Before you can use NexJ Studio to develop applications or set deployment information, you must first install NexJ Studio and set your required preferences.

Installing NexJ Studio

In order to install NexJ Studio, you need to have the NexJ Studio plugin zip file as provided by NexJ Systems.

Prerequisites

Download and install JDK 11.
Extract the files from the NexJ Studio plugin zip file and note the location.
Download the latest stable build of the Eclipse 2021-09 release from https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/release/2021-09/r.
Edit the eclipse.ini file to point to your install of JDK 11. The -vm variable should be the full or relative path to the correct javaw.exe file on your system. If javaw.exe does not exist, then jvm.dll can be used instead.
```
-vm
C:/java/openjdk-11.0.2_windows-x64_bin/jdk-11.0.2/bin/server/jvm.dll

-vm
C:/java/openjdk-11.0.2_windows-x64_bin/jdk-11.0.2/bin/javaw.exe
```
In the file path, ensure that the \ (backslash) character is replaced with the / (slash) character.

Installing the NexJ Studio plugin into Eclipse

Open Eclipse.
From the Help menu, select Install New Software.
In the Install dialog, click the Add button next to the Work with field.
In the Add Repository dialog, select Local. Navigate to and select the folder where the NexJ Studio plugin zip was extracted.
In the Install dialog, ensure the following settings:
1. Clear Group items by category.
2. Select Contact all update sites.
Select NexJ Studio and click Next.
Review the Install Details and click Next.
Review the license agreement and accept the terms of the agreement.
Click Finish.
In the Security Warning dialog, click Install anyway.
When prompted to restart Eclipse IDE, click Restart Now.

Upgrading NexJ Studio

To upgrade NexJ Studio, you must first uninstall the current version. Once you've uninstalled NexJ Studio, perform the steps in the Installing the NexJ Studio plugin into Eclipse section above with the new version of the plugin zip file.

In NexJ Studio, go to Help > About Eclipse IDE.
In the About Eclipse IDE dialog, click Installation Details.
In the list of Installed Software, select NexJ Studio.
Click Uninstall...
Click Finish.
When prompted to restart Eclipse, click Yes.

Setting the workspace folder for NexJ Studio

Before it can be used, NexJ Studio requires a workspace folder for storing the project files. When you open NexJ Studio for the first time, the Workspace Launcher dialog opens.

To specify the workspace folder for the current session:

Click Browse and select the workspace directory where all the files for NexJ Studio will be located.
The workspace folder is typically called ws and placed in a c:\work folder.
Info

To skip this step every time you open NexJ Studio and use the selected workspace as the default workspace, select the Use this as the default and do not ask again checkbox.
Click OK.
The NexJ Studio application launches.

Configuring NexJ Studio preferences

Before you begin working in NexJ Studio, you must define the location of your build output directory. The build output directory stores your published models and deployment information.

To configure NexJ Studio preferences:

Click Window > Preferences.
The Preferences dialog opens.
In the preferences navigation, click NexJ Studio > Build Settings.
The Build Settings page opens.
In the Build output folder field, click Browse.
A browse dialog opens.
In the browse dialog, specify the folder that you want to use as your build output folder. This folder is typically named out and placed in a c:\work folder. If the folder does not exist, you can create it by clicking Make New Folder.
Info

Ensure that the output folder is separate from your workspace folder. Keeping these folders separate ensures that loops do not occur.
Click OK.
The browse dialog closes.
Click OK.
The Preferences dialog closes.

The build output folder is specified.

To continue with the NexJ CRM deployment process, you can now define environment files. If you are using NexJ Studio to develop new applications, you can proceed with importing base models and creating new models.

Adding a custom JDBC driver to NexJ Studio

For NexJ Studio to be able to connect to your database, a JDBC driver needs to be present. By default, NexJ Studio comes with some drivers in its ext folder. For example:

eclipse\plugins\com.nexjsystems.nexjstudio_13.6.149.0\ext

To install an additional JDBC driver, simply place the JAR in the ext folder of the plugin folder.