The NetBeans Platform course will provide you with an understanding of the typical problems that Swing application developers experience and how the NetBeans Platform will help you solve those problems. The students will be introduced to modularity and loosely coupled communication between the modules making up an application. The many extensions to Swing made available by the NetBeans Platform form the core of the course. The students will perform the course lab exercises using the NetBeans Integrated Development Environment 6.5.
Course Content
Module 1 - Getting Started
Examine common Swing application problems
Analyze a simple Java application
Port the application to the NetBeans Platform
Use the NetBeans API online documentation
Module 2 - Runtime Container
Define the basic requirements of NetBeans Platform applications
Discuss modularity
Discuss filesystems
Create an application that only uses the Runtime Container
Create a new module and add it to the application
Module 3 - NetBeans Modules
Define what a module is
Discuss JAR, ZIP, NBM archives
Create an NBM file
Discuss communication between modules
Discuss versioning
Discuss dependency management
Let two modules communicate with each other
Discuss distribution mechanisms
Module 4 - Intermodular Communication
Discuss the System FileSystem
Discuss the Lookup concept
Discuss ServiceLoader in JDK 6
Create modules that interact via the filesystem
Create modules that interact via the Lookup
Discuss the difference between the two approaches
Module 5 - Window System
Discuss the needs of growing applications
Discuss why JFrames are not enough
Create a new application that uses the window system
Understand all the features of the window system
Create a new window in the window system
Tune window system features
Tune a single TopComponents features
Module 6 - Nodes and Explorer Views
Discuss the typical problems of Swing models
Discuss Nodes as generic hierachical hierarchical objects
Discuss explorer views as extensions to Swing
Create a new Node
Create a new explorer view
Discuss Explorer Managers
Discuss Palettes
Show the Node in explorer views
Show the Node in a Palette
Module 7 - Visual Library
Define the need for visual widgets
Discuss what widgets are
Create a widget
Discuss all the available widgets
Generate widgets from a database
Module 8 - Extending the NetBeans Java Editor
Define the extension points of the Java editor
Discuss code completion extension
Discuss hyperlink extension
Create new code templates
Create new hints
Create new
Understand the structure of the editor
Module 9 - Miscellaneous APIs
Discuss other APIs in the NetBeans API
Discuss need for consistent UI appearance
Create Options Panel extension
Create Wizard wizard
Create Dialogs
Create OutputListener
Create Menu items, Toolbar buttons, Shortcuts
Discuss CallbackSystemHandler
Module 10 - Distribution and Updating of Applications and Modules
Discuss distribution mechanisms
Define the Plugin Manager
Add the Plugin Manager to the application
Create an update update center
Create NBM files
Understand NBM files
Distribute NBM files via update centers
