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J Tutorial

Introduction to WFC Programming

Windows Foundation Classes for Java (WFC) is a set of class libraries that works seamlessly with the Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool Visual J++. The combination of this class framework and RAD tool make it easy to build fast and powerful applications and components for the Microsoft platform using the Java language. WFC brings the Java language to the Win32 platform and the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) object model, which is a W3C standard supported by Internet Explorer 4.0. This means you can use Java to solve real problems today and know that you have a smooth migration path into the future.

A goal of WFC is to provide complete and compelling component and programming models for Java. Because Java provides a unique set of advantages in terms of language features, it is the language of choice for developing Windows and DHTML applications using this new programming model.

WFC enables developers to quickly build rich Win32 applications and ActiveX controls in Java by using the Visual J++ Forms Designer to drag and drop controls onto a form, set properties, and generate event handlers. Developers can also easily access data on a server from their applications and deploy their applications as Windows .EXE files or Internet URLs. Moreover, they can build their own WFC components by using the designer or writing code directly in the editor. Finally, developers can access the DHTML object model using Java classes.

The rich application model takes advantage of the J/Direct technology to access the Win32 API. However, it makes it much easier to program by taking care of details like Window message-handling procedures, message pumps, messages, window handles, and so forth. The application model is open, so experienced Win32 programmers can intermix J/Direct calls with WFC classes to add any functionality available on the Win32 platform.

J/Direct Call Builder

Using the J/Direct Call Builder, you can quickly create J/Direct calls to the Win32 API. The J/Direct Call Builder automatically inserts Java definitions for the Win32 API elements into your code, along with the appropriate @dll.import tags.

To access the Win32 API with the J/Direct Call Builder

To open the J/Direct Call Builder, point to Other Windows on the View menu and click J/Direct Call Builder.
By default, the J/Direct Call Builder displays elements defined in the following Win32 DLLs: advapi32.dll, gdi32.dll, kernel32.dll, shell32.dll, spoolss.dll, user32.dll, and winmm.dll. (These DLLs are specified by the WIN32.TXT file, which is selected under Source.)
The Target box identifies the class to contain the J/Direct calls. By default, a class named Win32 will be added to your project and will contain these calls. (If your solution contains multiple Java projects, the Win32 class is added to the first project.)

To specify a different target class, click the ellipses button (...).

In the Select Class dialog box, select whether you want to view your classes in Project View or Class View. Project view displays a hierarchical list of the .java files in your solution, where each file node lists the names of the classes contained in that file. Class view displays a hierarchical list of class names.
Once you have chosen a view, select the name of the class to contain the J/Direct calls. (To copy the calls to the Windows Clipboard instead of to a class, select Clipboard.)
Click OK.

To filter the display of Win32 methods, structs, and constants, select or clear the Methods, Structs, and Constants options.
Now select the method, struct, or constant that you want to insert. (You can select multiple items using the SHIFT and CTRL keys.) Note that a Win32 struct will be added as a nested class inside your class.

Note To search for an item by its initial characters, type the characters into the Find box. The first item that matches these characters is automatically selected.

To insert the associated Java definition into your class, click Copy To Target. (You can also double-click the method, struct, or constant to insert it into your class.)

Creating a Windows Application with WFC

Using WFC, you can create Windows applications with the Java programming language. You can also use the RAD features of the Forms Designer to quickly drop controls onto your form, configure their properties, and add event handlers.

Note Before you use the following procedure to create a Windows application, close any projects that you may already have open. (On the File menu, click Close All.)

To create a Windows application with WFC

On the File menu, click New Project.
On the New tab, expand the Visual J++ Projects folder and click Applications. Then select the Windows Application icon.
In the Name box, enter a name for your project.
In the Location box, enter the path where you want to save your project, or click Browse to navigate to the folder.
Click Open. A collapsed view of your project appears in Project Explorer.
In Project Explorer, expand the project node. A file with the default name of Form1.java has been added to your project.

Note Renaming this file in Project Explorer does not rename the associated class in the source code, and vice versa. You must manually change all instances of the old name. (Note that you can create an empty project and then add a form with the Form template. This two-step process allows you to name the form before it is created.)

When you use the Windows Application template, your Java class extends com.ms.wfc.ui.Form. To view the source code in the Text editor, right-click Form1.java in Project Explorer and click View Code on the shortcut menu. Program execution begins with the main method. The code in the initForm method represents the modifications you make in the Forms Designer.

