Remote Programming Environments

What are some different ways to work on programs remotely?
How can I use local editors?
How can I use remote command-line editors?
How can I use remote graphical editors?
How can I use remote programs like BlueJ and Eclipse?
How can I compile and test my program remotely?

What are some different ways to work on programs remotely?
There are a few ways to open your files for editing. You can use a local editor through WinSCP, use a remote text-based editor such as Emacs through PuTTY, or use a remote graphical text editor such as GEdit through PuTTY with Xming.
How can I use local editors?
  1. Open a remote session using WinSCP.
  2. Follow the WinSCP FAQ to open a file for editing. The FAQ also has instructions for choosing a local editor for use with WinSCP.

You may also transfer the files to your local machine, edit them, and transfer them back once finished. However, the above method is much more convenient.

How can I use remote command-line editors?
You can use remote editors such as nano and emacs through PuTTY in the same fashion you would as if you were in the lab. Once you have opened a remote session with PuTTY, you may start any application you wish. For example, to open project.java with the editor nano, the command would be 
     nano project.java

For information and instructions regarding starting a PuTTY session, please consult our PuTTY FAQ

How can I use remote graphical editors?
Through the use of Xming, one can use editors such as Gedit, Kate, XEmacs, KWrite, and more remotely. For a better selection of editors as well as better performance, it is recommended that you connect to one of the Humanities 301 workstations. To use a remote graphical editor,
  1. Start a PuTTY session with X11 forwarding using Xming. Instructions on how to accomplish this can be found at our Xming FAQ
  2. You can now start any graphical text editor. To run multiple programs, or to be able to compile your projects with the editor open, append an & after the command. For example, to start the editor kate, the command would be
         kate &
How can I use remote programs like BlueJ and Eclipse?
The procedure for starting programs like these is similar to starting remote graphical editors. Rather than use the command for an editor, though, use the command to start the program. For example, to start bluej, the command is 
     bluej

The command for starting eclipse is 

     eclipse

Note that you may encounter performance issues while using a large program such as eclipse remotely.

How can I compile and test my program remotely?
A remote session through PuTTY is just like a command-line session in the labs. Therefore, the same techniques and commands for compiling programs are used. For example, to compile project.java, the command is 
     javac project.java

Note that if your project makes use of a GUI, it is necessary to use PuTTY in conjunction with Xming.