In Java applications, the components that comprise a GUI (Graphical User Interfaces) are stored
in containers called forms. The Java language provides a set of user interface components from
which GUI forms can be built.
The IDE's GUI Builder assists you in designing and building Java
forms by providing a series of tools that simplify the process.
The IDE's Java GUI Tools
The IDE provides several tools to simplify the process of building
GUI's including:
GUI Builder. The primary workspace within which GUI design
takes place in the IDE. The GUI Builder enables you to lay out forms by
placing components where you want them and by providing visual feedback in the
form of guidelines.
Inspector window. Displays a tree hierarchy of all
components contained in the currently opened form. Displayed items include visual
components and containers, such as buttons, labels, menus, and panels,
as well as non-visual components such as timers and data sources.
Palette window. A list containing all of the components available for adding to forms.
You can customize the Palette window to display its contents as icons only or as
icons with component names.
Properties window. Displays the editable settings for the currently
selected component.
Connection wizard. Assists in setting events between components
in a form without the need of writing code manually.
Palette Manager. Enables you to add, remove,
and organize Palette window components such as
Swing components, AWT components, Layouts, and beans.
In addition, the IDE provides support for the following new specifications:
Swing Application Framework. This framework simplifies
many tasks in Java desktop application development. The IDE's support
includes a special project template, samples, and visual support
for managing actions and resources. You can access the
project template from the New Project wizard. Choose File > New Project,
select the Java category, and select the Java Desktop Application template.
Beans Binding. This specification provides a way to synchronize
the values of different bean properties. This support also simplifies the
creation of desktop database applications. You can access binding features from
the component property sheets and by right-clicking the components and selecting
from the Bind menu.
For more information about creating Java GUIs, see
the Java GUI Application Learning Trail at:
For more information about handling events in your application, see the
Creating a GUI with JFC/Swing tutorial
at: