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Using Netbeans

The following instructions, for debugging Micro-Manager’s Java code with NetBeans, are intended to work on Windows or Mac. These instructions apply to both the Java layer of Micro-Manager itself and to plugins.

Updated 4/25/2022 for Micro-Manager version 2.0.1 and NetBeans version 13.

(See also: Writing plugins for Micro-Manager)

Installation

  • Download and install a recent Micro-Manager nightly build. We will refer to the installed Micro-Manager directory as $INSTALLDIR below.

  • Download a copy of the latest Micro-Manager source.
    • Clone the main repository:
      git clone https://github.com/micro-manager/micro-manager

    • Initialize all submodules:
      cd micro-manager
      git submodule update -–init -–recursive

    • We’ll refer to the root source directory as $SRCDIR below.
  • Download, install and run NetBeans. The Java SE Bundle is sufficient if you already have the JDK (Java Development Kit) installed on your computer. Otherwise, download a JDK from AdoptOpenJDK . Micro-Manager is currently developed with JDK 8.

Setting up the IDE

  • Launch NetBeans. The first time you run it, you may need to browse to the location of the JDK that you installed above.

  • Choose File > New Project…. Under [Categories] in the left pane, choose Java with Ant. Then, choose a project type in the right pane. For beginners, it is easiest to start by modifying the code for an existing plugin, so choose Java Project with Existing Sources. If you want to start with a blank slate, choose Java Class Library instead. Press Next.

  • Give your project a name, and optionally change the location where it is saved. The Project Folder is best saved outside of the Micro-Manager source directory. Press Next.

  • Under Source Package Folders, click Add Folder.
    • If you want to edit the source code for Micro-Manager itself, select $SRCDIR/mmstudio/src/main/java, as well as $SRCDIR/mmstudio/src/main/resources.
    • If you want to develop a plugin, select ‘SRCDIR/micro-manager/plugins/Example’ (or choose another existing plugin to modify).
    • Press OK, then Next.

  • Include all files (**). Press Finish.

  • Your project should now appear in the left-hand pane of the main window, under the Projects tab. Right-click the project and select Properties.

  • In the left-hand navigation pane of the resulting window, choose Libraries.
  • Click the (+) sign next to Classpath and choose Add JAR/Folder. Navigate to $INSTALLDIR and select ij.jar. Click Choose.
  • Now click the (+) sign and choose ‘Add JAR/Folder’ once more. Back inside the micro-manager installation directory, navigate to ‘plugins/Micro-Manager’
    • If you are builiding a plugin, select all jars in $INSTALLDIR/plugins/Micro-Manager.
    • If you are builiding the Micro-Manager source code, select all jars in $INSTALLDIR/plugins/Micro-Manager except for MMJ_.jar.
  • You can optionally add additional dependencies if you are building a plugin that requires them.

  • Click Choose.

  • In the left-hand navigation pane, choose Run and set the following parameters:
    • Main Class: type in ij.ImageJ
    • Working Directory: type in your $INSTALLDIR
    • VM options: for 64 bit systems, type in -Xmx3000M, otherwise use -Xmx600M. This sets the maximum memory (megabytes) used by Java.
      If running Micro-Manager 2.0, you also need to supply -Dforce.annotation.index=true.
  • Click OK. The project should now be set up. You can edit your code as desired.

To debug, choose Debug > Debug Project from the menu. This should launch Micro-Manager, and after selecting the demo configuration, you’ll be able to run your plugin from the Plugins menu. You can set breakpoints and view variable values from within the IDE.

You can also Run>Build Project from the menu to produce a .jar file. If you copy this .jar file into the mmplugins directory of your Micro-Manager installation, your plugin should be available when you run your local copy of Micro-Manager. If you only intend to ever use your plugin on the computer where you developed it, this is fine. However, if you want to use the plugin on multiple computers or distribute it to others, you need to follow these instructions to build a redistributable .jar file using Apache Ant.