SwingLabs

swingLabs

Developer(s)	Sun
Operating system	Cross-platform
Type	Widget library
License	LGPL
Website	swinglabs.dev.java.net

swingLabs is a Sun Open source project proposing extensions to the Java Swing GUI toolkit. Available components include:

• Sorting, filtering, highlighting for tables, trees, and lists
• Find/search
• Auto-completion
• Login/authentication framework
• TreeTable component
• Collapsible panel component
• Date picker component
• Tip-of-the-Day component

The aim of the project is to experiment new or enhanced GUI functionalities that are required by Rich client applications. It acts as a testbed for ideas related to client side technologies.

Integration into Java API

Successful project components are eventually incorporated into the core Swing toolkit for future Java versions, although API compatibility is not guaranteed. Examples of these are:

• the Template:Javadoc:SE manager in Java SE 6.
• incorporation of the Template:Javadoc:SE in Java SE 6.
• the new Template:Javadoc:SE class in Java SE 6, which allows to launch easily associated applications registered on the native desktop, as for example : launching the user-default browser, launching the user-default mail client, launching a registered application to open, edit or print a specified file.

License

The project is distributed under a LGPL license.

Sub-projects

The swingLabs project is divided into several sub-projects. For example :

• swingX: provides extensions to the Java Swing GUI toolkit.
• JDIC: as for JDesktop Integration Components, a project aims to make Java applications first-class citizens of current desktop platforms without sacrificing platform independence. Its mission is to enable seamless desktop/Java integration.
• nimbus: a Look and feel using synth, the Java skinnable look and feel.
• swingLayout: the home of the Template:Javadoc:SE manager, before inclusion in Java SE 6.
• JDNC: Contained components that allow to build easily Swing-based rich-client Java applications. The project is no more actively maintained. It has been replaced by Swing Application Framework (JSR 296)
• scenegraph: A library that provide 2D Scene graph functionality to Java 2D, including Swing widgets. This library is used internally by the JavaFX Script language.
• PDFRenderer: A 100% pure Java PDF viewer library.

See also

• Swing (Java)
• Swing Application Framework
• SwingWorker

External links

• swingLabs project home page
• swingx project home page
• swingx project tutorials and documents
• swingx 0.7 version javadoc