1 Table of ContentsJavaBeans Tutorial JavaBeans brings component technology to Java. JavaBeans lets your write Java classes, called Beans, that you can visually manipulate within application builder tools. The place to start learning about JavaBeans is the JavaBeans API Specification. The software you’ll need to understand and explore Beans is available free on the web. In addition to the Beans Development Kit (BDK) version 1.0, you will need the Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.1. This document describes what makes a Bean, and shows you how to use the BDK to write Beans. Introducing JavaBeans defines a Bean and Bean concepts, describes the BDK contents and the demonstration Beans, and discusses future Bean directions. BeanBox Basics describes the BeanBox: The BDK Bean reference container. You’ll learn how to start the BeanBox, view events, generate property reports, serialize components, create a minimal Bean, save a Bean, and add a Bean to the ToolBox. Writing a Simple Bean describes how to incorporate properties, events, and persistence within your Bean, and how to generate an applet from the BeanBox. Writing Advanced Beans describes how to incorporate bound, constrained, and indexed properties into your Beans, how to use BeanInfo to advertise your Beans’ capabilities to application builder tools, how to use your own Bean customizers, and how to convert your Beans into Active−X components.2Additional DocumentationThe BDK’s beans/docs directory contains documentation for The Beans API The BeanBox API The demo Beans The java.util API Java Archive (JAR) files and manifests Makefiles for gnumake (Unix) and nmake (Windows) A good starting point is the file beans/README.html. The JavaBeans Documentation page contains current JavaBeans API definitions, upcoming JavaBeans feature descriptions, and related Java documentation such as the Java Core Reflection API, Object Serialization, Remote Method Invocation (RMI), and Third−party JavaBeans books. Table of Contents3 Table of ContentsJavaBeans Overview JavaBeans Concepts briefly explains Bean fundamentals. BDK Contents is a roadmap to the BDK contents. BDK Demonstration Bean Descriptions describes the demo Beans shipped with the BDK. Future JavaBeans Features lets you know what is coming down the road for JavaBeans. Table of Contents4 JavaBeans OverviewJavaBeans Concepts The JavaBeans API makes it possible to write component software in Java. Components are self−contained, reusable software units that can be visually composed into applets or applications using visual application builder tools. JavaBeans is a core JDK1.1 capability: Any JDK1.1−compliant browser or tool implicitly supports JavaBeans. JavaBean components are called Beans. A "Beans aware" builder tool maintains Beans in a palette or toolbox. You can select a particular Bean from the toolbox, drop it into a form, modify it’s appearance and behavior, define its interaction with other Beans, and compose it and other Beans into an applet, application, or new Bean. All this can be done without writing a line of code. The following list briefly describes key Bean concepts: Builder tools discover a Bean’s properties, methods, and events by introspection. Beans support introspection in two ways: By adhering to specific naming conventions, known as design patterns, when naming Bean features. Bean introspection relies on the core reflection API to discover Bean features via design patterns. By explicity providing property, method, and event information with a related Bean Information class. A Bean information class implements the BeanInfo interface. See Chapter 8 of the JavaBeans API Specification for an introspection, design pattern, and BeanInfo discussion. Properties are a Bean’s appearance and behavior attributes that can be changed at design time. Properties are exposed to builder tools by design patterns or a BeanInfo class. See Chapter 7 of the JavaBeans API Specification for a complete property discussion. Beans expose properties so that they can be customized at design time. Customization is supported in two ways: By using property editors, or by using more sophisticated Bean customizers. See Chapter 9 of the JavaBeans API Specification for a customization discussion. Beans use events to communicate with other Beans. A Bean that wants to receive events (a listener Bean) registers its interest with the Bean that fires the event (a source Bean). Builder tools can examine a Bean and determine which events that Bean can fire (send) and which it can handle (receive). See Chapter 6 of the JavaBeans API Specification for a complete event discussion. Persistence enables Beans to save their state, and restore that state later. JavaBeans uses Java Object Serialization to support persistence. See Chapter 5 of the JavaBeans API Specification for a complete persistence discussion.5A Bean’s methods are no different than Java methods, and can be called from other Beans or a scripting environment. By default a all public methods are exported. Beans can be used with both builder tools, or manually manipulated by text tools through programmatic interfaces. All key APIs, including support for events, properties, and persistence, have been designed to be easily read and understood by human programmers as well as by builder tools. JavaBeans Overview6 JavaBeans OverviewBDK Contents Described THIS SECTION IS UNDER CONSTRUCTIONHere is a general description of the BDK files and directories: README.html contains an entry point to the BDK documentation LICENSE.html contains the BDK license agreement GNUmakefile and Makefile are Unix and Windows makefiles (.gmk and .mk suffixes) for building the demos and the BeanBox, and for running the BeanBox beans/apis contains a java directory containing JavaBeans source files a sun directory property editor source files beans/beanbox contains makefiles for building the BeanBox scripts for running the BeanBox a classes directory containing the BeanBox class files a lib directory containing a BeanBox support jar file used by MakeApplet’s produced code sun and sunw directories containing BeanBox source (.java) files a tmp directory containing automatically generated event adapter source and class files, .ser files, and applet files automatically generated by MakeApplet beans/demos contains makefiles for building the demo Beans an html directory containing an applet wrapper demonstration that must be run in appletviewer,
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