NetBeans - ISU570 Human Computer Interaction

The NetBeans GUI Builder IDE

Professor Futrelle, CCIS, Northeastern University - Spring 2009

Version of February 20, 2009

Introduction

NetBeans is an IDE developed by Sun Microsystems. It is written in Java so it can be downloaded and run in Linux, Mac OS, or Windows. It has a drag-and-drop GUI Builder tool that provides various GUI components and helps with the orderly layout of them in the GUI you are constructing. As you develop your GUI, it builds Java Swing code automatically (in an extended version of Swing). Certain sections of the code are 'clamped' by the GUI Builder, but the developer is free to alter other portions of the code.

NetBeans resources

• The main NetBeans site
• The NetBeans download site download the plain Java bundle (it should know your platform)
• The GUI Builder (they call it the Swing GUI Builer) Note the GUI Builder Learning Trail link at the bottom
• A good GUI Builder tutorial, including clear and useful animated, narrated demos
• This tutorial also discusses firing and handling events
• This tutorial has a simple, useful example of event handling (link added Friday, February 20, 2009).
• If you decide to develop a GWT app, here's the NetBeans GWT page - uses a plugin

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