Package com.vlsolutions.swing.docking

The VL Docking Framework for JFC "Swing" applications.

See:
Description

Interface Summary

Dockable	Interface describing a component (AWT/Swing) that can be managed by the DockingDesktop.
DockableContainer	A DockableContainer is the base interface of GUI components used to display Dockable components.
DockableDragSource	An interface implemented by visual components used for drag and drop operations on a DockableContainer.
DockableResolver	An interface used to find a dockable (when read from an input stream like XML) when the only information given is its DockKey id.
DockDropReceiver	An interface implemented by components that can accept docking action with mouse drag and drop.
FloatingDockableContainer	The interface describing a Floating window used to display one or more dockables
SingleDockableContainer	A SingleDockableContainer is a DockableContainer that can display a single Dockable component.
TabbedDockableContainer	Interface describing a container that can be used to display more than one Dockable in a Tabbed Pane fashion.

Class Summary

AnchorConstraints	A constraint used to specify how a dockable is tied (anchored) to its containing parent .
AnchorManager	A helper class used to specify and enforce constraints within a container (DockingPanel or CompoundDockingPanel).
AutoHideBorderLayout	A Layout Manager for auto-hide borders.
AutoHideButton	The button used to show Dockables in auto-hide borders.
AutoHideButtonPanel	A Swing panel used as a toolbar for autohide buttons.
AutoHideExpandPanel	A component used to show the currently expanded view.
AutoHidePolicy	This class holds preferences on default autohiding behaviour.
BorderSplitter	An utility class used to delegate the border drag/drop scanning for docking ( since the same code is used in many DockDropReceivers).
CompoundDockable	Describes a Dockable that can contain sub-dockables.
CompoundDockingPanel	A specialized container used to nest dockables inside that sub-part of the desktop.
DefaultDockableContainerFactory	Default implementation of the DockableContainerFactory.
DetachedDockView	A DockView suitable for detached dockables (in their own window).
DockableActionCustomizer	An objet that can provide actions relative to a dockable.
DockableContainerFactory	An abstract factory used by the DockingDesktop to create instance of Dockable containers.
DockablePanel	A basic implementation of Dockable.
DockableState	General information about the current state of a dockable component.
DockableStoreButton	A Button that can be used to store a dockable (for example to allow moving a dockable between two workspaces).
DockGroup	This class describes a logical group of Dockables.
DockingBorderLayout	A layout adapted to autohide panels.
DockingConstants	Constants used by the DockingDesktop to position Dockables.
DockingConstants.Hide	Typesafe enumeration describing an auto-hide operation on the DockingDesktop.
DockingConstants.Split	Typesafe enumeration describing a split operation on the DockingDesktop.
DockingContext	A context that can be shared by multiple docking desktops.
DockingDesktop	The DockingDesktop is the main class of the VLDocking Framework.
DockingPanel	This class is responsible for the containment of a Dockable component.
DockingPreferences	This is the centralized settings repository for managing docking look and feel.
DockingSelectorDialog	A Helper class providing information about the visibility of user components.
DockingUtilities	Utility class implementing search/replace algorithms used by the framework.
DockKey	Provides a unique identification for a Dockable and runtime properties, like icon, name, tooltip, preferred audohide-zone...
DockTabbedPane	A JTabbedPane customized for integration with the docking framework.
DockView	DefaultImplementation of the SingleDockableContainer.
DockViewAsTab	This component is used to display single dockables like if they were in a tabbed pane.
DockViewTitleBar	A title bar, associated to a DockView (container of a single user component).
FloatingDialog	The floating jdialog for floatable dockables.
MaximizedDockView	A dockView suitable for maximized dockables
MaximizedDockViewAsTab	A maximized view to use with the TabFactory.
RelativeDockablePosition	This class is an immutable object used to remember the relative positionning of docked components.
ShadowBorder	A border using a shadow on right-bottom sides.
SplitContainer	A Specialized JSplitPane which accepts drag and drop of DockableContainer.
TabbedContainerActions	An utility class providing default implementation of usefull actions for pop-up menus in tab container selectors.
TabbedDockView	A DockView that can be nested into a TabbedDockableContainer
TabFactory	A factory that replaces DockViews (with title headers) by tabbed panes with a single tab.

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 :

• API Users : developpers of "User Applications"
• API Extenders : developpers that want to extend the framework, add new kinds of containers, or change the look and feel of existing ones.

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 :

• DockingDesktop : the root container of a docking-enabled application
• Dockable : an interface implemented (usually) by components that need docking capabilities.
• DockableContainers : specialized containers with drag and drop extensions (come in two flavors, SingleDockableContainer and TabbedDockabeContainer).
• DockKey : a JavaBeans object fully describing the dockable (use for save/load, and for DockableContainers customization) : name, icon, tooltip, docking features.

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 :

• 4 auto-hide zones (on borders ) displaying buttons that are used to activate or hide their Dockable.
• a central zone, for visible Dockables (or "docked" components).

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 :

• the DockingDesktop needs a unique key to identify a dockable (for read/write operations)
• the DockableContainer displaying a Dockable wants information about the dockable : a name, an icon, ...
• and finally, the DockingDesktop and DockableContainer only allow docking features associated to that DockKey (maximizeable, closeable, hidable...).

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 :

• hide a component on a border
• attract user attention by a blinking dockable title
• adjust the width and height of the dockables
• read and write a desktop configuration from/to an XML stream
• ...

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 :

• DockingPanel : the panel that contains the users components is also the main interface to docking functions.
• Dockable : the interface implemented by dockable objects
• DockKey : the key of a Dockable, an object that describes a user component (icon, text, tooltip)

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.