Over 60 New Hints in the NetBeans IDE 6.9 Java Editor

The picture on the left shows the list of Java hint categories in NetBeans IDE 6.8, while on the right you see the list that will be part of NetBeans IDE 6.9:

As can be seen, not only has the list been alphabetized, but it has also been extended. I'm told there are over 60 new hints in the Java editor.

Note: All the texts in the categories are currently being reviewed, so all the labels above and below in this article will more than likely be tweaked prior to the final release of NetBeans IDE 6.9.

In case you're not aware what a "hint" is in NetBeans terminology (elsewhere known as "code inspections"), take a look at the screenshot below:

Surely the above, i.e. the usage of "System.out" is a sign of immature code. Hence, the hint suggests that you remove that statement. And when you click the lighbulb or press Enter, the statement is removed for you. Other code immaturity issues that will be handled in 6.9 are as follows:

And what about the "Performance" category in the new list? Here it is:

The documentation of what each of these items means is contained within the same dialog where you specify whether you want to use the hint or not:

Similarly, if you're wondering what "Obsolete Collection" in the "Code Maturity Issues" means, your answer is provided in the description of the hint:

And maybe you're wondering what the "Probable Bugs" category contains? Here it is:

And here's the "Assignment Issues" and "Bitwise Operations" categories:

Clearly NetBeans IDE 6.9 will be a goldmine for those who have been hoping for improvements in the Java editor area. For other enhancements in this area, please feel free to take a look at http://wiki.netbeans.org/NewAndNoteWorthy.