About the JFC and Swing
JFC is short for Java Foundation Classes, which encompass a group of features for building graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and adding rich graphics functionality and interactivity to Java applications. It is defined as containing the features shown in the table below.
| Feature | Description |
| Swing GUI Components | Includes everything from buttons to split panes to tables. Many components are capable of sorting, printing, and drag and drop, to name a few of the supported features. |
| Pluggable Look-and-Feel Support | The look and feel of Swing applications is pluggable, allowing a choice of look and feel. For example, the same program can use either the Java or the Windows look and feel. Additionally, the Java platform supports the GTK+ look and feel, which makes hundreds of existing look and feels available to Swing programs. Many more look-and-feel packages are available from various sources. |
| Accessibility API | Enables assistive technologies, such as screen readers and Braille displays, to get information from the user interface. |
| Java 2D API | Enables developers to easily incorporate high-quality 2D graphics, text, and images in applications and applets. Java 2D includes extensive APIs for generating and sending high-quality output to printing devices. |
| Internationalization | Allows developers to build applications that can interact with users worldwide in their own languages and cultural conventions. With the input method framework developers can build applications that accept text in languages that use thousands of different characters, such as Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. |
This trail concentrates on the Swing components. We help you choose the appropriate components for your GUI, tell you how to use them, and give you the background information you need to use them effectively. We also discuss other features as they apply to Swing components.
Which Swing Packages Should I Use?
The Swing API is powerful, flexible — and immense. The Swing API has 18 public packages:
javax.accessibility
javax.swing.plaf
javax.swing.text
javax.swing
javax.swing.plaf.basic
javax.swing.text.html
javax.swing.border
javax.swing.plaf.metal
javax.swing.text.html.parser
javax.swing.colorchooser
javax.swing.plaf.multi
javax.swing.text.rtf
javax.swing.event
javax.swing.plaf.synth
javax.swing.tree
javax.swing.filechooser
javax.swing.table
javax.swing.undo
Fortunately, most programs use only a small subset of the API. This trail sorts out the API for you, giving you examples of common code and pointing you to methods and classes you're likely to need. Most of the code in this trail uses only one or two Swing packages:
- javax.swing
- javax.swing.event (not always required)
This section explains how to compile and run a Swing application from the command line. For information on compiling and running a Swing application using NetBeans IDE, see Running Tutorial Examples in NetBeans IDE. The compilation instructions work for all Swing programs — applets, as well as applications. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Install the latest release of the Java SE platform, if you haven't already done so.
- Create a program that uses Swing components.
- Compile the program.
- Run the program.
Install the Latest Release of the Java SE Platform
You can download the latest release of the JDK for free from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html.
Create a Program That Uses Swing Components
You can use a simple program we provide, called HelloWorldSwing, that brings up the GUI shown in the figure below. The program is in a single file, HelloWorldSwing.java. When you save this file, you must match the spelling and capitalization of its name exactly.
The HelloWorldSwing.java example, like all of our Swing tutorial examples, is created inside a package. If you look at the source code, you see the following line at the beginning of the file:
package start;
This means you must put the HelloWorldSwing.java file inside of a start directory. You compile and run the example from the directory above the start directory. The tutorial examples from the Using Swing Components lesson are inside of a components package and the examples from the Writing Event Listeners lesson are inside a events package, and so on.
Compile the Program
Your next step is to compile the program. To compile the example, from the directory above the HelloWorldSwing.java file:
javac start/HelloWorldSwing.java
If you prefer, you may compile the example from within the start directory:
javac HelloWorldSwing.java
but you must remember to leave the start directory to execute the program.
If you are unable to compile, make sure you are using the compiler in a recent release of the Java platform. You can verify the version of your compiler or Java Runtime Environment (JRE) using these commands
javac -version
java -version
Once you've updated your JDK, you should be able to use the programs in this trail without changes. Another common mistake is installing the JRE and not the full Java Development Kit (JDK) needed to compile these programs.
Run the Program
After you compile the program successfully, you can run it. From the directory above the start directory:
java start.HelloWorldSwing
Compiling and Running Swing Programs
This section explains how to compile and run a Swing application from the command line. For information on compiling and running a Swing application using NetBeans IDE, see Running Tutorial Examples in NetBeans IDE. The compilation instructions work for all Swing programs — applets, as well as applications. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Install the latest release of the Java SE platform, if you haven't already done so.
- Create a program that uses Swing components.
- Compile the program.
- Run the program.
Install the Latest Release of the Java SE Platform
You can download the latest release of the JDK for free from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html.
Create a Program That Uses Swing Components
You can use a simple program we provide, called HelloWorldSwing, that brings up the GUI shown in the figure below. The program is in a single file, HelloWorldSwing.java. When you save this file, you must match the spelling and capitalization of its name exactly.
The HelloWorldSwing.java example, like all of our Swing tutorial examples, is created inside a package. If you look at the source code, you see the following line at the beginning of the file:
package start;
This means you must put the HelloWorldSwing.java file inside of a start directory. You compile and run the example from the directory above the start directory. The tutorial examples from the Using Swing Components lesson are inside of a components package and the examples from the Writing Event Listeners lesson are inside a events package, and so on.
Your next step is to compile the program. To compile the example, from the directory above the HelloWorldSwing.java file:
javac start/HelloWorldSwing.java
If you prefer, you may compile the example from within the start directory:
javac HelloWorldSwing.java
but you must remember to leave the start directory to execute the program.
If you are unable to compile, make sure you are using the compiler in a recent release of the Java platform. You can verify the version of your compiler or Java Runtime Environment (JRE) using these commands
javac -version
java -version
Once you've updated your JDK, you should be able to use the programs in this trail without changes. Another common mistake is installing the JRE and not the full Java Development Kit (JDK) needed to compile these programs.
Run the Program
After you compile the program successfully, you can run it. From the directory above the start directory:
java start.HelloWorldSwing
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