Adding a Bean to the Component Palette

You can expand the IDE by adding your own beans to the component palette for use in visual design. Once the bean is installed, you can select it in the component palette and add it to your forms. You can add class files (.class) or serialized prototypes (.ser).

If the bean was created outside of the IDE, you must mount its JAR or directory in Filesystems before adding it to the component palette.

To add a bean from the Explorer:

  1. In the Explorer window, right-click the bean and choose Tools and choose Add to Component Palette from the contextual menu.
  2. In the Palette Category dialog box, select the name of the component palette tab in which you want the bean to appear. Click OK.

    The new bean appears on the component palette in the tabbed pane that you selected.

To add a bean from a JAR file:

  1. Choose Tools and choose Install New JavaBean from the main menu.
  2. In the Install JavaBean dialog box, specify the path and JAR file of your bean and click OK.
  3. A list appears with available beans. Select the ones you want and click Install.

    If the beans you expect are not displayed, the required attribute Java-Bean: True is missing from the bean's entries in the JAR manifest. See the JavaBeans specification for information on proper packaging of beans. The specification can be found at http://java.sun.com/beans/docs/spec.html.

  4. In the Palette Category dialog box, select the name of the component palette tab in which you want the bean to appear. Click OK.

    The new bean appears on the component palette in the tabbed pane that you selected.

Some beans have their own icons. If the bean you add does not have an icon, the IDE assigns a default icon. To see the name of each installed bean in the component palette, position the pointer over the bean to view the tool tip.

See also
Creating a Bean
Mounting a Filesystem
Customizing the Component Palette
Setting a Bean's Icon

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