What are Eclipse’s working sets and why you should use them
As you develop more and more with Eclipse you start more and more projects. This is especially true if you work with Android apps where you might have several demo / proof of concept projects, test projects, server back end projects and so on for just one product. Eclipse's workspace, which seems smart at first starts creating problems when the projects you work with happen to be at separate ends of the workspace. Much scrolling and visual scanning is not productive. Worksets to the rescue!
Working sets in Eclipse allow the developer to create special view points in the project list view or package view. That allows the developer to see only those project that have been added to the specific working set. Switching between working sets is a breeze, and can be done without thinking throughout the day unlike switching workspaces. Projects can be listed under several working sets without any problems.
I use worksets to separate the views of the projects I have at work, from my own personal ones and from projects for various open source software I tinker with.
How to start using working sets
Edit the available working sets
In order to start using working sets click the general drop down in the packages or projects view and then Select Working Set... A window will appear allowing you to add and edit working sets.
To add a project to one or more working sets simply right click on the project and select Assign working set... You will be able to add the project to one or more working sets. You can also add a project to the desired working sets when importing or creating the project as part of the wizard.
In order to change view to another working set click again the general drop down for the package view and select your work set from the list. That's it, enjoy your more productive environment and if you're interested in learning more about working sets head to the official Eclipse documentation on Working Sets.
