title: Build Error in Gradle Project Creation
body: <p>I'm using Netbeans 8 with the newest Gradle plugin and any time I try to create a project (either root or standalone) I get a build error with the following exception. The build.gradle and common.gradle both are empty except for a single <code>\</code> character. I've tried switching the name of the project so it doesn't have any special characters, uninstalling and reinstalling the gradle plugin, restarting Netbeans, and creating other projects. How can I fix this problem?</p>
  
  <p>Exception:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Issue 1
  --------
  
  Requested project: C:\Users\Sarah\Desktop\NG
  
  Stack trace:
  org.gradle.tooling.BuildException: Could not run build action using Gradle distribution 'https://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-2.4-bin.zip'.
      at org.gradle.tooling.internal.consumer.ResultHandlerAdapter.onFailure(ResultHandlerAdapter.java:57)
      at org.gradle.tooling.internal.consumer.async.DefaultAsyncConsumerActionExecutor$1$1.run(DefaultAsyncConsumerActionExecutor.java:57)
      at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ExecutorPolicy$CatchAndRecordFailures.onExecute(ExecutorPolicy.java:54)
      at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.StoppableExecutorImpl$1.run(StoppableExecutorImpl.java:40)
      at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
      at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
      at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
      at org.gradle.tooling.internal.consumer.BlockingResultHandler.getResult(BlockingResultHandler.java:46)
      at org.gradle.tooling.internal.consumer.DefaultBuildActionExecuter.run(DefaultBuildActionExecuter.java:46)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.model.GenericModelFetcher.getModels(GenericModelFetcher.java:166)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.project.model.NbGradle18ModelLoader$ProjectModelFetcher.getModels(NbGradle18ModelLoader.java:360)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.project.model.NbGradle18ModelLoader.loadModels(NbGradle18ModelLoader.java:65)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.project.model.GradleModelLoader.loadModelWithProgress(GradleModelLoader.java:491)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.project.model.GradleModelLoader.access$600(GradleModelLoader.java:70)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.project.model.GradleModelLoader$6.run(GradleModelLoader.java:360)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.project.tasks.GradleDaemonManager.runNonBlockingGradleTask(GradleDaemonManager.java:36)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.project.tasks.GradleDaemonManager.access$100(GradleDaemonManager.java:23)
      at org.netbeans.gradle.project.tasks.GradleDaemonManager$2.execute(GradleDaemonManager.java:126)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.AbstractTaskExecutorService$FunctionWrapper.execute(AbstractTaskExecutorService.java:270)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.AbstractTaskExecutorService$TaskOfAbstractExecutor.execute(AbstractTaskExecutorService.java:340)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.Tasks$RunOnceCancelableTask.execute(Tasks.java:342)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.SingleThreadedExecutor$QueuedItem.runTask(SingleThreadedExecutor.java:919)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.SingleThreadedExecutor$QueuedItem.access$1200(SingleThreadedExecutor.java:898)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.SingleThreadedExecutor$Impl$Worker.executeTask(SingleThreadedExecutor.java:815)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.SingleThreadedExecutor$Impl$Worker.processQueue(SingleThreadedExecutor.java:827)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.SingleThreadedExecutor$Impl$Worker.run(SingleThreadedExecutor.java:861)
      at org.jtrim.concurrent.SingleThreadedExecutor$Impl$1.run(SingleThreadedExecutor.java:453)
      at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
  Caused by: org.gradle.internal.exceptions.LocationAwareException: Settings file 'C:\Users\Sarah\Desktop\NG\settings.gradle' line: 1
  Could not compile settings file 'C:\Users\Sarah\Desktop\NG\settings.gradle'.
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultExceptionAnalyser.transform(DefaultExceptionAnalyser.java:77)
      at org.gradle.initialization.MultipleBuildFailuresExceptionAnalyser.transform(MultipleBuildFailuresExceptionAnalyser.java:47)
      at org.gradle.initialization.StackTraceSanitizingExceptionAnalyser.transform(StackTraceSanitizingExceptionAnalyser.java:30)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuild(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:108)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.getBuildAnalysis(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:97)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter$DefaultBuildController.configure(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:94)
      at org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.runner.ClientProvidedBuildActionRunner.run(ClientProvidedBuildActionRunner.java:45)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ChainingBuildActionRunner.run(ChainingBuildActionRunner.java:35)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:41)
      at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:28)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ExecuteBuild.doBuild(ExecuteBuild.java:49)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.WatchForDisconnection.execute(WatchForDisconnection.java:37)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ResetDeprecationLogger.execute(ResetDeprecationLogger.java:26)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.RequestStopIfSingleUsedDaemon.execute(RequestStopIfSingleUsedDaemon.java:34)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput$2.call(ForwardClientInput.java:74)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput$2.call(ForwardClientInput.java:72)
