Builders panel

From the Builders panel, you can specify which Builders to enable for this project, and in which order they are used.

Figure 1. Specifying the builders to enable and their order for the selected project.
Configure the builders for the project
Selects which builders to enable from the list. You can disable the CDT Builder and you can control when the CDT Builder runs with respect to the project builders that you define.
New
Opens the Choose configuration type dialog so that you can add a new builder to the list.

The Ant Builder option lets you configure and deploy projects; however, if you want to use some other tool or prefer to do it yourself, you can set up a Program external tool project builder. This type allows you to customize the deployment of your project as you require, while maintaining the convenience of automatically running your script every time your project is built.

The Program option lets you to define an external tool for any executable file that is accessible on your local or network file system. For example, if instead of Ant you prefer to use your own shell scripts or Windows .bat files to package and deploy your Eclipse projects, you can then create a Program external tool that would specify where and how to execute that script.

Import
Opens the Import launch configuration dialog so that you can import a builder to include it in the list.
Edit
Opens the Configure Builder dialog that lets you specify when to run the selected builder.

When you configure a builder, you have the following options:

  • After a Clean — When enabled, the selected builder is scheduled to run after a clean operation occurs.
  • During manual builds - When enabled, the selected build is initiated when you explicitly select a menu item or press its corresponding shortcut key combination.
  • During auto builds — When enabled, automatic builds are performed as resources are saved (they are incremental and operate over an entire workspace). Note that running your project builder during auto builds is possible, although it is not recommended because of performance concerns.
  • During a Clean — When enabled, the selected builder is scheduled to run during a clean operation.

For program external tool types, clicking Edit lets you modify the properties for the selected launch configuration:

Remove
Removes the selected builder from the list.
Up
Moves the currently selected builder higher in the list to change the builder order.
Down
Moves the currently selected builder lower in the list to change the builder order.