Section 6.5. JBuilder | Java for ColdFusion Developers

6.5 JBuilder

JBuilder is an IDE developed originally by Inprise, but it is now distributed by Borland. In addition to support for Windows, Linux, and Solaris, JBuilder runs very nicely on Mac OS X.

6.5.1 Overview

JBuilder is inexpensive (under $10) for the Personal Edition. The Personal Edition is meant mostly for learning, and it is not licensed for commercial projects. The Personal Edition has few of the features that you will need for writing complex applications or Web applications that use XML, JSP, servlets, and so on. The JBuilder interface is shown in Figure 6.4.

Figure 6.4. JBuilder interface.

graphics/06fig04.jpg

One particularly nice aspect of JBuilder is that it is a very mature product. This means that many of the kinks have already been worked out, and you should find this a reliable platform from which to develop. The current version (7) supports the JDK 1.4. Also, JBuilder can be a good choice because it is a very popular tool ”there are a lot of shops out there using JBuilder.

Despite the fact that the features are very scaled back for the Personal Edition, JBuilder includes a number of introductory sample applications, which you may find helpful. But if you think you will be doing anything more than writing simple GUI applications for personal use that don't require a database, you won't find much support in the Personal Edition of the software. If you've got the budget (a few thousand dollars) for the Enterprise Edition, then JBuilder is a terrific product that takes a lot of the boring, time-consuming repetition out of writing Java apps.

6.5.2 Editions

JBuilder 7 is available in three editions: Personal, SE, and Enterprise. The Personal Edition costs less than $10, while the SE version ($399) and the Enterprise Edition (ranges from $2,999 to $3,999) are more expensive.

6.5.3 System Requirements

The minimum system requirements are as follows :

256 MB RAM, 512 MB recommended
700 MB disk space

6.5.3.1 FOR WINDOWS

Pentium II 233 MHz or higher
Windows 2000 SP2, XP, or NT 4 (SP 6a)

6.5.3.2 FOR LINUX

Pentium II 233 MHz or higher
Red Hat Linux 6.2 or 7.2 with default GNOME or KDE desktop managers

6.5.3.3 FOR SOLARIS

UltraSPARC II or higher
Solaris 7 (2.7) or 8 (2.8)

6.5.3.4 FOR MAC OS X

G3 350 MHz or higher
Mac OS X 10.1
Some JBuilder J2EE services not available (application servers not available on this platform)

6.5.4 Where to Get It

You can download a trial version of JBuilder or purchase another version from www.borland.com/products/downloads/download_jbuilder.html.

6.5.5 Major Features

Below are some of the major features of JBuilder:

Easily create complex Swing GUI interfaces. Swing is Java library that helps you create GUI components such as buttons and text areas for forms. They are highly configurable, and, while not necessarily difficult, they can be complex to write. You can switch to Design View to access toolbars that allow you to create these components visually. This is a great way to get started writing GUIs. If you are familiar with Visual Basic, you will find the Properties Editor very intuitive. You can draw Swing buttons, frames , text areas, slider controls, and more with the click of a mouse. Then edit each component's properties and switch to Source View to see the Java code that JBuilder generates. While you may be leery of editors that generate a lot of code, I think you'll find JBuilder's code to be sensible and even well commented.
Sensible views and navigation. You can easily find what aspect of your program you're looking for with JBuilder's Structure Pane. The Structure Pane shows the structure of the currently selected file. It is organized as a hierarchical tree with all of the class's members and fields displayed. You can click on any structure item and the item will be highlighted in the Source View. Another handy thing in the Structure Pane is the Imports and Errors folder. The Imports folder holds the names of any packages you have declared imports for. Clicking the package name takes you to the specific import statement in your program and highlights it. This is a folder generated by JBuilder as part of a project. The Errors folder holds syntax errors. The Web view displays the output from running JSPs, servlets, SHTML, and HTML (JBuilder Enterprise only). Note that the functionality of the Structure Pane is also available in other IDEs.
Code Insight. JBuilder allows you to access data members and methods for the current context. It offers parameters accepted for the method, and it drills down to source code for the current variable. The Enterprise Edition will evaluate variables and expressions inside tool tips, which is very helpful.
Code Templates. These are like snippets in ColdFusion Studio and HomeSite.
Compare Files. If you've used the split view in ColdFusion Studio or HomeSite, you'll find that JBuilder takes it one step further: You can compare two different files in a split view. This is something you are likely to want frequently in Java development.

6.5.6 Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tips and tricks that might make working with JBuilder easier or enhance your understanding of the environment.

Be careful with your JDK when using JBuilder. If you move applications from one machine to another, you may find that they do not act the same way. Some things that work in JBuilder suddenly don't work when you open them in other editors. This is sometimes due to the fact that JBuilder will install and use its own JDK by default, and the version (currently 1.3.1) may not be what you're used to. You can change the JDK you're using by going to Tools > Configure JDKs. You can add your own by clicking Add and browsing to the home directory of the JDK you want to use.
JBuilder recognizes 25 different file types. These include C and C++, WML, XML, and DTDs. JBuilder also supports syntax highlighting for Java, HTML, JSP, C, C++, SQL, XML, XSL, XSD, XSP, DTD, and IDL.

The SE and Enterprise versions offer much more functionality, especially for Web applications, working with databases, and Enterprise JavaBeans. The Enterprise version, for instance, includes a set of UML options for working with the document types we learned how to create in the last chapter.

To find out more, you can register your copy of JBuilder and participate in forums devoted to JBuilder at www.borland.com/newsgroups. You might also check out http://community.borland.com and get on a listserv at www.borland.com/contact/listserv.html.

Top