Customizing a Bean

You might want to alter existing beans to better suit your needs. The Customize Bean command enables you to create an instance of a bean, customize its properties, and save it as a You can do this with a compiled Java class or an already serialized prototype (.ser file). The class must be public and have a public default constructor. To make a serialized prototype from the customized settings, the class must also be serializable.

To customize a bean:

  1. In the Explorer, right-click the bean and choose Customize Bean from the contextual menu.

    The Customize Bean property sheet is displayed. If the bean is a visual component and extends java.awt.Component, the component itself also appears.

  2. Make the desired changes in the property sheet or, if working with a visual component, in the component itself.
  3. Click Serialize or Serialize As on the property sheet to create a serialized prototype of the bean with its customized properties. Serialize As enables you to select a name and location for a new .ser file. Serialize saves the bean into the same .ser file it originated from, overwriting the previous content.
See also
Creating a Bean
Adding a Bean to the Component Palette
Making a Bean a Container

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