Grails: Getting Started in NetBeans 6.7

NetBeans 6.7 Beta is a good IDE for Grails development, but getting a Grails' project configured isn't always straight forward.  Here's a walkthrough to help you get up and running.

  1. Download the Groovy documentation and unzip it to your preferred directory.  This directory will be referred to later when configuring Grails within NetBeans.
  2. Download Grails and unzip it to your preferred directory.  This directory will be referred to later when configuring Grails within NetBeans.
  3. Download the Java SE version of the latest NetBeans 6.7 release.  The most recent release as of this writing is tagged 'Beta' which may be found at:  http://download.netbeans.org/netbeans/6.7/.  Please note, Grails is supported in all of the available NetBeans 6.7 bundles.  I've personally found that the Java SE version is the best starting point for me.
  4. Install NetBeans as outlined on the installation page
  5. Once installation has completed, launch the IDE
  6. Select Activate Features

    Active Features
  7. Select Available Plugins >> Groovy and Grails

    Available Plugins
  8. Click Install
  9. Follow the prompts to complete the installation of the plugin
  10. Restart the IDE
  11. In NetBeans, select File >> New Project
  12. Select Groovy >> Grails Application

    Groovy >> Grails Application
  13. Select Next
  14. Select Configure Grails

    Configure Grails
  15. Set the Groovy Doc and Grails Home paths. Make sure to select the 'html' directory within the unzipped Groovy Docs folder

    Groovy Docs and Grails Configuration
  16. Select Ok
  17. Select Finish
  18. Your done! Enjoy developing your Grails application
  19. Special note: To speed up NetBeans performance, close the tasks tab at the bottom of the IDE 

by Dean Del Ponte on May 29, 2009

| Comments (3)

Comments:

More!

by Steve on June 8, 2009 at 3:54 PM CDT
Thanks! I hope this is an on-going series of tips and tricks.

Netbeans Stability

by Sean Tindale on June 11, 2009 at 9:43 PM CDT
Anyone else find that the auto code completion tips become VERY slow at times?

Auto Code Completion Slow

by Dean Del Ponte on June 12, 2009 at 4:21 PM CDT
I've found that they can slow down (2-3 seconds), but it still remains usable. I actually just had NetBeans 6.7 RC2 crash on me the other day which is a little disconcerting, but it's also probably a good sign that crashes are an anomaly.
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