The workspace in Eclipse
Eclipse uses a workspace folder to maintain project definitions and settings. Depending on how Eclipse is installed on any given machine, you may be required to identify the workspace location after invoking Eclipse, otherwise Eclipse uses a default location inside the eclipse application folder on the local drive.
When defining a project (e.g. a Java project), the project folder may reside in the workspace folder, however it can also be created in some other location. For students using a pubic PC on campus, it is recommended that the workspace be defined locally (on a portable USB flash drive, or on the desktop). Problems may occur when defining a workspace on the network, e.g. on Datastor. Projects, however, may be located on Datastor. Students using a USB external device should consider storing the workspace and all projects on that device.
Students must be aware of the following: on public PCs, when the user logs off, all personal local files (not including external devices) are deleted. It is vital that any local project files be saved on the network. The workspace folder will be erased, but this is not critical, as a new workspace can be created in the future. If project folders are created locally in the same folder as the workspace, students might consider saving the entire workspace folder that includes project subfolders to Datastor and copy the folder back to the desktop when logging into a public PC at a future time.
Note that when using a personal computer (not a public PC), students should store files locally. If they wish to access these files from other computers on campus, they can "share" their folders or place copies of workspace/projects on Datastor.
Read the Quick Tutorial (under Tutorials in the sidebar) for insructions on creating projects at external locations.