I've been using Netbeans for longer than I care to admit. I use it almost everyday for Java and JavaScript development. Here are some small tweaks I use to make Netbeans a little easier to use.
When I first started using Netbeans, there was an option to select a project as a "Main Project". Visually, the main project is highlighted in bold in the Projects
tree. When you have a main project selected, the build buttons in the main toolbar will apply to the selected project.
Newer versions of Netbeans don't have a "Set as Main Project" menu option when you right click on a project in the Projects
tree.
To re-enable this feature, simply go to Run
-> Set Main Project
-> Select a project