How do you install JDK?

To setup Eclipse to use the JDK you must follow these steps.

1.Download the JDK

First you have to download the JDK from Suns site. (Make sure you download one of them that has the JDK)

2.Install JDK

Install it and it will save some files to your hard drive. On a Windows machine this could be in c:\program files\java\jdk(version number)

3.Eclipse Preferences

Go to the Eclipse Preferences -> Java -> Installed JREs

4.Add the JDK

Click Add JRE and you only need to located the Home Directory. Click Browse... and go to where the JDK is installed on your system. The other fields will be populated for you after you locate the home directory.

5.You're done

Click Okay. If you want that JDK to be the default then put a Check Mark next to it in the Installed JRE's list.

You don't need a separate compiler, eclipse already compiles the application for you. What you probably want to do is to create an "executable" JAR file, which you can do in eclipse by selecting File->Export->Runnable JAR file.

Note, however, that the resulting JAR file is not a "real" (i.e. Windows binary) executable - it still needs a JRE installed on the target computer. There isn't really a way to create windows binaries; that's not how Java works. On the upside, it will work without recompilation on a Linux or MacOS machine (if it has a JRE installed).