Your Task: Requirements

• Developer at a Global 2000 company

• Create a lightweight communication tool

  • Cross platform
  • Support geographically separated groups
  • E-mail too heavyweight and too slow
  • Web-based chat not interactive enough

Your Solution: Instant Messenger

• Distribute via Java™ Web Start software

• Communication via servlets

• Developed a quick prototype UI

• Management loves it

  • Deploy in 60 days
  • Deploy worldwide
  • Support all users

Steps to a Complete Client

• 1. Standard Graphical Style

• 2. Standard Wording

• 3. User Interface Localization

• 4. Layout

  • Orientation and Spacing

• 5. Keyboard Navigation

  • Shortcuts and Mnemonics
  • Traversal

Steps to a Complete Client

• 6. Adaptations for Users with Disabilities

  • Accessible Name and Description

• 7. Cultural Conventions

  • Sorting
  • Formatting

• 8. Text Editing

  • Display
  • Input

Standard Graphical Style

• Use the graphics repository

  • http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/ techDocs/hi/repository/

• Follow the style provided in the Java™ Look and Feel design guidelines

  • http://java.sun.com/products/jlf2/book/ HIG.Graphics.html

Standard Graphical Style: Samples

Standard Wording: Terminology

• Use common, user-understandable terms

• Use the recommendations in the Java Look and Feel design guidelines

  • General
    • http://java.sun.com/products/jlf2/book/ HIG.Visual3.html
  • Menus
    • http://java.sun.com/products/jlf2/book/ HIG.Menus2.html

Standard Wording: Samples

User Interface Localization

• Use resource bundles to store objects that may need to change for other languages or countries

  • Strings
  • Graphics
  • Sounds
  • …

User Interface Localization: Code Sample

• Instead of hardcoded strings:

  • JMenu editMenu = new JMenu("Edit");

• Use ResourceBundle:

  • ResourceBundle bundle =
  • ResourceBundle.getBundle("MsgRes");
  • JMenu editMenu =
  • new JMenu(bundle.getString("editMenu"));

• And localized resource bundles:

  • editMenu = Edit
  • editMenu = Bearbeiten

Layout: Orientation

• Layout managers resize automatically to handle changes in text length and font size

• Layout managers handle component orientation automatically if they can

Layout: Code Sample

• Applications should avoid specifications that prevent automatic component orientation

• Instead of absolute coordinates:

  • LEFT, RIGHT
  • NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST
  • NORTHWEST, SOUTHEAST

• Use relative coordinates:

  • LEADING, TRAILING
  • PAGE_START, PAGE_END, LINE_START, LINE_END
  • FIRST_LINE_START, LAST_LINE_END

Layout: Spacing

• Create spacing as specified in the Java Look and Feel design guidelines

  • General Information
    • http://java.sun.com/products/jlf2/book/ HIG.Visual2.html
  • Button Spacing
    • http://java.sun.com/products/jlf2/book/ HIG.Visual2.html#80100

Keyboard Navigation: Shortcuts and Mnemonics

• Mouseless operation is crucial

• All windows need an initial focus owner

• Use the shortcuts and mnemonics provided in the Java Look and Feel design guidelines

  • Mnemonics for all focusable components
  • Shortcuts for commonly-used actions

Keyboard Navigation: Code Sample

• Default focus component:

• Mnemonics:

Keyboard Navigation: Traversal

• Tab traversal of components should make sense from the user perspective

  • Use JComponent’s setNextFocusableComponent() method
  • Subclass javax.swing.FocusManager
  • New focus subsystem in the future

• Use the recommendations in the Java Look and Feel design guidelines

Adaptations for Users With Disabilities

• Accessible Name

  • Short string
  • Communicated often
  • Defaults to component’s static text

• Accessible Description

  • Longer string
  • Communicated when requested
  • Defaults to tooltip

Adaptations for Users With Disabilities: Code Sample

• Example of overriding the AccessibleName and AccessibleDescription:

Cultural Conventions

• Cultural conventions vary

  • Calendars
  • Date, time, number formatting
  • Text comparison
  • Text breaking
  • Address and telephone number formatting
  • Greetings and honorifics

• The Java platform supports many of them

Cultural Conventions Code Sample: Date Formatting

• Instead of Date.toString:

  • String dateString = (new Date()).toString();

• Use DateFormat:

  • DateFormat dateFormat = DateFormat.getInstance();
  • String dateString = dateFormat.format(new Date());

Cultural Conventions Code Sample: String Comparison

• Instead of string comparison by code point:

  • Arrays.sort(addressees);
  • boolean before = s1.compareTo(s2) < 0;

• Use Collator:

  • Collator collator = Collator.getInstance(); Arrays.sort(addressees, collator);
  • Collator collator = Collator.getInstance(); boolean before = collator.compare(s1, s2) < 0;

Text Editing: Display/Input/Editing

• With the Java™ Foundation Classes (JFC/Swing) API, much works by default

  • Text display
  • Text input and editing

• You need to “commit” text before saving, printing, or sending:

  • textField.getInputContext().endComposition();

Summary

• A straightforward set of steps can lead you from a prototype application to a polished, professional application

• Correctly utilizing the internationalization and accessibility features of the Java platform is easy

• Many resources are available to aid you in creating professional applications for the Java platform

Resources: Sessions and BOFs

• TS-1315 Focus on Focus Wed., 11:00am

• BOF-1325 Java™ Foundation Classes API Wed., 7:00pm

• BOF-2800 AWT Wed., 8:00pm

• TS-1318 Java™ Web Start software Thurs., 11:00am

• TS-1459 Java™ Look and Feel Design Guidelines Thurs., 1:30pm

• BOF-1336 Internationalization Thurs., 8:00pm

Resources: Web Sites and Books

• Web sites

  • http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/docs/guide/intl/
  • http://java.sun.com/products/jlf2/
  • http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/ techDocs/hi/repository
  • http://www.sun.com/access/

• Books

  • Java™ Look and Feel Design Guidelines, 2nd ed.
  • Deitsch, Czarnecki: Java™ Internationalization