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FAQ Where do I get help?
Eclipse offers extensive help through the menu option Help > Help Contents.... This will launch a Tomcat server to run from inside your Eclipse, and a browser is opened to show the contents. The help browser has a useful search engine to search the entire Eclipse documentation. Sometimes, this help text is confusingly referred to as the online help, perhaps because the help is replicated online at the Eclipse Web site. However, your local help will also work when you are disconnected from the network.
Alternatively, more focused, context-sensitive help can be invoked at any time by pressing F1. The currently selected widget is offered a chance to honor the help request. Its containment tree is walked upward until a suitable localized help can be furbished. A pop-up will appear near the mouse, and links to the documentation are provided. If the help does not seem helpful, remember how the search path for F1 help works and feel free to enter a bug report to ensure that help is provided at the proper level.
Select Help > Cheat Sheets... for step-by-step instructions on common tasks. The steps have convenient links to topic-related help.
If you don’t find the answer you need in the help system, there are plenty more sources of information on Eclipse. On eclipse.org you will find a plethora of resources, including articles by Eclipse experts, newsgroups, mailing lists, and lists of books and tutorials. Perhaps best of all, the Eclipse source code is the most reliable place to look for information. The source never lies and is always up to date!
See Also:
FAQ_How_do_I_add_help_content_to_my_plug-in?
This FAQ was originally published in Official Eclipse 3.0 FAQs. Copyright 2004, Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. This text is made available here under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0.