Specifying default templates for files

One of the first things we do within the editing component of NetBeans is to create new files. NetBeans supports many different file formats that can be created by selecting the File and then New File menu options.

Within NetBeans, FreeMarker (http://www.freemarker.org) is used as the template engine when creating different file types. It's not important to understand FreeMarker fully to edit NetBeans templates; however, if you wish to create templates from scratch, a better understanding of FreeMarker would be beneficial.

To view all the templates that are currently defined within NetBeans for new file types, select the Tools and Templates menu options. The Template Manager dialog is then displayed, as shown in the following screenshot:

Down the left-hand side of the Template Manager dialog, we can see all the templates that are currently defined within NetBeans. These templates are all grouped into a hierarchy to categorize them and make them easier...