How to change Eclipse project folder structure to Maven/Gradle structure

Question

I have created a Java project using Eclipse. Since I didn't do anything special, its folder structure is the default one that all Eclipse projects use:

Project
└── src
    ├── foo
    │   └── MyClass.java
    └── fooTests
         └── MyTest.java

However, I would like to migrate this to the folder structure used by Maven and derivatives such as Gradle.

Project
└── src
    ├── main
    │   └── foo
    │       └── MyClass.java
    └── test
        └── foo
            └── MyTest.java

However, there doesn't seem to be an obvious way to change my folder structure. The big issue seems to be what to do with the source folder. I tried to do this manually, but it tried to make the package for MyClass.java as main.foo, which I obviously don't want. I haven't found a maven or gradle plugin that converts the structure automatically.

How do I go about changing my Eclipse project folder structure to a Maven/Gradle structure?

Answer 1

You can actually do all of this manually with minimal fuss.

1. In the Package Explorer view, right-click on your src folder and choose "Build Path" -> "Remove from Build Path"
2. Underneath the src folder, create a main/java folder
3. Right-click on the main/java folder and choose "Build Path" -> "Use as Source Folder"
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for test/java
5. Using the Eclipse refactoring tools (right-click on a folder or file and choose "Refactor" -> "Move…", move your Java files to the new folders

Once you're done with the refactoring, your project will be structured in the Maven way. This will make things much simpler when you decide to actually start using Gradle and Maven for your project.

Note that Java will still display your src/main folder separately in the project viewer. This is normal. Eclipse shows your source folder at top and then all other folders in the project view, which include the source folder parents.