What is the difference between an out folder and a bin folder in IntelliJ?

Question

I have recently switched over from Eclipse to IntelliJ IDEA 14.0.2. When using some of my old Eclipse projects, I have noticed that in the project view, there is an src and a bin folder. I have previously used the bin folder to run the java program through my Terminal (I am on a mac, Yosemite). However, projects that I have created through IntelliJ have an src and an 'out' folder. I cannot run my IntelliJ java programs through the out folder, but I can on projects that use a bin folder instead. What is the difference between these two folders? How can I run IntelliJ projects from the command line?

Answer 1

The "bin" folder is not a part of any standard Java project structure, and there is no such concept in IntelliJ IDEA. The "out" folder is where IntelliJ places the generated .class files and artifacts.

When you run a program from IntelliJ IDEA, it prints to the console the exact command line that it uses to run the application. To run your program from your terminal, you can copy/paste this command line into the terminal.