A project is a logical container for a set of files that define a JDeveloper program or portion of a program.
A project might contain files representing different tiers of a multi-tier application, for instance, or different subsystems of a complex application.
These files can reside in any directory and still be contained within a single project. All of the projects within a workspace are normally displayed below that workspace.
You can "tear off" workspaces, or even projects, into separate navigator windows, should you wish, or leave them all displayed in the default System Navigator. Closing a workspace or project closes all open editors or viewers for files in that workspace or project and unloads the files from memory.
Removing a workspace or project from the IDE can help reduce clutter when you are not working with a given set of files. Removing files from the IDE does not delete them from where they reside. It only affects whether or not they are displayed in the Navigator.
JDeveloper has the capability of recognizing many different file types, displaying each in its appropriate viewer or editor when you double-click the file. When adding a project to a workspace, you can choose to: Create a new project, with specific objects and attributes you define Create a new empty project, which inherits default project properties Open an existing set of files from outside JDeveloper into a new project As soon as you create a new project or open an existing one, it is added to the workspace selected.
Projects control their files lists either through .jpr files or directly through the directory. Workspaces and packages also define where and how the files within a project are stored.