UI Starter API

UI Starter provides the framework to quickly setup and start a graphical application.

The framework actually handles for you:

  1. application initialization (i.e. main frame creation and size/location setup);
  2. application default commands for Exit and About actions for other all OS but MacOS;
  3. MacOS specific: the framework prepares desktop integration regarding name, Dock icon, default commands for Preferences, About and Exit actions;
  4. application persistent storage of frame location and size, i.e. future launch of the same application restores these properties.

 

Usage sample

Here is a simple code snippet taken from our tutorial package:

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import com.plealog.genericapp.api.EZGenericApplication;
 
public class TutorialOneUIStarter {
 
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    EZGenericApplication.initialize("TutorialOneUIStarter");
    EZGenericApplication.startApplication(args);
  }
}

 

Of course, this tutorial example does nothing else than starting an empty frame. So, simply add the necessary code to handles your branding and install a component within the main frame:

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public class TutorialTwoUIStarter {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    EZGenericApplication.initialize("TutorialTwoUIStarter");
    // Add application branding
    EZApplicationBranding.setAppName("TutorialTwoUIStarter");
    EZApplicationBranding.setAppVersion("1.0");
    EZApplicationBranding.setCopyRight("Created by me");
    EZApplicationBranding.setProviderName("Plealog Software");
 
    // Add a listener to application startup cycle (see below)
    EZEnvironment.setUIStarterListener(new MyStarterListener());
 
    // Start the application
    EZGenericApplication.startApplication(args);
  }
 
  private static class MyStarterListener implements EZUIStarterListener {
 
    @Override
    public Component getApplicationComponent() {
      // This method is called by the framework to obtain the UI main
      // component to be displayed in the main frame.
 
      JPanel mainPanel = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
      JTabbedPane tabPanel = new JTabbedPane();
 
      tabPanel.add("My First Component", new JPanel());
 
      mainPanel.add(tabPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
      return mainPanel;
    }
 
    @Override
    public boolean isAboutToQuit() {
      // You can add some code to figure out if application can exit.
 
      // Return false to prevent application from exiting (e.g. a background
      // task is still running).
      // Return true otherwise.
 
      // Do not add a Quit dialogue box to ask user confirmation: the framework
      // already does that for you.
      return true;
    }
 
    @Override
    public void postStart() {
      // This method is called by the framework just before displaying UI
      // (main frame).
    }
 
    @Override
    public void preStart() {
      // This method is called by the framework at the very beginning of
      // application startup.
    }
 
  }
}

 

Now, you have a fully working UI starter sample to start with. More code snippets are available in our tutorial.