Journal FortKnox's Journal: Java Question 21
This is interesting. I'm usually answering the java questions, but today I ask one.
I'm writing my first SWING app. My java experience is J2EE webapps, no swing experience.
In fact, I haven't done much of any windows app...
Anyhow, I'm looking for a good IDE to create an app. I tried JBuilder8 (personal), and the designer is very difficult to understand, and I can't seem to get my mellon around how it works. I'd prefer something VB-ish. I'll draw out the app, and plug the code into the events.
Any ideas/help out there?
I'm writing my first SWING app. My java experience is J2EE webapps, no swing experience.
In fact, I haven't done much of any windows app...
Anyhow, I'm looking for a good IDE to create an app. I tried JBuilder8 (personal), and the designer is very difficult to understand, and I can't seem to get my mellon around how it works. I'd prefer something VB-ish. I'll draw out the app, and plug the code into the events.
Any ideas/help out there?
That's a problem, all right (Score:3, Informative)
You might want to check out the SunONE studio (formerly Forte for Java) Community Edition (free download) which is itself based on NetBeans.
Re:That's a problem, all right (Score:1)
Re:That's a problem, all right (Score:2)
I haven't used Forte enough so maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it. Oh well.
never done an IDE... (Score:1)
If you need a good place to start - the Java Tutorial on Sun's website is a good starting point, as is just about any book on Swing. There may have even been a few reviewed on slashdot.
Re:never done an IDE... (Score:2)
I use an IDE to put together demos and simple GUIs and I do the complicated ones by hand. That way I have greater control over their behavior. A simple GUI isn't worth the effort of coding by hand though. I have done a lot of both and found that complex GUIs require you to get your hands dirty almost every time.
VAJ (Score:3, Informative)
Of course I am biased since I work for IBM. :) Then again, IBM is sort of getting rid of it in favor of the Eclipse based tools. Too bad...
http://www7b.software.ibm.com/wsdd/zones/vajava/ [ibm.com]
Re:VAJ (Score:2, Informative)
I reverted back to the good old times coding my GUI by hand. It's the only good way to learn what is actually happening. You won't understand a GridBagLayout by drag 'n dropping components. Anyways for a g
Re:VAJ (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:VAJ (Score:1)
Apart from that: VAJ is a fine tool, just not for GUI generation. Besides, I still have to find a GUI builder that does JTables right. Neither VAJ nor JBuilder apply for that one.
Re:VAJ (Score:2)
Re:VAJ (Score:1)
But, hey, no problem... If you like it that way, VAJ must be paradise for you.
Better off by hand. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Better off by hand. (Score:1)
Re:Better off by hand. (Score:2)
Another Visual Age Vote Here (Score:2)
Have not tried eclipse yet. Will look into it.
BTW, I would have posted this to you yesterday (but
-J
Try Eclipse... (Score:2)
Re:Try Eclipse... (Score:3, Informative)
It's still the best Java (and pretty much anything else) editor our there, bar none, IMO. Er, best *free* editor, that is. I can't afford the commercial ones, so can't comment.;)
However, be careful of the newest version (2.1). On the whole it's a good update with some useful features, but it's got a few minor bugs that need to be ironed out. The one
Re:Try Eclipse... (Score:1)
I'll poke around...
Re:Try Eclipse... (Score:2)
There are, apparently, GUI builders available as plugins for Eclipse, but I've yet to download one.
Re:Try Eclipse... (Score:2)
Easy to get spoiled....
Hmm... (Score:2)