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Part III: The Components of the Java Foundation Classes >
7: Windows and Panes
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A window is a user interface element and container that designers use to organize the information that users see in an application. The information in a window consists of objects (and their properties) that enable users to perform actions or to report information about actions. Primary windows, secondary windows, utility windows, and plain windows provide the top-level containers for your application. A primary window is a window in which the user's main interaction with the data or document takes place. An application can use any number of primary windows, which can be opened, closed, minimized, or resized independently. A secondary window is a supportive window that is dependent on a primary window (or another secondary window). A utility window is a window whose contents affect an active primary window. Unlike secondary windows, utility windows remain open when primary windows are closed or minimized. An example of a utility window is a tool palette that is used to select a graphic tool. A plain window is a window with no title bar or window controls, typically used for splash screens.
Figure 85 Primary, Utility, Plain, and Secondary Windows
Panels, panes, and internal windows are lower-level containers for use within primary and secondary windows. A panel is a container for organizing the contents of a window, dialog box, or applet. A pane is a collective term for scroll panes, split panes, and tabbed panes, which are described in this chapter. (You can place panels in panes or panes in panels.) An internal window is a container used in MDI applications to create windows that users cannot drag outside of the main backing window.
Figure 86 Scroll Pane, Tabbed Pane, Split Pane, and Internal Window
When you begin to organize the information in an application, ask yourself these questions:
This chapter uses the concept of an object, an entity your application presents in its interface and that users manipulate. While an object can be logical to the user, it might have little relationship to the implementation of the application. Objects have properties or sets of values that users can view or change. Objects also have actions or operations that can be performed on them.
Objects might be documents, the computers that an application monitors, or even log entries--for example, a word processor works with documents, chapters, and paragraphs. A mail program works with mail servers, mailboxes, and mail messages.
Primary windows act as top-level containers for the user interface elements that appear inside them. A primary window might hold a series of embedded containers. For example, a primary window in your application could have this organization:
Figure 87 Components Contained in a Primary Window
Note the appearance of the embedded containers in an actual primary window and their relationship to the underlying structure, as shown in Figure 88.
Figure 88 Anatomy of a Primary Window
| Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines, second edition.
Copyright 2001. Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
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