I’m currently using Java and I’m looking for a program that saves a new version of what I’m doing each time I compile. I don’t mind if it doesn’t run, I can go in and edit the class name to make it match the .java name afterwards. As I’m a beginner, I keep getting caught by overextending myself and then breaking the project I’m working on irreparably. I’m just looking for a way to go back to a safe state.
I’m sure their are programs for this, but because I don’t know the collective noun for them, finding one is next to impossible.
All help is much appreciated.
What you’re looking for is revision control. This works independent of the language you’re dealing with, since all the VCS is concerned with is the state of the software at a particular snapshot in time.
Some recommendations:
IntelliJ IDEA also comes with a built-in local revision system, which allows you to visit a particular file’s history. It’d still be preferable to use either Git or Subversion.
There are also sites that you can host your project on to better preserve your project, such as Github or Google Code. Github uses…Git, but Google Code will allow you to use a few others, such as Subversion and Mercurial.