Lesson 1: Project Setup#

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create and open a Java project in Neovim.

Learning Objectives#

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

• Create a simple Java project structure
• Create Maven and Gradle projects
• Open projects in Neovim
• Navigate the file explorer

Creating a Simple Java Project#

Let’s start by creating a basic Java project structure manually:

# Create project directory
mkdir -p ~/java-projects/hello-neovim
cd ~/java-projects/hello-neovim

# Create standard Java directory structure
mkdir -p src/main/java/com/example
mkdir -p src/test/java/com/example

This creates the standard Maven/Gradle directory layout.

Creating a Maven Project#

For a Maven project, create a pom.xml file:

cd ~/java-projects
mkdir maven-demo
cd maven-demo

Create pom.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0
         http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

    <groupId>com.example</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-demo</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <properties>
        <maven.compiler.source>11</maven.compiler.source>
        <maven.compiler.target>11</maven.compiler.target>
        <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>junit</groupId>
            <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
            <version>4.13.2</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</project>

Then create the directory structure:

mkdir -p src/main/java/com/example
mkdir -p src/test/java/com/example

Creating a Gradle Project#

For a Gradle project:

cd ~/java-projects
mkdir gradle-demo
cd gradle-demo

Create build.gradle:

plugins {
    id 'java'
}

group = 'com.example'
version = '1.0-SNAPSHOT'

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
    testImplementation 'junit:junit:4.13.2'
}

java {
    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
}

Create directory structure:

mkdir -p src/main/java/com/example
mkdir -p src/test/java/com/example

Opening a Project in Neovim#

Now let’s open your project:

# Navigate to project root
cd ~/java-projects/maven-demo

# Open Neovim in the project directory
nvim .

When you open Neovim with ., it opens in the current directory. The LSP (jdtls) will automatically detect your project type (Maven/Gradle) and configure itself.

Using the File Explorer#

Once Neovim is open, you can access the file explorer:

Toggle file explorer:

<Space>ne

(Press Space, then ’n’, then ’e')

File Explorer Navigation#

In the file explorer (nvim-tree):

Creating Your First File#

1. Open file explorer: <Space>ne
2. Navigate to src/main/java/com/example/
3. Press a to create a new file
4. Type: Main.java
5. Press Enter

The file will be created and opened in a buffer.

Project Structure Overview#

After setup, your project should look like:

maven-demo/
├── pom.xml                          (Maven build file)
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   │   └── java/
│   │       └── com/
│   │           └── example/
│   │               └── Main.java    (Your code here)
│   └── test/
│       └── java/
│           └── com/
│               └── example/
│                   └── MainTest.java (Tests here)

Tips#

• Auto-detection: jdtls automatically detects Maven (pom.xml) or Gradle (build.gradle) projects
• Workspace folders: The first time you open a project, jdtls may take a moment to download dependencies
• Check LSP status: Run :LspInfo to verify jdtls is running
• Check health: Run :checkhealth if something isn’t working

Practice Exercise#

1. Create a new Maven project called my-first-project
2. Open it in Neovim
3. Use the file explorer to create Main.java in the correct package
4. Verify jdtls is running with :LspInfo

What’s Next?#

In Lesson 2: Hello World, you’ll write your first Java program and run it.