Getting Files into a Project

Once you have created a project, there are several ways to populate it with files.

Creating New IDL Source Files

If you are starting a new application and creating new .pro files. simply select File → New IDL Source File or click the new_file_icon.gif icon. When you save the new file, the Save As dialog prompts you to choose the "parent folder" from a list of project folders in your workspace.

Importing Files

If you have a group of files you want to move into a project, select File → Import... to launch the Import Wizard. Select File System from the General folder and click Next. The wizard allows you to select multiple files from the file system and import them into an existing project folder.

To create a new project populated with files copied from another directory:

  1. Create a new, empty project. (Refer to Creating a Project in the Workspace.)
  2. In the Project Explorer view, right-click on the project you just created.
  3. From the context menu, select Import. (Alternately, select File → Import...) The Import dialog appears.
  4. On the Import dialog, select General → File System. Click Next.
  5. Enter the directory you want to copy the files from into the From directory box, or browse for it.
  6. Select the files you want to copy:
    1. Select the source directories from the directory list, and from the file list select the files you want to copy.
    2. You can also Select All or Deselect All the files.
    3. Click Filter Types to filter the file types that are displayed.
  7. If you want to change the destination directory from the selected project, Browse for the directory or enter the path into the Into Folder box.
  8. In the Options section, select the appropriate file copy options.
  9. Click Finish.

Drag-and-Drop (Windows Only)

On Windows systems, you can drag files from the Windows Explorer and drop them onto folders in the Project Explorer view. The files will be copied into the selected project directory.

Creating Linked Resources in a Project

You might want to create a project that encompasses directories or files from several locations. To do this, first create a project (either in the workspace directory or in a linked directory), then create linked resources in the existing project. Linked resources are files or folders located somewhere other than inside the main project directory.

To create a linked folder:

  1. In the Project Explorer view, right-click the project or folder where you want to add the linked folder.
  2. From the pop-up menu, select New → Folder.
  3. Enter the Folder name. This name can be different from the name of the folder in the file system.
  4. Click Advanced.
  5. Select Link to folder in the file system.
  6. Enter or browse to a file system folder.
  7. Click Finish.

To create a linked file:

  1. In the Project Explorer view, right-click the project or folder where you want to add the linked file.
  2. From the pop-up menu, select New → Other. The New dialog appears.
  3. Click General → File from the tree, and click Next.
  4. Click Advanced.
  5. Select Link to file in the file system.
  6. Enter or browse for the file path.
    1. Click Variables to use a predefined path variable.
  7. Click Finish. The new file link is listed in the Navigator view.

Where are my files?

Files displayed in the Project Explorer view are either contained in or linked into a project directory. If you are unsure of where a project directory or individual file resides on the filesystem, you can inspect the item's properties to see the location. Select the folder or file in the Project Explorer view and Project → Properties (or select Properties from the context menu). Some examples:

Figure 1-1: Default project directory in the default workspace directory (Windows)

proj_properties_workspace.gif

Figure 1-2: Project directory linked into the default workspace

proj_properties_linked.gif

Figure 1-3: IDL source code file in Default project
(Note that the Default project is in a non-default workspace directory)

file_properties_workspace.gif