## Working with projects, directories, and files

Eclipse uses projects to manage files and directories (also called folders). This section contains information on the following topics:

- Creating a new project

- Importing an existing project

- Creating a new directory

- Creating a new file

- Renaming a file, directory, or project

- Locating files, directories, and projects

- Refreshing a file, directory, or project

### Creating a new project

To create a new project, ensure you have either the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view visible.

Select File New Project…​ to open the New Project window. Alternatively, right click somewhere in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view, and select New Project…​, to open the same window.

In the New Project window, from the General category select Project, and click the Next > button.

In the next window, enter a project name, for example `models`.

By default, a project is created inside your workspace directory. If you want it at a different place (so you can remove the workspace without losing your projects), uncheck the Use default location option, and enter a Location. Make sure the location does not yet exist, for example by ending with the project name. It is recommended to always create a project in a directory that has the same name as the project.

Click the Finish button to create the project. Observe how it appears in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view.

### Importing an existing project

If you previously created a project, but it is no longer visible in your Project Explorer or Package Explorer view, you can import it. Imported projects are linked to your workspace, but remain in their original location on your hard disk (by default, they are not moved or copied to your workspace directory).

Importing existing projects is particularly useful if you removed you workspace directory and started with a fresh one, e.g. for a new installation.

To import one or more existing projects, select File Import…​ to open the Import window. Alternatively, right click somewhere in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view, and select Import…​ to open the same window.

In the Import window, from the General category, select Existing Projects into Workspace, and click Next >.

In the next window, in Select root directory, point it to the directory that contains the project you wish to import. The available projects in the given root directory, and all its sub-directories (recursively), are listed in the Projects list. Select the project(s) you want to import, by checking the relevant check boxes, and click Finish. Observe how the project(s) appear(s) in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view.

### Removing a project from Eclipse

To remove a project from Eclipse, ensure you have either the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view visible.

Right click the project in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view and choose Delete. Alternatively, select it and press the `Delete` key on your keyboard. The Delete Resources dialog appears. To only remove the project from Eclipse, and keep the files on your hard disk, disable the Delete project contents on disk (cannot be undone) option and click the OK button. Alternatively, to remove the project from Eclipse and also remove all the files in the project from your hard disk, enable the Delete project contents on disk (cannot be undone) option and click the OK button.

Wait for Eclipse to complete the removal operation.

### Creating a new directory

You can structure large collections of files, by putting them into different directories (also called folders). Directories can only be created in projects, or in other directories.

Select the project or directory in which you want to create a new directory (by left clicking its name in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view, and create a new directory by selecting File New Folder. Alternatively, right click on the project or directory instead, and from the popup menu select New Folder.

In the New Folder window, enter the Folder name, and click Finish.

### Creating a new file

Select the project or directory in which you want to create a new file (by left clicking its name in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view), and create a new file by selecting File New File. Alternatively, right click on the project or directory instead, and from the popup menu select New File.

In the New File window, enter the File name, and click Finish. Make sure to give the file the correct file extension, for example CIF files should end with `.cif`.

An editor for the new file opens, and you can start editing it.

### Renaming a file, directory, or project

To rename a file, directory, or project, select it by left clicking its name in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view, and then select File Rename…​. Alternatively, right click on the file, directory, or project instead, and from the popup menu select Refactor Rename…​. A second alternative is to select the file, directory, or project, and then press the `F2` key.

In the Rename Resource window, enter the New name, and click OK.

### Locating files, directories, and projects

Often, it is convenient to be able to manage files not from inside Eclipse, but from outside Eclipse, for instance in a file explorer provided by your operating system. The Properties view can be used to find out where the files, directories, and projects that are in Eclipse, are located on your hard disk. With the Properties view visible, select a file, directory, or project in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view. In the Property column of the Properties view, look for location. The corresponding Value indicates where the file, directory, or project is located on your hard disk. Note that you can right click the location and choose Copy to copy the location to the clipboard.

As an alternative to the Properties view, you can also use the Properties window. Right click a file, directory, or project in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view and choose Properties. In the window that shows, select Resource on the left, if it is not already selected. Then, on the right, look for the Location.

To directly open the directory that contains a file, directory, or project in your system’s file explorer, right click the file, directory, or project in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view and choose Show In System Explorer.

Don’t forget to refresh your projects in Eclipse after manipulating them outside Eclipse.

### Refreshing a file, directory, or project

Whenever changes are made to files or directories from outside Eclipse, and those files or directories are also in one of the projects inside Eclipse, the changes are not always automatically reflected in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view. To ensure that the current state of the files and directories are properly reflected in Eclipse, a refresh is required. To refresh a file, directory, or project, right click it, and choose Refresh. Any files and directories that no longer exist will disappear from Eclipse. Any new files and directories created outside Eclipse will appear in Eclipse as well.

### Checking the size of a file

When working with files, you may occasionally encounter large files. Opening large files in Eclipse can cause serious performance problems. You can use the Properties view to check the size of a file. With the Properties view visible, select a file in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view. In the Property column of the Properties view, look for size. The corresponding Value indicates the size of the file.

As an alternative to the Properties view, you can also use the Properties window. Right click a file in the Project Explorer or Package Explorer view and choose Properties. In the window that shows, select Resource on the left, if it is not already selected. Then, on the right, look for the Size.