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Importing Projects in the IDE Using Git Import

The Git Import feature allows you to easily configure most of the settings required to make a project workable immediately after it is imported in the IDE.

The Import wizard assists you in importing projects into the IDE in one of the following ways:

  1. Importing Projects from Git with Smart Import: Use this method if you are unaware of the type of the project that you are importing.

    We recommend using the Projects from Git (with smart import) option because it is the easiest and most efficient way to import projects into the IDE with minimal effort.

  2. Importing Projects from Git: Use this method when you are aware of the type of the project that you are importing.

    1. Importing from the Existing local repositories: Use this method if you have a cloned copy of the repository on your local system.

      1. Importing Existing Eclipse Projects: Use to import Eclipse projects.

      2. Importing Using the New Project Wizard: Use to import a project that you want to begin working on from scratch.

      3. Importing as a General Project: Use to import non-Eclipse projects.

    2. Importing Projects from the Remote Git Repository: Use this method if a cloned copy of the repository does not exist on your local system.

The three options namely: importing existing eclipse projects, using the New Project wizard, and importing as a general project, are available under this method, too.

Importing Projects from Git with Smart Import

Use the Project from Git (with smart import) option, if you are unaware of the type of the project that you want to import.

The Import wizard will automatically detect the type of project being imported and will configure the project so that you have to put in minimal effort to make the project workable.

The Git Import feature detects the various modules of a project that is a set of other individual projects. It detects markers such as pom.xml, MANIFEST.MF, etc. to determine the type of project that you are importing.

To import projects from Git with smart import:

  1. Click File > Import.

  2. In the Import window, click Projects from Git (with smart import) and click Next.

  3. In the Select Repository Source window, click Existing local repository or Clone URI.

  4. Step through the wizard and click Finish for the wizard to analyze the content of the project folder to find projects for import and import them in the IDE. Result: The imported project is listed in the Project Explorer view.

Importing Projects from Git

Use the Projects from Git option when you are aware of the type of project that you want to import into the IDE.

You can import projects in any one of the following ways:

  1. Importing from the Existing local repositories

    1. Importing Existing Eclipse Projects

    2. Importing Using the New Project Wizard

    3. Importing as a General Project

  2. Importing Projects from the Remote Git Repository

Importing from the Existing local repositories

Use the Existing local repository option, if you have, at some point in time, cloned the remote Git repository and the repository is present on your local system.

Importing Existing Eclipse Projects

Use the Existing local repositories option to import Eclipse projects in the IDE. These projects essentially have a .project file. This .project file contains the project description and settings needed to configure and build project in Eclipse.

To import projects as existing Eclipse projects:

  1. Click File > Import.

  2. In the Import wizard:

    1. Expand Git and then click Projects from Git. Click Next.

    2. Click Existing local repository and then click Next.

    3. Click Git to choose one of the recently used repositories from the list or click Add to browse to any local repository. Click Next. In the Wizard for project import section, click Import existing Eclipse project. Click Next.

    4. In the Import Projects window, select all the projects that you want to import.

    5. Ensure that the Select nested projects check box is clicked to import the nested projects under the parent project that you are importing.

    6. Click Finish.

Importing an Existing Eclipse Project

Result: The imported project is listed in the Project Explorer view.

Importing Using the New Project Wizard

Use the Import using the New Project wizard option, if your repository is empty and you want to start developing a new project and then push the code to the remote repository.

To import projects using the New Project wizard:

  1. Click File > Import.

  2. In the Import wizard:

    1. Click Git > Projects from Git. Click Next.

    2. Click Existing local repository and then click Next.

    3. Click Git and then click Next.

    4. In the Wizard for project import section, click Import using the New Project wizard. Click Finish.

    5. In the New Project wizard, expand the category, and then click the project type that you want to create and import. Click Next.

      Importing a Project Using the New Project Wizard

    6. In the New <type_of_project> window, fill in the information for the new project and click Next or Finish to create the new project. Result: The imported project is listed in the Project Explorer view.

Importing as a General Project

Use the Import as general project option if the project being imported does not have a .project file, meaning it is not an Eclipse project. In this case Eclipse will create a clean .project file with default settings.

To import a project as a general project:

  1. Click File > Import.

  2. In the Import wizard:

    1. Click Git > Projects from Git. Click Next.

    2. Click Existing local repository and then click Next.

    3. Click Git and then click Next.

    4. In the Wizard for project import section, click Import as general project.

    5. Select the project and click Next.

    6. In the Import Projects from Git window, confirm or edit the default parameters and click Finish.

Importing a Project as a General Project

Result: The imported project is listed in the Project Explorer view.

Importing Projects from the Remote Git Repository

Use the Clone URI option to clone the repository on your system if you have never cloned the Git repository; meaning, the repository does not exist on your local system.

The three options, importing existing eclipse projects, importing using the New Project wizard, and importing as a general project, are available under the Clone URI method, too. For detailed steps, see the preceding sections: Importing Existing Eclipse Projects, Importing Using the New Project Wizard, and Importing as a General Project.

To import projects in the Cloned URI:

  1. Click File > Import.

  2. In the Import wizard:

    1. Click Git > Projects from Git and then click Next.

    2. Click Clone URI and click Next.

    3. In the Source Git Repository window, in the URI field, enter an existing Git repository URL, either local or remote and click Next.

      Importing Project in the Cloned URI

    4. In the Branch Selection window, click all the branches that you want to clone from the remote repository and click Next.

      Select Branch

    5. In the Local Destination window, ensure that the directory that you want to set as the local storage location for the repository is selected in the Directory field. Or, click Browse to select the location.

      The Cloning from <GitHub_repository> window shows the progress of the cloning process.

    6. In the Select a wizard to use for importing projects window, Import as general project is selected by default. Click Next.

    7. In the Import Projects window, ensure that the Directory field shows the path to the directory where you want to import the projects and click Finish. Result: The imported project is listed in the Project Explorer view. The cloned repository of the remote Git repository is now located in the local file system.

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