Java Swing

Joon Ho Cho
What is Java Swing?
• Part of the Java Foundation Classes (JFC)
• Provides a rich set of GUI components
• Used to create a Java program with a
graphical user interface (GUI)
• table controls, list controls, tree controls,
buttons, and labels, and so on…
What features are available?
• GUI components like button, checkbox, and
so on…
• Java 2D API: images, figures, animation
• Pluggable look and feel: use samples or
create your own
• Data Transfer: cut, copy, paste, drag & drop
• Internationalization: supports different input
language, right to left reading
• Accessibility API: for people with disabilities
• Undo Framework API: supports unlimited
numbers of actions to undo and redo
• Flexible Deployment: run within a browser as
an applet or Java Web Start
How does HelloWorld look like?
• import javax.swing.*;

• public class HelloWorldSwing {

• private static void createAndShowGUI() {
• //Create and set up the window.
• JFrame frame = new JFrame("HelloWorldSwing");
• frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

• //Add the ubiquitous "Hello World" label.

• JLabel label = new JLabel("Hello World");
• frame.getContentPane().add(label);

• //Display the window.

• frame.pack();
• frame.setVisible(true);
• }

• public static void main(String[] args) {

• //Schedule a job for the event-dispatching thread:
• //creating and showing this application's GUI.
• javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
• public void run() {
• createAndShowGUI();
• }
• });
• }
• }
Who are users?
• Since we are evaluating user interface
toolkit itself, in this case Java Swing,
users will be software developers, not
software users
• I believe that most Java developers use
Eclipse as their developing platform so we
will evaluate Java Swing with Eclipse
based on ten usability heuristics by Jakob
Nielson
1. Visibility of system
status
• This may be a strong advantage of Java Swing
over other UI toolkits, not because of Java Swing
itself is great, but because Eclipse provides such
sophisticated checking on what is going on now
• Constantly checks for syntax errors
• Lists available methods or variables when press
‘.’ (dot)
• However, you don’t have synchronous result
view
• You will have to run it in order to see the status
of your program
2. Match between system and the
real world
• First of all, it is Java
• It follows Java convention
• It consists of 18 public packages of Java
classes
• Its classes and methods are reasonably
named
• Unless you are the first time programmer,
you don’t have to worry about its syntax or
convention
• JLabel developerNameLabel = new javax.swing.JLabel();
developerNameLabel.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Arial", 0, 14));
developerNameLabel.setForeground(new java.awt.Color(255, 255,
255));
3. User control and
freedom
• Eclipse supports strong undo and redo
features
• You can’t possibly go wrong and have to
rewrite every code
• You can always fix it even though it may take
you some effort and time
• Java Swing also provides undo and redo
package
• javax.swing.event.UndoableEditEvent;
javax.swing.event.UndoableEditListener;
javax.swing.undo.UndoableEdit;
4. Consistency and
standards
• Similar to #2
• Java Swing follows Java convention
• Packages, classes, methods, parameters,
variables
• Mainly constructor, getter, setter
5. Error prevention
• First of all, Java is a strongly typed language:
primitives and objects
• Eclipse checks for syntax and type errors
continuously
• It gives red underline to errors and small red box to
let you know which line in document it is located
• If you move your mouse over the error, then it
suggests possible solutions to the error
• If you think one of the suggestions is a solution,
then simply click on it to apply it
• Of course, it won’t compile and run until you fix all
the syntax errors
• However, you don’t have any idea about runtime
errors except that you will have to run it and find
out
6. Recognition rather than
recall
• It’s a programming language, so it’s better and faster
for you if you memorize names and their functions of
classes or methods
• However, whenever you press ‘dot’ after name of
package, class, or object, then eclipse provides you a
list of all possible subclasses, functions and variables
• If you move your mouse over almost anything, then
eclipse provides you with a text document associated
with it, usually javadoc, or you can click on it and it
directs you to online javadoc page
• You don’t have a help of graphical interface to
develop a graphical interface, so it maybe a
disadvantage of Java Swing with eclipse.
• By the way, you can have a graphical interface if you
use NetBeans IDE instead of eclipse
7. Flexibility and efficiency of
use
• Swing includes many basic components as a
package, so it is efficient to use them
• At the same time, you can create almost
anything you want as combination of those
components and some pure coding in Java
• Java have had a reputation for being slower
and requiring more memory than those
written in natively compiled languages such
as C or C++
• However, the performance heavily depends
on how you optimize your codes and which
components of UI you use the most frequently
• It may be subsequently slower or faster
8. Aesthetic and minimalist
design
• Swing is designed in a way that it
provides a set of "lightweight" (all-Java
language) components that, to the
maximum degree possible, work the same
on all platforms
• It includes almost only and all
components we could find around any
software with user interface
• Yet, it gives developers varieties to
customize those components
9. Help users recognize,
diagnose, and recover from
errors
• Syntax and type checking errors are already
covered previously
• Java shows where in the code runtime errors
(exceptions) are caused, specifying line
numbers and brief reason for error on the
console of eclipse
• It’s not always right, but most of the times it is
right
• It’s relatively easy to find the cause of the
error and debug it comparing to other
languages I have experienced with
10. Help and documentation
• Javadoc
• Eclipse’s support for javadoc (already
covered)
Conclusion
• Java Swing is easier to learn than others
because it’s Java
• You can use any helpful tools out there
that are for Java development like eclipse
IDE, NetBeans IDE
• Lacks live graphical and interactive help
while developing
• Has unlimited possibilities depending on
how you implement your software