Modifying the Form in the Forms Designer

The following procedures show how to add controls to your form in the Forms Designer. This example populates a list box whenever a button is clicked.

To add controls to the form

To open your form in the Forms Designer, double-click Form1.java in Project Explorer.
In the Toolbox, select the WFC Controls tab. (If the Toolbox is not displayed, click Toolbox on the View menu.)
To add a list box to your form, click the ListBox control in the Toolbox and then click the form.
To add a button to your form, click the Button control in the Toolbox and then click the form.

To set the property of a control

Select the Button control on the form to show its properties in the Properties window. (If the Properties window is not displayed, click Properties Window on the View menu.)
Find the button's text property and change the value to Add Item.

To add an event handler

You can also use the Properties window to add handlers to the events of controls. Click the Events toolbar button in the Properties window to display the events for the Button control.
Find the click event and enter addItemClick for the name of the method that will handle the event. When you press ENTER, the Text editor opens to an empty event handler named addItemClick.
Inside the definition of the addItemClick event handler, add the following line of code:

listBox1.addItem("New string.");

Building and Running the Application

When you use the Windows Application template, an .exe file named ProjectName.exe is automatically created when you build your project.

To build and run your application

On the Build menu, click Build. Any compilation errors or messages appear in the Task List. (Double-clicking an error in the Task List moves the insertion point in the Text editor to the error.) Correct the errors and rebuild your application.
To run the application from the development environment, click Start on the Debug menu. To run the application from the command line, simply run the .exe file.
Click the Add Item button. A line of text appears in the list box.
To close the application, click the Windows Close button located in the upper-right corner of the form.

Creating a Form

You can add a form to your application through the Project menu.

Objects that include components and controls can be dragged from the Toolbox to the form. The form is persisted as a block of source code that defines an instance of the WFC Form class. The default Form class contains:

A constructor that invokes the initForm method.
A set of instance variables, one for each item on the form.
An initForm method that specifies the default properties for the items. You can change these defaults by setting item properties.

The Forms Designer generates this code based on values set in the Properties window for each control and the form itself. Be careful when modifying the initForm method because the Forms Designer also reads this code when displaying the form. Also avoid conditionals, such as if, while, and switch statements, and component methods. If you modify the initForm code, restrict changes to properties that begin with set, and restrict values to constants. Do not use variables to set values.

For example:

Correct   setSize(10,100);
Incorrect   x=10; y = 100; setSize(x,y);

To create a form

Open an exiting project, or create a new project.
In Project Explorer, select the name of your project.
On the Project menu, click Add Form.
In the Add Item dialog box, click either the New or Existing tab. For this example, click the New tab.
In the Add Item dialog box, click the Form icon.

This template creates a class capable of hosting controls.

In the Name box, edit the name of the class file. The default name is Form1.java.
Click Open.

The form window is displayed, showing the form surface.

The form is automatically opened in design mode if you are creating a new form from a template.

If the Forms Designer is not currently active, use the following procedure to open it.

To view the form in the Forms Designer

On the View menu, click Designer.

-or-

Double-click the node in the Project Explorer or right-click the form file name and then click View Designer on the context menu. Your form now appears in the Forms Designer.

By default, controls are aligned to the form grid. Set grid options using the Tools command on the Options menu. Form properties can be directly modified in the property page for the form.

The Toolbox contains WFC Controls and can include other tabs containing ActiveX and custom controls.

Once you have the basic form template, you are ready to add controls to it.

Adding Controls to a Form

You can add controls to your form in design mode by selecting them from the Toolbox.

To add a control

In the Toolbox, click the control you want to add to your form and drag it onto your form. The control appears on your form in its default size.

-or-

In the Toolbox, double-click the control to add it to the center of your form. The control appears on your form in its default size. You can then drag it to the desired location.

Note When a control is placed onto a form at design time, only the class name for the control is added. Code for the control is not generated until you close the form. If you modify an existing control in the Toolbox, you must close and reopen the form or reload the project so that the form picks up the updated class files for the control.

To resize a control

Select the control you want to resize, and resize it with the sizing handles.

Note You can also use SHIFT+ arrow keys to size the control.

To add event handler templates to a control

Double-click a form or control to generate a method for the default event of the form or control. The event handler method is created in the Form class.

Note You can also add event handlers through the events view in the Properties window.

Adding an Event Handler

You can use the Forms Designer to create event handlers. An event handler is a routine in your code that determines which actions to perform when an event occurs, such as the user's clicking a button.

