Newbie - GUI Java

[Jacky]

Hi,

I'm new to Java, and I am trying to create some applications for
learning purposes.

I find that creating the GUI in java is very troublesome; having
previously learnt Visual Basic.

My question is: is there an application that will churn out the codes
for the GUI in Java? Takes note of the events and stuffs? Pretty much
like Visual Basic?


Regards,
Jacky

 

[Kroll, Michael]

Hello,

My question is: is there an application that will churn out the codes
for the GUI in Java? Takes note of the events and stuffs? Pretty much
like Visual Basic?

I think Netbeans is good for building GUI's in Java.
You can find it at www.netbeans.org.


Michael

 

[Jacky]

thanks! let me take a look at that,

 

[Thomas Weidenfeller]

I find that creating the GUI in java is very troublesome; having
previously learnt Visual Basic.

VB only has to run on a single platform (Windows), where everything is
fixed, largely predictable, and under the control of one manufacturer. A
Java program developed on platform X is supposed to run unaltered on
platform Y - if done right. This comes with a price. Part of the price
is the complexity of the Java AWT/Swing GUI system. And, the programmer
has to do his/her part, too. Java just provides the tools, if you don't
use them, then the application will still not run well on other platforms.

My question is: is there an application that will churn out the codes
for the GUI in Java? Takes note of the events and stuffs? Pretty much
like Visual Basic?

Yes, there are a few, but there is usually no way around learning Java's
AWT/Swing system architecture. A good start is to learn

- The single-thread rule

- Layout Managers

- Event handling

- The painting system

All this and many more is taught in tutorials on Sun's web site.

/Thomas

 

[Jacky]

I've download and installed NetBeans, but there isn't control box for
me to input a command box or something?

 

[Jacky]

Hi Thomas,

What I meant was: is there a way to quickly create a command box or
text fields visually? Instead of specifying pixels and points?.....

Thanks,
Jacky

 

[Perfect Reign]

Hi Thomas,

What I meant was: is there a way to quickly create a command box or
text fields visually? Instead of specifying pixels and points?.....

I feel your pain. I have twelve years of VB experience (and can't get
away) which causes me no end to grief when learning this Java thing.

I am finding that - except for the bizzaro layout managers in Swing (box,
gridbag, card, flow) you'll get to understand things pretty well. I've
only been doing Java for a few months, and am fairly comfortable. The nice
thing is that I can write an app here on my Linux box and take it
unaltered into my WinXP system at work and it runs.

The ability to write in linux and have it automatically be able to
downgrade to WinXP is nice.

Creating the GUI components is really a no-brainer. You just
gotta put a J in front of whatever your thinking about and learn
to read the API, which is almost as useless as the MSDN.

Unlearning things like Left$ or instr are more the challenge.

 

[Thomas Weidenfeller]

What I meant was: is there a way to quickly create a command box or
text fields visually? Instead of specifying pixels and points?.....

This is exactly what you don't do: You don't specify pixels and points
in an AWT/Swing GUI. You use layout managers.

Please work through Sun's GUI tutorial. Without getting this essential
point you will not have fun.

/Thomas

 

[Tor Iver Wilhelmsen]

What I meant was: is there a way to quickly create a command box or
text fields visually? Instead of specifying pixels and points?.....

Yes, use a GUI designer in an IDE, like JBuilder or Eclipse.

But please learn about the layout manager concept first; though you
may experiment VB-like by setting the layout property to null.

 

[IchBin]

This is exactly what you don't do: You don't specify pixels and points
in an AWT/Swing GUI. You use layout managers.

Please work through Sun's GUI tutorial. Without getting this essential
point you will not have fun.

/Thomas

Yes you should learn the layout mangers first. This very important. It's
like most things... Its 'pay me now or pay me later'.

I use a the JGoodies layout manager. It is much nicer than the Sun
layout managers. This way you do not to learn all of the sun layout
managers. You can just use one, JGoodies. They have real time visual
screen debugger and debug console output to correct any forms you are
trying to build. BTW - I do know Suns layout managers. I personally
understand much more for the time I put into learning them.

I keep referencing my website because I use the JGoodies Forms, Look and
Feel, color themes. I have not tried their animation libraries yet but
they look nice also.

You can see some of my screen shots at *http://24.115.55.47:8080/*.

Sorry I do not have a domain name yet. So I am using my IP address. Hay,
it works. This is just a path into Tomcat for my site.

And\or go to JGoodies website *http://www.jgoodies.com/*

--


Thanks in Advance...
IchBin
__________________________________________________________________________

'The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical
substances:
if there is any reaction, both are transformed.'
- Carl Gustav Jung, (1875-1961), psychiatrist and psychologist

 

[Hal Rosser]

you might be able to use JOptionPane class.

If you're familiar with VB's inputbox and msgbox,
you can use Java's JOptionPane class to showinputdialog and
showmessagedialog.
otherwise:
I would keep to the command line for a while.

 

[Jacky]

Thanks! I'm going to take a look at your website.

btw, you could run a dynamic IP for your server, http://www.dyndns.org,
FOC

 

[Jacky]

hi! went to http://24.115.55.47:8080/ and the page was always
refreshing?

 

[Betty]

you might be able to use JOptionPane class.

If you're familiar with VB's inputbox and msgbox,
you can use Java's JOptionPane class to showinputdialog and
showmessagedialog.
otherwise:
I would keep to the command line for a while.

How about BEA WebLogic?