In Eclipse’s Java editor, press Ctrl+Shift+F or choose Source > Format. With code selected, Eclipse formats that selection; with no selection, it formats the entire source file. To make formatting consistent, choose the active profile in Preferences > Java > Code Style > Formatter.
Format a selection or an entire Java file
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Open the Java source file in Eclipse’s Java editor.
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Select the code you want to format, or leave the editor with no selection to format the whole file.
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Press Ctrl+Shift+F, or choose Source > Format. Eclipse applies the active formatter profile to the chosen scope.
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The Eclipse JDT documentation describes this selection-versus-file behavior in its Formatter instructions. The available source commands are also listed under Source Actions.
Choose or customize a formatter profile
To change the formatting rules, open Preferences > Java > Code Style > Formatter. Select a built-in profile, or choose New… to create one based on a built-in or existing profile. Select a profile and choose Edit… to adjust its settings. The page also supports importing and exporting formatter profiles.
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These settings are documented in Eclipse’s Code Formatter Preferences. Because the help pages use the rolling latest documentation, labels or defaults may differ in other Eclipse releases.
Share a formatter setting with a project
A workspace preference affects your Eclipse workspace. If a Java project needs its own shared formatting rules, open Project > Properties > Java Code Style > Formatter and enable project-specific settings. Eclipse stores project preferences in the project’s .settings directory, so they can be shared with the project.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchEclipse’s JDT tips and guide to generating a formatter application config file describe the project configuration. For the formatter preference specifically, the documented file to copy is .settings/org.eclipse.jdt.core.prefs.
Format code automatically when saving
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Open Preferences > Java > Editor > Save Actions.
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Enable Perform the selected actions on save.
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Select Format source code, then choose whether to format all lines or only edited lines.
Save actions use the active formatter profile. Eclipse documents save actions and format-on-save as off by default on its Java Save Actions Preferences page.
Format multiple Java resources
For a batch operation, the JDT source-format action can also be applied to multiple selected Java files, packages, source folders, or Java projects. Select the resources in the relevant view and run Source > Format. The available commands are described in the Eclipse Source Actions documentation.
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Formatting is separate from organizing imports
Source > Format controls code layout and related formatting choices. It does not replace Source > Organize Imports, which removes unused imports and arranges required imports according to separate preferences. Run Organize Imports separately when you want import cleanup; see Eclipse’s Organize Imports Preferences.
Use the JDT formatter from a plugin
For plugin or programmatic workflows, JDT exposes the formatter through ToolFactory.createCodeFormatter and related overloads. A caller supplies formatter options, requests formatting for a compilation unit, source region, or another supported source kind, receives a TextEdit, and applies that edit to a document. Comment formatting depends on the relevant options and flags. The implementation details are in Eclipse’s API guide, Using the code formatter.
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