For example, the event handler for the mouseDown event provides a mouseEvent object that allows you to determine which mouse button was pressed, where the mouse was positioned on the form, and which keys on the keyboard were pressed during the click.

You can add an event handler using the events view in the Properties window. A handler for the default event can also be added by double-clicking. Moreover, you can assign an existing handler to the events of other controls if the signatures of the events are the same.

To add an event handler using the events view of the Properties window

Click the control (such as a button control) or form you want an event handler created for.
In the Properties window, click the events view button (indicated by a thunderbolt symbol).
In the list of available events, click an event (for example, click).
In the box to the right of the event name, type the name of the handler (for example, MyButton_click), and press ENTER.

A code template is generated in your code similar to the following:
private void MyButton_click(Object sender, Event e) { }
In this example, sender is the source of the event and e is an Event object that provides information about the event.

To add a handler for the default event

Double-click a form or control to generate a handler method for the default event of the form or control.

-or-

In the events view in the Properties window, double-click the event to create the handler for the default event.

To use to the same handler for events shared by multiple controls

In the events view in the Properties window, click an event for the first control.
In the box to the right of the event name, type the name of the handler and press ENTER.
On the form, select the second control.
In the Properties window, click the same event for the second control.
Click the drop-down arrow to view a list of existing handlers for this type of event.
Select the name of the event handler. Only the existing handler is used. No new templates are created in the code.

Setting Properties with the Properties Window

Properties are attributes that define how a control appears and runs at run time. Each form and each control has an associated custom property page. Modifying the properties in the page (the Properties window) affects the code that is generated for the control in the initForm method. Properties include the appearance, behavior, and position for the control. The background color, enable and disable state, show state, font, default size and position, and so forth, can be set in the Properties window for the form.

To edit the properties of a control or form

On the form, click the control you want to edit; or to edit the form, click the form itself.

The property page associated with the selected control is displayed in the Properties window.

In the Properties window, select the property for the control that you want to modify. For example, select the font property to change the font style for the name on a button control.

Note If you select multiple controls, a custom property page appears that displays only the common properties.

Complex properties use common dialog boxes and editors for:

Text input – size and strings (in-place string edit changes appear in real-time)
Combo box selection – cursors, enumerators and Booleans
Font picker – common dialog box for selecting font characteristics
Color picker – common dialog box with a palette for color selection
List items – window for creating initial list items
Anchor and Dock editors – for setting position behavior

Click the node of compound properties to access subproperties.

Adding and Modifying a Menu

If you want your application to provide a set of commands to users, menus offer a convenient and consistent way to group commands and an easy way for users to access them. The menu bar appears immediately below the title bar on the form and contains one or more menu titles. When you click a menu title (such as File), a menu containing a list of menu items appears. Menu items can include commands (such as New and Exit), separator bars, and submenu titles. Each menu item the user sees corresponds to a menu control property you define. Multiple menus can be added to one form.

To add a menu to your form

Under WFC Controls in the Toolbox, double-click the MainMenu control.

Note You can also select the MainMenu control and drag it onto your form.

The MainMenu control is inserted onto your form, and the default location for the first item on the menu bar is displayed. Two visual markers (Type Here) appear directly to the right and below to signify the next available editing location.

Note By default, the MainMenu property for the form is set to MainMenu1.

Type the name of your first menu caption in the default location text box. (For example, type File to add the File menu.)

The menu caption is added to your menu, and the default location text box moves to the next menu caption location. Continue typing your menu captions until all your captions are complete.

Forms can have several menu items, such as File/Save and File/SaveAs, that change depending on the state of the application. Menus can be enabled or disabled, checked or unchecked, made visible or hidden using properties for each menu item.

If you want to change the main menu used by a form, you change the menu property for the form to a different menu name, for example, mainMenu2.

You can add access keys to your menu. Access keys provide a way for the user to access the menu using only the keyboard. An access key corresponds to an underlined letter on the menu.

To add access keys to a menu

Click the menu caption in which you want to add an access key.
Place the cursor immediately before the letter in the caption box that you want to be your access key letter and type an ampersand (&). For example, on the File menu, click File, place your cursor before the "F" in File, and then type an ampersand. You can also edit the caption title through the Text property for the menu item.

Shortcut keys add accessibility to your menus. A shortcut key is a keyboard combination, such as CTRL+C for copy, that invokes a particular command.

To add a shortcut key to a menu item

Click to the immediate right of the menu item caption to which you want to add a shortcut key. A dropdown list appears.
Select a key combination from the dropdown list.

