Well I'm looking under Utilities and Settings Directory and I see something called Console and I can find where my .java source files are but there does not appear to be a way to set anything.

How do you set this directory? I'd like to be able to learn the manual way if it isn't too convoluted.

1. You said "To compile my program I've been typing: javac Experiment.java". I guess You type this into the Console plugin's dockable, don't You?

2. After You've done this, what does happen? What does jEdit complain about?

I am typing the compile command into the consoles window. Right at the prompt. The blinking cursor. The error message is:

javac: file not found: Experiment.java
Process exited with code 2

So tell me how to set the working directory for the console.

... like in every console shell: with the "cd" command.

I also downloaded the changedirectory.bsh file. I read another person's post on this forum where he said he put it in C:\Documents and Settings\User\jedit\macros or something like that.

I did that and it still doesn't function.

You have to set at least one of two properties, as mentioned in the download area and described in the macro's header.

Have You set up the action hooks plugin as described in the download area?

Well after much work I've finally had some success. I changed the command prompt down there at the console so it was pointing to where my .java source file was and I was able to successfully compile and run my program.

But what I want to do now is set Jedit up so the prompt is pointing to a different drive. I save my Java programs on my G:\drive so it looks like this:

G:\Java Programming Projects

Now for purposes of comparison I also opened up a Windows command prompt. In the Windows prompt first I did this:

g: and then hit Enter
and then I saw this:

G:\> so I successfully got to the G:\drive.

Then I hit chdir java programming projects and hit Enter and then I saw this:

G:\>Java Programming Projects so it worked there.


But at the console window in Jedit I duplicated the procedure but I can't get in any farther than:

G:\>

That's as far as I can get. When I typed:

chdir java programming projects and then hit Enter I was still stuck at this:

G:\>

even though it does say process chdir exited with code O so it appears that nothing went wrong but how come it doesn't take me into my Java Programming Projects folder?

I'm kind of puzzled.

Unfortunately I've lost it. I'm trying to recreate the steps I took to get the command prompt pointed to where I want it to point to but all I get is:

%USERPROFILE%>

Which I guess is what is called an environment variable. Which I don't understand what those really are.

Why not make it simple instead of complex?

Have the command prompts look exactly the same as they do in the Windows command prompt?

C:\>Documents and Settings
G:\>Java Programming Projects\AddingIntegers

I'm trying to learn this Jedit command prompt and it's not making much sense cuz it seems overly convoluted.

But I ain't givin' up yet.

You should start reading the "Console plugin user's guide" (Help -> jEdit Help -> Plugins -> Console). It's worth, even for beginers! For example You will find out, that You have to use the "cd" command for changing directories ("chdir" doesn't work). Note that, when You have spaces in a directory name, in contrast to the real system shell, You have to write:
cd "dirname with spaces".

Regarding the environment variables: It's a very nice feature of jEdit to replace parts of path names with the matching variable name You can see this in jEdit's title bar, too.