Rich Client Programming: Plugging into the NetBeans Platform

The open-source NetBeans Platform is an extraordinarily powerful framework for building "write once, run anywhere" rich client applications. Now, for the first time since the release of NetBeans IDE 5.0, there's a comprehensive guide to rich client development on the NetBeans Platform.

Written for Java developers and architects who have discovered that basic Swing components are not enough for them, this book will help you get started with NetBeans module development, master NetBeans' key APIs, and learn proven techniques for building reliable desktop software. Each chapter is filled with practical, step-by-step instructions for creating complete rich client applications on top of the NetBeans Platform and plugins for NetBeans IDE.

Rich Client Programming 's wide-ranging content covers

• Why modular development makes sense for small, medium, and large applications
• Using NetBeans to accelerate development and improve efficiency
• Leveraging NetBeans productivity features, from the Component Palette to Code Completion
• Leveraging NetBeans' modular architecture in your own applications
• Implementing loosely coupled communication to improve code maintainability and robustness
• Managing user- and system-configuration data
• Building reloadable components with solid threading models
• Constructing sophisticated multiwindow applications and presenting rich data structures to users
• Adding user-configurable options
• Integrating Web services with NetBeans desktop applications
• Automating module updates and providing user help

Foreword by Jonathan Schwartz
Foreword by Jan Chalupa
Preface
About the Authors and Contributors
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Getting Started with the NetBeans Platform
Chapter 2: The Benefits of Modular Programming
Chapter 3: Modular Architecture
Chapter 4: Loosely Coupled Communication
Chapter 5: Lookup
Chapter 6: Filesystems
Chapter 7: Threading, Listener Patterns, and MIME Lookup
Chapter 8: The Window System
Chapter 9: Nodes, Explorer Views, Actions, and Presenters
Chapter 10: DataObjects and DataLoaders
Chapter 11: Graphical User Interfaces
Chapter 12: Multiview Editors
Chapter 13: Syntax Highlighting
Chapter 14: Code Completion
Chapter 15: Component Palettes
Chapter 16: Hyperlinks
Chapter 17: Annotations
Chapter 18: Options Windows
Chapter 19: Web Frameworks
Chapter 20: Web Services
Chapter 21: JavaHelp Documentation
Chapter 22 Update Centers
Chapter 23: Use Case 1: NetBeans Module Development
Chapter 24: Use Case 2: Rich Unger on Application Development
Chapter A: Advanced Module System Techniques
Chapter B: Common Idioms and Code Patterns in NetBeans
Chapter C: Performance
Index

Tim Boudreau coauthored NetBeans™: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly), served on the team that open-sourced NetBeans, and continues to develop for the NetBeans project.

Jaroslav Tulach cofounded the NetBeans project, and remains a leading guardian of the project API.

Geertjan Wielenga is the technical writer responsible for NetBeans documentation relating to module development and rich-client application development.