-or-

In the Properties window, click the shortcut property and select a key combination.

To remove a shortcut key

Select a menu item.
Set the shortcut property to none.

At times, you may want to give users various commands that they can apply to the application. For example, there may be several available toolbars in an application. The user can select which toolbar will be displayed by clicking the toolbar name on the menu, and a check mark appears next to the toolbar name.

To enable check marks on a menu

Select a menu item.
Click to the immediate left of the menu item name. A checkbox apears.

-or-

In the Properties window, click the checked property.

To move a menu

Select the desired menu item caption.
Drag the menu caption to the new position.

The menu caption moves and snaps to place. Other menu captions that are affected by this change are moved as appropriate.

Note Moving top-level menu captions moves all submenus as well. Submenus are not displayed during the move.

To modify a menu caption

Click the menu caption you want to modify.
In the text box containing the menu caption, make any necessary changes.

Separator bars are used in menus to add a distinct line between groups of commands.

To create a menu separator bar

Click the menu caption that is above the location where you want to add a separator bar.
Press the HYPHEN (–) key and then press ENTER.

A separator bar appears directly below your menu caption.

-or-

Click the right mouse button, and then click Insert Separator on the context menu.

Separator bars can be moved and deleted in the same manner as menu captions.

To delete a menu item from your form

Right-click the menu item caption you want to delete, and click Delete on the context menu.

Note To delete the entire menu, select each menu caption and press DELETE, or click the MainMenu control you want to delete and press DELETE.

Confirmation on deletion occurs only on menu captions with submenus.

To edit the name associated with a menu item

Click the right mouse button over a menu item.
Click Edit Names to toggle the Edit Names mode for the menu.
Click on and edit the name associated with the menu item you wish to modify (for example, menuItem1).

Context Menus

Context menus can be associated with controls on your form. These menus appear when the user right-clicks the control.

To add a context menu to a form

Under the WFC Controls in the Toolbox, double-click the ContextMenu control.

Note Use any of the methods to add a control to a form. You can also select the ContextMenu control in the Toolbox and drag the control onto your form.

To enter design mode, double-click the ContextMenu control.

To assign a context menu to a control

Click the control you want to assign a context menu to.
In the Properties window, add the name of the context menu to the contextMenu property. By default, the first context menu is named contextMenu1.

Context menu controls can be edited in the same way as MainMenu controls.

Adding Tool Tips to Controls on a Form (Visual J++)

ToolTips are text strings that appear as you "hover" over a control with the mouse pointer. In Visual J++, a separate WFC control enables ToolTip functionality for controls on the form. The time, delay, and other properties can be set using the property page for each control on the form.

To add ToolTips to controls

In the WFC Toolbox, add a ToolTip control to your form.
Edit the property for each control to add the desired text.

Visual J++ synchronizes visual representation of code changes and form views (code generation from visual layout) in both directions. Information about which methods (and classes) that are being modified is formatted into the source code. Similarly, modifications to the source code are sent to the Forms Designer.

The two-way editing does not simultaneously modify source code and visual layout. The code that is used to create the visual layout is disabled while the Forms Designer is in use. The layout is stored as code when the Forms Designer window is closed or the form is saved. Editing of the entire initForm function is locked until the Forms Designer window is closed.

Edits in the Forms editor are not serialized as code until you click Save on the File menu, or when the Forms editor is closed.

You can use the Forms Designer to edit classes that adhere to the following syntax:

class isEditable extends [UserControl, Form, Design Page] {
   Container components = new Container(this);
   private void initForm() {
      [form initialization code goes here]
} 
}

The initialization code must adhere to certain parsing rules:

Initialization code must reside in the initForm function.
No conditional code will be parsed (no if, while, or switch statements).

Finding Errors with Dynamic Syntax Checking

Visual J++ also provides dynamic syntax checking to assist you when you're writing code within the Text editor. In addition to the information Statement Completion provides, you receive visual clues in the form of red squiggly lines and error tips as you build your program's statements.

As you begin typing within a .java file, red squiggly lines appear under code elements, such as class names, member names, and symbols. When you see a red squiggly line, IntelliSense is telling you your code, as it is currently written, has syntactic errors. As you continue typing, the red squiggly lines may disappear as you finish the statement — depending upon the correctness of the completed statement.

For each syntax error marked with a red squiggly line, a task related to the syntax error will appear in the Task List. This provides a list of items that you'll need to correct before you compile your program.

