Summary of Unit 3: Building Components using Swing and Java FX
1. Introduction to AWT and Swing
AWT (Abstract Window Toolkit):
First GUI library in Java, part of Java Foundation Classes (JFC).
Provides components like buttons, labels, and text fields.
Features include event handling, layout managers, and cross-platform compatibility.
Limitations include limited customizability and fewer built-in components compared
to Swing and JavaFX.
Swing:
A powerful GUI toolkit built on top of AWT.
Offers a rich set of components and features for creating interactive UIs.
Addresses AWT's limitations with more customizable and feature-rich components.
2. Applets
Types of Applets:
Standalone Applets: Run independently of a web browser.
Web Applets: Embedded in HTML pages and executed by web browsers.
3. Layout Management
Purpose: Arranging GUI components within containers.
Common Layout Managers:
FlowLayout: Arranges components in a left-to-right flow.
BorderLayout: Divides the container into five regions.
GridLayout: Organizes components in a grid format.
BoxLayout: Arranges components in a single line.
GridBagLayout: Offers flexible control over component placement.
4. GUI Controls
Key components include:
JFrame: Main window container.
JPanel: Container for organizing components.
JButton: Button that triggers actions.
JTextField: Input field for text.
JLabel: Non-editable text display.
JCheckBox: Checkbox for binary choices.
JComboBox: Drop-down list for selecting options.
5. Menu Elements and Tooltips
Menu Elements:
JMenuBar: Contains menus.
JMenu: Represents a menu.
JMenuItem: Represents an item within a menu.
Tooltips: Provide additional information when hovering over components.
6. Dialogs and Frames
JFrame: Top-level container for GUI applications.
JDialog: Smaller window for user interactions, can be modal.
7. Event Handling and Listener Interfaces
Event Handling: Responding to user interactions (e.g., button clicks).
Common Listeners:
ActionListener: For button clicks.
MouseListener: For mouse events.
KeyListener: For keyboard events.
8. Handling Action Events
Example of using ActionListener to handle button clicks.
9. JavaFX
A modern framework for building rich internet applications and desktop
applications.
Key features include:
Scene Graph: Hierarchical structure for UI elements.
FXML: XML-based markup for UI design.
CSS Styling: For customizing UI appearance.
Animation and Media Support: For rich graphics and multimedia integration.
10. JavaFX vs Swing
Comparison: JavaFX is more modern with better graphics and media support, while
Swing is considered legacy but still widely used.
This summary encapsulates the key concepts and components discussed in the PDF
regarding building GUI applications using Swing and JavaFX.