GUI Programming in Java

This course covers graphical user interface (GUI) programming in Java from the fundamentals of the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) through the Swing components in the Java Foundation Classes (JFC). It describes how to develop GUIs for stand-alone applications and applets for web pages. It also provides the necessary background for programming with the Java2D library and JavaBeans.

This course can be presented in a variety of formats. It is comprised of 8 half-day modules of lecture with lab exercises to be done in class or by students between sessions. Alternatively, it can be presented as a 4 full days with hands-on labs incorporated. It can also be split into two 2-day courses: the first covering Java GUI fundamentals, and the second covering JFC Swing.

Live demos are used to illustrate examples from the course.

The topics include:

• Java GUI library evolution & architecture
• GUI development requirements & resources & IDEs
• Applets vs. Applications
• components & containers
• Events
• Layout Management
• GridBag layout in detail
• Graphics, Fonts, Colors, & Images
• Understanding update(), paint() & repaint()

The topics include:

• AWT vs. Swing, heavy & lightweight components
• MVC: model-view-controller
• Top-level components: JFrame, JApplet, JDialog, JWindow
• Standard dialogs
• Swing layout additions
• Scroll panes, Tabbed panes & Splitter panes
• Buttons, Menus, Toolbars & Actions
• Text components, simple to complex, HTML viewer
• Trees in depth
• Tables in depth

This is an intermediate level Java course. Students must have a solid knowledge of the fundamentals of the Java language, with special emphasis on the ability to create and use interfaces. Experience in GUI programming is not required, but is very helpful.

For Part 1 students need a solid understanding of the fundamentals of Java, with a special emphasis on the ability to reliably create interfaces and concrete classes from abstract classes.

Part 2 requires GUI Java Part 1 or solid experience with event listeners, extended components, layout management, and graphics.

• Definitive Guide to Swing for Java 2, John Zukowski, APress.
• Graphic Java 2, Mastering the JFC, 3rd Edition, David M. Geary, Prentice Hall.
  Volume I: AWT
  Volume II: Swing
  
• Java AWT Reference, John Zukowski, O'Reilly.
• Java Swing, Eckstein, Loy, Wood, O'Reilly.
• The Java Tutorial Swing Tutorial, Campione & Walrath, Addison-Wesley.
• Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines, Sun Microsystems, Inc., Addison-Wesley.
• The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 2, Chan & Lee, (java.applet, java.awt, java.beans), Addison-Wesley.

Geoff Thompson, M.S.

This course is available on-site at your location. Please call .profile Consulting Inc. at (303) 499-5940 or email us at cjm@profcon.com for pricing, instructor availability and scheduling.
This course is offered publicly through the University of Colorado Division of Continuing Education.