To get error tips and error help from a red squiggly line

Rest the cursor over the red squiggly line.

IntelliSense displays an Error Tip that best suits the context of your source code. On occasion, the tip will simply be "Syntax Error."

Tip If you do not see a red squiggly line under obvious syntax errors, make sure you've enabled the options that support dynamic syntax checking.

While resting the cursor over a

Enabling/Disabling Dynamic Syntax Checking Options in the Text Editor

Within the development environment, you can enable or disable the editor's dynamic syntax checking options.

To enable dynamic syntax checking options

On the Tools menu, click Options to display the Options dialog box.
From the tree view in the leftmost pane of the Options dialog box, expand the Text Editor node by clicking the plus ("+") sign next to it.
Select Java Tasks to display the property page for Tasks and Error display.
In the Tasks group of this property page, click the check box for Check syntax as you type.
In the Error Display group of the property page, click the check box for Underline syntax errors as you type.

Visual J++ enables these dynamic syntax checking options by default.

Note Clearing the check box for Check syntax as you type or Underline syntax errors as you type disables the respective option.

Enabling/Disabling Statement Completion Options in the Text Editor

Within the development environment, you can enable or disable Statement Completion's Auto list members and Parameter information options.

To enable Statement Completion options

On the Tools menu, click Options to display the Options dialog box.
From the tree view in the leftmost pane of the Options dialog box, expand the Text Editor and then the Per Language nodes by clicking the plus ("+") sign next to these nodes.
Select Java to display the Text Editor/Per Language/Java property page.
In the Statement Completion group of this property page, click the check boxes for Auto list members and Parameter information to enable these options.

Visual J++ enables Statement Completion's Auto list members and Parameter information by default.

Note Clearing the check box for Auto list members or Parameter information disables the respective option.

Creating Statements with Word Completion

For the examples in this topic, Word Completion provides visual clues when you're typing the name of String and System classes, and creating a new String object. Word Completion is available for any Visual J++ project.

Note The code examples in the following scenario were created with a Visual J++ Console Application project.

To select an item from a list provided by the Word Completion feature

On the View menu, click Project Explorer") to open Project Explorer.
In Project Explorer click the plus ("+") sign to the left of your project's name to expand your project.
Highlight the .java file containing your project's main() method (Class1.java by default) and select View Code from the shortcut menu.

Visual J++ opens the Text editor and loads your .java file. The file is now ready for editing.

To get Word Completion assistance for the String class, type an "S" between the braces of the application's main() method and leave the cursor to the right of this letter.

Tip Notice the red squiggly line drawn under the letter. Since an "S" has no significance within the context of this program, IntelliSense gives a visual clue for the syntax error.

On the Edit menu, click Complete Word to display a list box of classes and other elements recognized by IntelliSense.

Tip You can use the keyboard shortcut, CTRL+SPACE, instead of selecting the Complete Word option on the Edit menu, to display this list box.

With the list box still displayed, type a "T" after the "S" of the statement you're building in your .java file.

Statement Completion now selects StackOverflowError in its list — the first element that starts with an "ST" in the context of this program.

Now type an "R" after the "ST" in your statement and Statement Completion moves the highlight bar to String in the list box.
Press the Tab bar to insert "String" into the statement you're building.

Pressing the Tab bar or any other non-alphanumeric key, such as a period or opening parenthesis, places the selected item into a statement at the location of the insertion point.

Tip Instead of typing the letters until Statement Completion finds the element you need, you can use the up and down arrows to highlight your selection.

To select a class name after the new operator

Continue to build the statement by typing the following code after "String":


        [String] myStr = new

Type a space after "new" and Statement Completion automatically displays a list of class names available within the scope of your program.
Type "STR", or enough letters of "String" to select the String item from the list.
Press Tab and "String" is inserted after "new".

Your statement should look like this:
String myStr = new String

If you know how to partially spell the name of the class or item, use the following procedure to speed up the process of typing and selecting the correct spelling and capitalization.

To finish typing a word using the Word Completion feature

In your .java file, move the cursor to a new line and type "SY".
Press CTRL+SPACE (the Word Completion keyboard shortcut).

Statement Completion completes the word, "System", and inserts it into your code since it is the only item that begins with an "SY". If more than one item starts with these letters, Statement Completion displays a list box.

Selecting an Overloaded Method

This example uses Statement Completion to help you select an overloaded constructor method for the String class.

Note If you have completed the steps of Creating Statements with Word Completion continue working through the following procedure. If not, take a few minutes and complete the procedure before selecting an overloaded constructor method for the String object.

