppercase.
Note that although we've also called the package arjunfirsproject, this is not
necessary. We could have called the package someprogramme. So the name of the
package doesn't have to be the same as the java source file, or the class in the
source file: it's just the name of the java source file and the name of the
class that must match