Guidelines

NetBeans guidelines are made available to simplify standard procedures and ensure that all members of the community abide by them. This is meant to create a uniform way of doing things with NetBeans and NetBeans. Please see the following topics:

Distribution Structure: It is intended as a quick guide to the directory structure of an IDE installation. It is important to understand this structure especially when you are deciding which JAR files should be placed into which subdirectory, where to put items on the file system, etc.

Commit Rules: Commits to the CVS repository should be done with care - here's how to check and validate your changes before commiting.

Q-Evangelism: Discover benefits of writing unit tests and using various tools for finding bugs by reading this document. It's the description of tools Netbeans developers can use for increasing the quality of our codebase and it's also the summary of reasons why one should write unit tests.

Release Process: If you are intested in how new versions of the NetBeans IDE are released, this is the place. Find information about the release process, Release Manager and their responsibilities.

Code Conventions: Formatting, programming practices, and other conventions used in the NetBeans codebase.

i18n: This document provides recommendations on how to organize I18N (localization) of modules in the NetBeans IDE. Other topics include I18N features, bundle messages, bundle debugging, how to write better *.properties files, templates, help documentation, branded localization and more.

Release Checklist: Find information regarding checklist for creating a release branch, checklist for making a release and checklist for a volunteer Release COordinator.

AutoUpdate Content Management Process: A description of the guidelines for managing the content of the NetBeans AutoUpdate servers - the process for adding and removing modules.

API Review Process: A description of the guidelines on reviewing the APIs - from proposing a change through to implementing it.

Module Writer's Upgrade Guide: A module writer's upgrade guide - API changes you should be aware of, changes you might need to make to your code, and tips to ensure the best integration in the latest release.

NetBeans Website Guidelines: Every netbeans module has it's own website, maintained by developers working on that module. Here's how to make the most of your website.

NetBeans Board Election Process: The NetBeans Board consists of two publicly nominated and elected members, and one Sun-appointed member. Elections are held every 6 months.