Before proceeding, make sure you have loaded a .java file into the Text editor that contains the following code:

String myStr = new String

To select an overloaded method for a class

With the insertion point immediately after the last "String" in the statement, type an opening parenthesis, "(".

A pop-up window appears displaying the signature of one of the constructor methods for the String class. The spin control on the left side of this window indicates how many overloaded constructor methods (11) are available for the String class and which one is being displayed (1).

Click anywhere on the spin control to display the signatures of the other String constructor methods until you find one that takes a String argument.

In this example, constructor number 11 of 11 meets this criteria.

After the opening parenthesis, type "Hello World!");.

Your completed statement should look like this:


        String myStr = new String("Hello World!");

Statement Completion also displays a class's public methods and fields.

Building an Argument List with Parameter Info

This example uses Statement Completion's Parameter Info feature to display information for a method's argument.

Note If you have completed the steps of Creating Statements with Word Completion, Selecting an Overloaded Method, and Selecting Methods from a Member List, continue with the following procedure. If not, take a few minutes and work through those procedures before selecting a method for the String class.

Before proceeding, make sure you have loaded a .java file into the Text editor that contains the following code:


        String myStr = new String("Hello World!");
if(myStr.equalsIgnoreCase

To select build an argument list with Parameter Info

Continuing to build the if statement, type an opening parenthesis, "(", immediately after "myStr.equalsIgnoreCase".

Parameter Info displays the method's declaration with the single parameter (String p1) in a bold-type font.

Note In this case, the method has only one parameter (String p1). If you select a method that takes more than one argument, IntelliSense displays argument types and positions within the method declaration. When you type the opening parenthesis after the method's name, IntelliSense bolds the first argument. As you add commas between the arguments, IntelliSense bolds the type and position information for the next argument that's needed to complete the method's call.

Tip If you do not get a pop-up window with parameter information after you type the opening parenthesis, select Parameter Info from the Edit menu or use the keyboard shortcut, CTRL+SHIFT+I. If this continues to happen, make sure you've enabled the Statement Completion feature.

After the opening parenthesis, complete the statement by typing:


        "hello world!"))

The completed if statement should look like the following:


        if(myStr.equalsIgnoreCase("hello world!"))

Using the Statement Completion's Word Completion, Member List, and Parameter Info options, complete this example by adding the following code after the closing parenthesis of the if statement:


           {
System.out.println("The strings are the same.");
}
else
   {
System.out.println("The strings are different.");
}
return;

Build the program.
In the Text editor, place the cursor on "return" (the last statement of this program's code). Click the right mouse button and select Run To Cursor from the shortcut menu.
View the following results in JVIEW's console window:


        The strings are the same.

Selecting Methods from a Member List

This example uses Statement Completion's Member list feature to help you select a method of the String class. You may also use this procedure to select class member variables from the Member list.

Before proceeding, make sure you have loaded a .java file into the Text editor that contains the following code:


        String myStr = new String("Hello World!");

To select a class member from the Members List

On a new line, type:


        if(mystr.

When you type the "." (dot operator) after myStr, Statement Completion displays a list of the methods belonging to the String class.

Tip If you do not get a member list after you type the dot operator, select List Members from the Edit menu or use the keyboard shortcut, CTRL+J. If this continues to happen, make sure you've enabled the Statement Completion feature.

Type "equalsI" to highlight the String class's equalsIgnoreCase method in the Members List.
Press Tab to insert the equalsIgnoreCase method after the dot operator for myStr.

Both lines of your code should look like the following:
String myStr = new String("Hello World!");
if(myStr.equalsIgnoreCase

Creating a Console Application

A console application has no graphical user interface. You can use the nongraphical classes in either WFC or the Java API to develop your application.

Note Before you use the following procedure to create a console application, close any projects that you may already have open. (On the File menu, click Close All.)

To create a console application

On the File menu, click New Project.
On the New tab, expand the Visual J++ Projects folder and click Applications. Then select the Console Application icon.
In the Name box, enter a name for your project.
In the Location box, enter the path where you want to save your project, or click Browse to navigate to the folder.
Click Open. A collapsed view of your project appears in Project Explorer.
In Project Explorer, expand the project node. A file with the default name of Class1.java has been added to your project.

Note Renaming this file does not rename the associated class in the source code, and vice versa. You must manually change all instances of the old name. (Note that you can create an empty project and then add a class with the ClassMain template. This two-step process allows you to name the class before it is created.)