      at org.gradle.util.Swapper.swap(Swapper.java:38)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput.execute(ForwardClientInput.java:72)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.health.DaemonHealthTracker.execute(DaemonHealthTracker.java:47)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.LogToClient.doBuild(LogToClient.java:66)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.EstablishBuildEnvironment.doBuild(EstablishBuildEnvironment.java:71)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.health.HintGCAfterBuild.execute(HintGCAfterBuild.java:41)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.StartBuildOrRespondWithBusy$1.run(StartBuildOrRespondWithBusy.java:50)
      at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.DaemonStateCoordinator$1.run(DaemonStateCoordinator.java:246)
      at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ExecutorPolicy$CatchAndRecordFailures.onExecute(ExecutorPolicy.java:54)
      at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.StoppableExecutorImpl$1.run(StoppableExecutorImpl.java:40)
  Caused by: org.gradle.groovy.scripts.ScriptCompilationException: Could not compile settings file 'C:\Users\Sarah\Desktop\NG\settings.gradle'.
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.DefaultScriptCompilationHandler.wrapCompilationFailure(DefaultScriptCompilationHandler.java:187)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.DefaultScriptCompilationHandler.compileScript(DefaultScriptCompilationHandler.java:127)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.DefaultScriptCompilationHandler.compileToDir(DefaultScriptCompilationHandler.java:82)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler$CacheInitializer.execute(FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler.java:113)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler$CacheInitializer.execute(FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler.java:92)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler$ProgressReportingInitializer.execute(FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler.java:130)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler$ProgressReportingInitializer.execute(FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler.java:117)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultPersistentDirectoryCache$Initializer.initialize(DefaultPersistentDirectoryCache.java:94)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultCacheAccess$2.run(DefaultCacheAccess.java:104)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultFileLockManager$DefaultFileLock.doWriteAction(DefaultFileLockManager.java:173)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultFileLockManager$DefaultFileLock.writeFile(DefaultFileLockManager.java:163)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultCacheAccess.open(DefaultCacheAccess.java:102)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultPersistentDirectoryStore.open(DefaultPersistentDirectoryStore.java:46)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultPersistentDirectoryStore.open(DefaultPersistentDirectoryStore.java:28)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultCacheFactory.doOpen(DefaultCacheFactory.java:80)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultCacheFactory.open(DefaultCacheFactory.java:50)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultCacheRepository$PersistentCacheBuilder.doOpen(DefaultCacheRepository.java:138)
      at org.gradle.cache.internal.DefaultCacheRepository$AbstractCacheBuilder.open(DefaultCacheRepository.java:121)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler.compile(FileCacheBackedScriptClassCompiler.java:63)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.ShortCircuitEmptyScriptCompiler.compile(ShortCircuitEmptyScriptCompiler.java:53)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.CachingScriptClassCompiler.compile(CachingScriptClassCompiler.java:41)
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.DefaultScriptCompilerFactory$ScriptCompilerImpl.compile(DefaultScriptCompilerFactory.java:50)
      at org.gradle.configuration.DefaultScriptPluginFactory$ScriptPluginImpl.apply(DefaultScriptPluginFactory.java:122)
      at org.gradle.initialization.ScriptEvaluatingSettingsProcessor.applySettingsScript(ScriptEvaluatingSettingsProcessor.java:72)
      at org.gradle.initialization.ScriptEvaluatingSettingsProcessor.process(ScriptEvaluatingSettingsProcessor.java:62)
      at org.gradle.initialization.PropertiesLoadingSettingsProcessor.process(PropertiesLoadingSettingsProcessor.java:37)
      at org.gradle.initialization.SettingsHandler.findSettingsAndLoadIfAppropriate(SettingsHandler.java:89)
      at org.gradle.initialization.SettingsHandler.findAndLoadSettings(SettingsHandler.java:46)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuildStages(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:121)
      at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuild(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:106)
      ... 34 more
  Caused by: org.codehaus.groovy.control.MultipleCompilationErrorsException: startup failed:
  settings file 'C:\Users\Sarah\Desktop\NG\settings.gradle': 1: unexpected char: '\' @ line 1, column 1.
     \
     ^
  
  1 error
  
      at org.gradle.groovy.scripts.internal.DefaultScriptCompilationHandler.compileScript(DefaultScriptCompilationHandler.java:125)
      ... 62 more
  </code></pre>