Gild is a simple, yet robust programming environment designed specifically for students and for the classroom. Here are some of its features.

• Fully-featured Java editor with syntax highlighting, auto-indentation, and bracket matching.
• Robust debugger which makes it easy to debug single threaded programs.
• Tasks view that displays compilation errors and warnings.
• Simple resource navigator that doesn't hide information about the directory structure of your java projects.
• Ability to quickly backup and load corsework and materials using the Export/Import Archived Project feature.
• Documentation written in a step-by-step manner, with examples to help you learn how to use Gild.
• Special File>Open action (not available in standard Eclipse 2.1) allows users to open files for editing without the need to create a new project.
• Drag-and-drop capabilities automatically load Java source files for editing when they are dropped onto the Gild workspace from the desktop.

• Tooltips tell students what part of the programming process they are in.
• Compiling/Running/Debugging programs is made easy, without hiding the important details.

• Specialized HTML Browser
  • Automatically synchronizes HTML corse notes and lecture slides with source-code content
  • Automatically opens Java source files in the Gild Java editor, using HTML links in the lecture slides. Navigates to code at the method-level.
• Marker View (experimental) that allows teachers and teacher's assistants to mark Java source code using a standard marking scheme. Marks can be saved as HTML documents to be loaded on the web, or as XML markup that students can load in their own copy of Gild.

• The DrJava plugin from Rice University is included with the install. It allows students and teachers to enter and run Java code on-the-fly.