XCode Java project: can't add files

Question

Greetings all,
I have a Java codebase which I developed in JBuilder. I now want to produce the final product, a Mac app. To do this I fired up my XCode 2.5. I went File->New Project and chose Java Application under the Java template group.
Since I don't want the three .java files that the template helpfully puts into the project, I removed them. (The only way to do this seems to be to close the project, go to the Finder, and delete them there, then re-open the project...whatever...) My next task was obviously to add my java files and the three .jar files that they depend on.
Which is where I ran into problems. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, I cannot get my files properly added to the project.
I have tried dragging the files from the Finder into the XCode project window and dropping them on the src group icon; despite the fact that the disclosure triangle to the left of the group flashes a lovely shade of pink and then self-opens, when I drop the files there, they do NOT get put into the group; they become siblings of the group instead.
I have tried right-clicking on the group and choosing Add->Existing Files; same result as above.
I have tried single-clicking on the group and choosing Project->Add to Project from the menu bar; same result as above.
I should mention that in all of these three, I do get asked whether I want to copy the file or just have a reference created to it; I always choose not to copy the file (since I want my files to live elsewhere). However, just to experiment, I have just tried Project->Add to Project and asked for the chosen file to be copied...same result as above. The file ends up a sibling of the src group.
I have also tried removing the src group from the project window and then dragging in from the Finder the entire src folder which holds my Java codebase. It successfully arrives in the project window, but its colour is yellow (whereas the original one's colour was blue) and it never gets compiled. I can't seem to convince XCode that these files are source and should be compiled...despite the fact that if I get out the Info window on any of them, the FileType popup menu states that they are "sourcecode.java".
I have even tried making an alias to the src folder which holds the codebase, and moving this alias into the XCode project directory in the Finder. This fails to build since XCode tells me that it can't create the directory "src" since one already exists with that name!
The only way I have found which has any success at all is to actually copy the files and folders into the src and lib folders of the XCode project directory, in the Finder. However, this is not acceptable for either the java or the .jar files. The java files need to be in a certain location for JBuilder, and the .jar files are common files and I am not at all interested in having multiple copies of them floating around on my disk! Furthermore this sort of behaviour should not be necessary with a modern compilation system, especially not one created by Apple.
Please, can some kind soul tell me, how on earth am I supposed to add existing files to an XCode Java application project, without putting them into the project directory on the disk?
Thanks gratefully in advance!

Answer 1

Hi SkiAddict1
I can't speak for Xcode 2.5, only 3.1...
The way to add new Java source files is to highlight one of the existing source files (in the src group) and then use File > New File...
If you want to create a package hierarchy, then you need to use Finder to create the corresponding folders inside src. Once you've done this, then you can create a source file inside a package by highlighting any Java source file, then selecting File > New File... then using the Choose option to specify the correct location. At this point, the main project window doesn't show the newly created file in the folder hierarchy, however next time you restart Xcode it will appear in the right place.
I think the issue is that the designers of Xcode didn't adequately cater for the Ant tool's use of a src folder and the requirement for nested folders to represent a package hierarchy. However, it's still possible to make do provided you create the folders yourself and always remember to highlight an existing source file before creating a new file.
Bob
PS: A neat trick which I find quite handy when porting an existing Java program is to use the boilerplate main class which Xcode creates and use it to call the main () method of the imported project. Eg:
public class ProjectName {
public static void main (String [] args) {
// Call the main method of the imported project
com.company.project.ProjectClass.main (args);
}