NetBeans IDE 29 RC2 primarily patches stability issues that bite developers during Maven project refreshes and Java auto‑completion on broken code. The release also tightens Javadoc rendering, expands static‑import hints to records, and makes the Favorites pane appear automatically on first use.
Apache NetBeans IDE 29 RC2: What’s Actually Fixed and Why It Matters
The second release candidate of Apache NetBeans IDE 29 landed this week, bringing a handful of bug‑fixes to the open source development environment, that should smooth out the most irritating hiccups most developers have run into during daily coding sessions. Below is a quick overview of the changes that really count, plus a few observations from real‑world usage.
Maven module selector NPE fixed
A null‑pointer exception could still pop up in the Maven ModuleInfoSelector when the IDE tried to resolve a module that didn’t exist. The bug showed up most often after pulling a fresh branch that removed a module but left its entry in the pom.xml. The fix removes the unsafe dereference, so NetBeans now quietly skips missing modules instead of crashing the whole project view. If you’ve ever lost half an hour hunting down a phantom NPE after a repo clean‑up, this one is worth the upgrade.
Java auto‑completion CCE eliminated
When editing broken code – for example a method body that’s syntactically incomplete – NetBeans sometimes threw a class‑cast exception during auto‑completion. The issue was reproducible by typing if ( and then hitting Ctrl Space before closing the parenthesis. The new code validates the AST node type before casting, which means the editor stays responsive even when you’re in the middle of a messy refactor.
Javadoc renderer now respects deprecated snippets
The built‑in Javadoc viewer used to mishandle @deprecated blocks that contained <pre> snippets, rendering them as plain text. Documentation generated from legacy APIs therefore looked garbled. The patch improves snippet handling so the rendered HTML matches what you’d see in a browser. This is a small visual polish, but it saves you from squinting at malformed docs when you’re hunting down an old method.
Static‑import hint extended to records and other class kinds
NetBeans’ “Add static import” suggestion previously ignored records, enums, and annotation types. The hint now works across all top‑level class kinds, which is handy if you’ve started using Java 21’s record features and want the same convenience you get with regular classes.
Favorites panel shows up on first editor launch
A minor annoyance: opening NetBeans for the first time would display a blank space where the Favorites pane should be, forcing users to click Window → Favorites manually. The UI now auto‑opens the pane on the very first editor usage, so newcomers get the familiar “quick‑access” view without extra clicks.
Masterfs lockfile test disabled
The internal master‑filesystem lockfile test has been flaky since Java 17u18, causing CI builds to fail intermittently. Disabling the test removes that noise; it doesn’t affect end‑user functionality but keeps the build pipeline honest.
Notice file bumped to 2026
A housekeeping change – the project’s NOTICE file now reflects the current year. It has no impact on code behavior but shows the community is keeping its legal docs up to date.
Overall, NetBeans 29 RC2 feels like a sensible polishing round rather than a feature dump. The Maven NPE fix and auto‑completion stability improvement are the only changes that will noticeably reduce frustration during day‑to‑day development. If you’re already on RC1, swapping to this candidate is a no‑brainer; for those still on NetBeans 28, the jump is worthwhile mainly because of those two reliability wins.
Release Apache NetBeans 29-rc2
What's Changed Maven Fix possible NPE in maven ModuleInfoSelector by @mbien in #9181 Java java.api.common: Fix missing resource LBL_TestModuleFolder_DialogTitle by @matthiasblaesing in #9185
