eclipse-jdt / eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.ui

Search (Ctrl-F) not possible in Class File Editor without source

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Dominant language
Java
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Forks
127
Avg merge
1d 8h
Merged PRs (30d)
37

Description

Whenever I open a class file in the "Class File Editor" without source code and want to search text in the decompiled file Ctrl-F is not available.

To reproduce:
1. Create a *.java file and compile.
2. Open created *.class file in class file editor without source (in my setting with maven the file can be found in target). Therefore use the context menu "Open with: Class File Viewer". The file should show the decompiled code.
3. Ctrl-F: nothing happens.

Expected behaviour:
Find/Replace opens with "Replace with" grayed out like in console output windows and it should be possible to search for text in the decompiled source code.

Current behaviour:
Find does not open, nothing happens, no error. In the main window menu "Edit" all find related entries are grayed out. Select All is available.

Workaround:
Select all, copy and paste in a new text file. But this is annoying if one has to inspect more than a few files.

Justification and use case:
When I encounter an unexpected dependency for a project and did't find a direct include it is possible to see class and package uses in the decompiled source code (maven dependency:analyze does the same - it also looks in the binary class files).

My configuration:
Eclipse IDE for Enterprise Java and Web Developers (includes Incubating components)
Version: 2025-06 (4.36.0)
Build id: 20250605-1316
Windows 11

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the Class File Editor path used when opening a .class file through “Open with: Class File Viewer,” and compare its find behavior with console output windows. Reproduce the missing Ctrl-F action and the grayed-out Edit menu entries, then verify that Find/Replace opens with Replace with disabled and searches the decompiled source.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
java
Domain
devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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