Adding Code in the Text Editor

To view the source code that was generated, double-click Class1.java in Project Explorer. Program execution begins with the main method.

To add code to the application

In the Text Editor, add the following code after the //TODO comment inside the main method:

String str = "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy yellow dog.";

System.out.println("The string is: " + str);
System.out.println("The length of the string is: " + str.length());
System.out.println("The substring from positions 10 to 20 is: " + 
                   str.substring(10,20));
System.out.println("The uppercase string is: " + 
                   str.toUpperCase());

Building and Running the Application

After you build your application, you can run it from either the development environment or from the command line.

To build and run your application

On the Build menu, click Build. Any compilation errors or messages appear in the Task List. (Double-clicking an error in the Task List moves the insertion point in the Text editor to the error.) Correct the errors and rebuild your applet.
To run the application from the development environment, click Start on the Debug menu.
To run the application from the command line, use JVIEW. At the command prompt, type jview Class1 from the directory location of your project.

Task List Window

Helps you customize, categorize, and manage work associated with your project by displaying your tasks, specially marked comments, named shortcuts, warnings, errors detected while you type in the Text Editor window, and errors detected while you are compiling your project. Some errors, for example SmartEditor and Comment errors, are automatically generated as you type or when you compile.

The Task List window is visible when you:

Open an editor in the development environment the first time after installation.
Build a project if it has errors.
Choose Task List from the Other Windows command on the View menu.

In the Task List window you can:

Manually, add your own tasks into the "Click here to add a new task" line at the top of the Task List.
Track and manage errors in your code that are generated as you type in the editor or compile.
Track a comment, error, or named shortcut and jump to its location in the editor.
Sort Task List items by Priority, Category, Checked, Description, File, or Line.
Check or delete some Task List items.

The tasks and ways they are added to the Task List vary with the specific development environment you are in.

Use F12 to cycle through the tasks currently displayed, one task at a time. To cycle through the tasks in the reverse order, press SHIFT+F12.

Elements

Checked

Specifies whether or not you believe the Task List item has been completed. For example, some tasks such as compiler and build tasks can be checked automatically when completed. Some tasks such as Comments and SmartEditor errors cannot be checked.

Description

Describes the item. The description can be generated automatically or entered and edited manually.

Click here to add a new task

Allows you to add User-defined tasks and set their priority. Type the name of the task in the description column, set the priority if you want, and press ENTER. The new task appears at the top of the Task List.

File

If applicable, specifies the name of the file to which the item is attached.

Line

If applicable, specifies the line number in the file where the item is located.

Per Language Options (Text Editor – Options Dialog Box)

Allows you to set the details for your text editor regardless of which application you are using.

Choosing the Per Language option sets these options for all of the editors in the development environment. To set the Per Language options for a specific editor, choose the editor in the list below the Per Language options and select the options. Changes to the specific editor are effective only until you change the options again from the Per Language entry. For example, if you want to have all of the URLs open the browser and go to the Internet site in all of your editors in the development environment, chose Per Language in the Text Editor options of the Options dialog box, then select Enable single-click URL navigation. If you want to Enable virtual space for only your HTML editors without enabling it for your other editors, choose HTML under Per Language in the Text Editor options of the Options dialog box, then click Enable Virtual Space.

Note Application-specific options do not appear in the Options dialog box until the application is loaded into memory. Therefore, you may not see the same options you saw during your last session. Once you create a project or use a command that uses a particular application, the options appear in the Options dialog box and remain available as long as the application remains in memory. Common options are available all of the time.

CAUTION Clicking Cancel cancels all of the changes made in the dialog box. If you made changes to more than one category, none of the changes will be saved.

Options

Statement Completion

Auto List Members

Displays a box that contains information that would logically complete the statement at the current insertion point while you are typing.

Parameter Information

Displays information about functions and their parameters while you are typing.

Settings

Stream Selection

Selects text from the beginning of the first line to the end of the last line, and all intervening lines.

Box Selection

Selects a box-shaped block of text defined by the first and last characters selected, and includes all of the characters that fall within the box shape.

Enable Virtual Space

Allows a selection to extend past the end of a line either vertically or horizontally.

Display

Enable single-click URL navigation

When selected, displays URLs with underlines, changes the mouse cursor as it moves over URL text, and opens the browser to the valid Internet site when you click the mouse while the cursor is over URL text. When the check box is cleared, URLs are not underlined, there is no change to the mouse cursor when you move it over URL text, and you cannot open the Internet site from the editor. You can open the Internet site only by right-clicking the URL text and choosing the Open URL command on the shortcut menu.

