In Eclipse, why does "Build Automatically" get mysteriously disabled?

Question

I'm running Eclipse Europa (3.3). I leave the "Build Automatically" setting, under the Project menu, on all the time. Once in awhile my code isn't compiling, and I puzzle over it and then pull down the Project menu ... lo and behold, it's not set anymore. What gives? Is this a bug, or is there something else I'm doing that could cause it?

Edit: I am running the regular Java developer installation, plus Subversive and its connectors, Jetty Launcher, and I believe no other plugins. Other people at my workplace have had the same problem.

Edit: I am still having this problem once in a blue moon, only now I'm using Eclipse Galileo (3.5) for Windows. I haven't had this problem in Galileo for OS X, neither in Cocoa nor Carbon, but I have not used that for as long.

Answer 1

Strange. Is there perhaps a plugin installed that turns this off without your knowledge?

Answer 2

Maybe there is some conflicting shortcut. For example, some duplicated shortcut may be toggling it.

Answer 3

I don't have eclipse right here to test and make sure but here is an idea.

Is any of the project or even workspace file in SVN ? if they are and they were uploaded with auto build disabled that might explain it

You update and overwrite your settings. This doesn't become apparent until you restart eclipse. this would also explain why other people at your workplace experienc this. it would even explain why some don't : thay are the ones who are careful what they update and don't allow eclipse to overwrite their own settings plus the ones who actually prefer to have autobuild disabled :)

Answer 4

I am running 3.4 and I also have this mysterious behavior. I had it in 3.3 as well. I use CVS not SVN. Does not seem to follow a pattern just once in a while it gets switched off and then weird confusing stuff happens until I remember to check it and switch it back on. I am almost to the point where I want to write a plugin to always turn it on when eclipse loads.

Answer 5

Aaagh! This happens all the freaking time in the Rational Application Designer version. I have wasted hours over this bug!

Answer 6

I had the same problem and when I looked at the Source tab under Java Build Path (under the menu Project > Properties ) there were some source folders missing. After I deleted them compilation worked fine and all new .class files are under the bin folder.