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Package com.vlsolutions.swing.docking

The VL Docking Framework for JFC "Swing" applications.

See: Description

Package com.vlsolutions.swing.docking Description

The VL Docking Framework for JFC "Swing" applications.

Goals.

The VLSolutions Docking Framework provides a means to add docking capabilities into a Swing application with minor modification of the components hierarchy (only decoration of existing components and containers and adding of a new root container).

Audience.

This javadoc is targetted to :

You will find in this documentation references of those targets, indicating you if you have to read such document or not, depending on your goals (developping a "User Application" or extending the API).

For API Users

Basic Description

The VL Docking Framework is a set of Swing Components that is used to enhance any Swing Application by providing Docking capabilities to user components :

A user component can be any Swing JComponent (usualy a JPanel or a JScrollPane).

Docking functions are built upon the following classes :

The DockingDesktop class.

There is usually only one DockingDesktop associated to a Window.

For developpers used to JInternalFrame API, the DockingDesktop is equivalent to the JDesktopPane : a layered pane capable of managing and displaying multiple components, with overlapping when needed.

The desktop is composed of :

The central zone contains a DockableContainer that can be recursively splitted in two (horizontally or vertically) to add more DockableContainers. Each split acts as a JSplitPane, and can be resized by the end-user or with the API.

The Dockable interface

The Dockable is implemented by dockable component providers or, simply by components that want to benefit of the docking features.

If you already have a working application (without docking) and want to use the docking framework, take your GUI major components, have them implement the Dockable interface (only 2 methods) and you will be able to add them to the docking desktop.

Alternatively, you can use DockablePanel which is a JPanel container implementing Dockable.

The DockableContainer, SingleDockableContainer and TabbedDockableContainer interfaces.

These interfaces are implemented by containers of Dockables. Usually you will not interact with them (except if you want to extend the framework).

The DockKey class

This one is important because it fully describes the Docking presentation of your dockables, and their behaviour.

A DockKey is used in 3 situations :

So keep in mind that each dockable must have a unique DockKey (it's a kind of primary key) and that the key, as a javabean, is used to decorate the dockable container.

Listeners : most DockKey properties are bound, and changing their value will have an immediate effect on the DockingDesktop : for example, you can change the icon property of a key and it will be propagated to the DockableContainer's title bar of its dockable.

Getting Started

It's easy, just follow the steps below, or have a look at the tutorial on www.vlsolutions.com/en/documention/docking/tutorial.

Creating a small sample application :

Here is a working code showing a simple frame with dockable buttons. 

import com.vlsolutions.swing.docking.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;

public class DemoFrame extends JFrame {
  // our docking desktop
  DockingDesktop desk = new DockingDesktop();

  public DemoFrame(){
    setDefaultCloseOperation(DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
    getContentPane().add(desk);

    // first, create 4 dockable buttons (inner class below)
    DockableButton button1 = new DockableButton("Dockable 1");
    DockableButton button2 = new DockableButton("Dockable 2");
    DockableButton button3 = new DockableButton("Dockable 3");
    DockableButton button4 = new DockableButton("Dockable 4");
    // first button at center
    desk.addDockable(button1);

    // second and third button splitted vertically on the left of center
    // first parameter is the "reference", second is the added dockable
    desk.split(button1, button2, DockingConstants.SPLIT_LEFT);
    desk.split(button2, button3, DockingConstants.SPLIT_BOTTOM);

    // add the fourth button as a tab on the 3rd :
    desk.createTab(button3, button4, 1);

    SwingUtilities.invokeLater(
        new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        setSize(800,600);
        validate();
        setVisible(true); // realize on the event dispatch thread

      }
    });
  }
  public static void main(String [] args){
    new DemoFrame();
  }

  // our basic dockable object
  class DockableButton extends JButton implements Dockable {
     DockKey key;
     public DockableButton(String label){
        super(label);
        this.key = new DockKey(label); // most simple dockkey constructor
        setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200,200));
     }

    public DockKey getDockKey() {
      return key;
    }

    public Component getComponent() {
      return this;
    }
  }
}

But of course, there's more in the docking framework than this. For example you can also :

You can read more about these features in the tutorial on www.vlsolutions.com/en/documention/docking/tutorial.

Browsing the API

The subset of classes of this package needed to understand and use the Docking Framework is limited to the following classes :

Extending the API

This API has been developed with extension in mind.

To Fully understand its principles, you will have to browse the entire javadoc and read the API extension tutorial on www.vlsolutions.com.

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© Copyright 2004-2007 VLSolutions. All Rights Reserved.
www.vlsolutions.com : Java Components - Smart Client Applications