Setting Options for the Editor

You can change many of the default settings for the Text Editor to conform to your preferences. Some settings are available on a per-language basis, allowing you to configure the Text Editor differently for each development language that you use. Other settings are global and apply to all instances of the Text Editor regardless of the language engine. Options can be set or changed in the Options dialog box.

To open the Options dialog box

Choose Options from the Tools menu.

Options for the Text Editor are listed in the treeview pane of the Options dialog box, under the Text Editor node. As you select a node in the treeview pane, the corresponding options are shown in the right-hand pane of the Options dialog box.

To set global options

Select a first-level node beneath the Text Editor node. If any second-level nodes appear beneath the node you have selected, options set on the first-level node override any corresponding per-language settings on the second-level node.

To set per-language options

Select a second-level node beneath the Text Editor node. Any settings made at this level supercede corresponding first-level settings for the selected language only.

Note If you subsequently change an option setting on a first-level node, your corresponding per-language settings (where applicable) will be overridden

Java Format (Text Editor - Options Dialog Box)

Provides options for Java source code formatting.

With the Java Format section of the Text editor options you can:

Determine if indenting will occur in the editor.
Specify the format style for code braces.
Specify how various code elements will be indented and aligned.

Options

Indenting

A group of options for determining the type of indentation support for the Text editor. The following is a list of the options available for indentation:

Indentation mode	Description
None	The Text editor does not automatically add indentation while you are entering code. Text goes to the beginning of the line when a return is entered.
Block	The text editor adds indentation but keeps the code on the same indentation level until you change it.
Smart	This is the default setting. The Text editor adds indentation and uses the context of the indentation to determine the level automatically.

Separate Smart Indent Actions In Undo List

When this option is selected, Undo commands (accessed by clicking the Undo menu item from the Edit menu or by pressing CTRL+Z on the keyboard) separates the automatic indentation caused by Smart indenting from other keystrokes. This allows you to undo Smart indentation actions without undoing the command that caused the indentation to occur. If the Smart indentation option is not selected, this option is disabled.

Indent Braces With Contained Code

When this option is selected, a brace is indented to be in-line with code that follows the brace. This option is not selected by default.

Format Open Brace

When this option is selected, open brace entries are formatted for you. A list is provided next to this option to allow you to select the style of open brace formatting. The following contains a list of the options for open brace formatting:

Open brace format	Description
On separate line	When this format is selected, an open brace is automatically positioned on a separate line from the method or code block that the open brace belongs to.
At end of line	When this format is selected, an open brace is automatically positioned on the same line as the method or code block that the open brace belongs to.

This option is not selected by default.

Indent Case Labels

When this option is selected, case labels are indented within the case's switch block. This option is not selected by default.

Align Operands In Multi-Line Expressions

When this option is selected, the operands in a multi-line expression are aligned one below the other. For example:

      int total += var1 + var2
                        + var3
                        + var4;

When not selected, continuation lines are indented by one additional tab stop. This option is selected by default.

Align Parameters

When this option is selected, the parameters in a multi-line method declaration or call are aligned with the first parameter in each line of the declaration or call. For example:

      public native void method1 (String arg1, String arg2
                                  String arg3,
                                  String arg4);

When not selected, continuation lines are indented by one additional tab stop. This option is selected by default.

Top

TËCHNOLÔG¥ FÖR ALL

Creating a Windows Application with WFC

Modifying the Form in the Forms Designer

Building and Running the Application

Creating a Form

Adding Tool Tips to Controls on a Form (Visual J++)

Finding Errors with Dynamic Syntax Checking

Selecting Methods from a Member List

Creating a Console Application

Adding Code in the Text Editor

Building and Running the Application

Task List Window

Elements

Category

SmartEditor Errors

Compiler Errors

Comments

Named Shortcuts

User-defined Tasks

Checked

Description

Click here to add a new task

File

Line

Per Language Options (Text Editor – Options Dialog Box)

Options

Statement Completion

Auto List Members

Parameter Information

Settings

Stream Selection

Box Selection

Enable Virtual Space

Display

Enable single-click URL navigation

Setting Options for the Editor

Java Format (Text Editor - Options Dialog Box)

Options

Indenting

Separate Smart Indent Actions In Undo List

Indent Braces With Contained Code

Format Open Brace

Indent Case Labels

Align Operands In Multi-Line Expressions

Align Parameters