[kennethmac2000]

Project Builder 2.0 seems to be a fairly significant upgrade, but one area in which Apple's dev tools are lacking sticks out like a sore thumb, the lack of a GUI editor for native Java apps. Will this ever appear?

[kamprath]

Originally posted by kennethmac2000:
<STRONG>Project Builder 2.0 seems to be a fairly significant upgrade, but one area in which Apple's dev tools are lacking sticks out like a sore thumb, the lack of a GUI editor for native Java apps. Will this ever appear?</STRONG>

No.

IB produces NIB files which are readable by Carbon and Cocoa based applications.

Java AWT or Swing applications don't read NIB files for setting up GUI. Since NIBfiles are specific to the Mac, I doubt Java Swing/SWT will ever support NIB files.

With that said, since NIB files are XML based, there is nothing preventing a sharp Java programmer (you?) from creating a NIB file loader for Swing or AWT. This programmer would probably have a tough time, though, of mapping all of the MacOS UI elements to the Swing equivalents (or writing them in AWT).

Good luck!

[kennethmac2000]

Originally posted by kamprath:
<STRONG>No.

IB produces NIB files which are readable by Carbon and Cocoa based applications.

Java AWT or Swing applications don't read NIB files for setting up GUI. Since NIBfiles are specific to the Mac, I doubt Java Swing/SWT will ever support NIB files.</STRONG>

Yes, but there's presumably nothing to stop Apple from adding to Interface Builder's functionality (or providing a separate app) for doing Swing and AWT GUIs.

It seems pretty pointless using ProjectBuilder to write Pure Java apps when there's no WYSIWYG Java GUI editor to go with it.

[Angus_D]

Since when are NIBs XML-based?

[NoAuthoritaw]

Originally posted by kennethmac2000:
<STRONG>Project Builder 2.0 seems to be a fairly significant upgrade, but one area in which Apple's dev tools are lacking sticks out like a sore thumb, the lack of a GUI editor for native Java apps. Will this ever appear?</STRONG>

It's not likely that this will happen. Apple would have to build a completely different system into IB. The way that AppKit and Swing handle their UI elements is VERY different. IB allows for a tremendous amount of flexibility in size, orientation and position of UI elements that simply isn't available when using Swing. In order to make IB compatible with standard Java Swing/AWT they'd not only have to build some kind of NIB parser/interpreter for vanilla Java apps to use, but they'd also have to ovecome a number of hurdles to get the transition between IB and how things actually look to be a smooth and reliable one.

Though I can't tell you how much I'm just dying to have something like you described. After looking into it, and after working with Swing extensively now, I can say I see and understand why Apple isn't moving that direction.

-Nathan

[bewebste]

Codewarrior for Java has a graphical tool you can use to set up AWT/Swing frames and elements. It's not nearly as elegant as IB, and it does everything by generating code. So, you set up your buttons and everything, and it generates the button1.setPosition(), button1.setSize(), button1.setTitle() etc. Not the greatest, but better than typing it all in by hand.

[iJed]

Originally posted by Angus_D:
<STRONG>Since when are NIBs XML-based?</STRONG>

It seems that the file "Info.nib" contained inside every nib file is the only part that uses XML. This seems to contain the build number of OS X that you are using...

[muchfresh]

What about webobjects?

doesn't IB in webobjects allow for the creation of Java client applications?

from Apple's WebObjects Overview

Development Tasks and Tools

The most basic tasks of creating a Java Client application are as follows:

* Create a project using Project Builder.
* Create a model using EOModeler.
* Write source code for enterprise object classes.
* Create your application's user interface with Interface Builder (non-direct approach).
* Customize your application's user interface (Direct to Java Client approach)
* Write source code for any application-level logic.

The tasks have much in common with those for developing HTML-based WebObjects applications. The major differences are the way you design your enterprise object classes and the way you create your application's user interface.

[ 04-25-2002: Message edited by: muchfresh ]

[Michel Fortin]

Originally posted by muchfresh:
<STRONG>What about webobjects?

doesn't IB in webobjects allow for the creation of Java client applications?</STRONG>

I think they are talking about a Java-Cocoa app, not a pure Java one using Swing.

[sadie]

Aren't there different kinds of NIB file for Carbon and for Cocoa? From what little I remember, they have different sets of widgets with different options available.

If that's true, it shouldn't be too hard for them to create a third NIB set for Swing widgets. You'd lay objects out in an IB-like way rather than the usual Swing-like way, but they'd map onto the Swing objects. Then all you'd need in Java would be to create a few classes like NibLayout and JNibFrame that do the loading and laying out for you, and hey presto.

Doesn't seem all that difficult.