Overview

Checkstyle is a source code analyzer tool to help Java developers write Java source code that adheres to a Java coding standard. The tool is licensed under GNU LGPL license.(Lesser General Public License)

Checkstyle inspects the Java source code and reports the violations of defined set of coding rules. It automates the process of checking Java source code and to enforce a coding standard into Java projects.

Consistent coding practices is a must for Java projects that involve more than one developers. Source code that conforms to a coding standard is more readable and maintainable.

Java coding standards

The tool support two popular coding standards:

• Sun’s coding conventions
• Google’s coding convention

Having said that,  Checkstyle is highly configurable and can be made to support any  defined coding standard.

Install Checkstyle Eclipse Plugin

Launch Eclipse IDE.

Choose Help ->> Eclipse Marketplace… menu option.

Search for Checkstyle in the Find box.

Click on the Install button.

Follow the instructions in the install wizard screen.

To activate the tool on the project in the IDE, right click on the project

Right click>> Checkstyle >> Activate Checkstyle.

Maven Checkstyle plugin

We can use the Maven Checkstyle plugin, to integrate the tool into the build process of the Java project. Add the plugin to the pom.xml file of the project.

Tool Features

https://www.testingdocs.com/checkstyle-tool-features/

Official Website

https://checkstyle.org/