Building Java Applications for the iSeries Server with VisualAge for Java 3.5

Chapter 3. Introduction to VisualAge for Java 119

SmartGuides and wizards

The VisualAge for Java IDE comes with various SmartGuides (also known as wizards in other

IDEs) that guide the developer through the repeatable process of creating a component.

For example, the Class Creation SmartGuide takes the developer through the standard

process of creating a class including the following setup parameters:

򐂰 Which project is the class defined in?

򐂰 Which package is the class defined in?

򐂰 What is the class name?

򐂰 Which class is the super class?

򐂰 What happens when the SmartGuide completes?

– Open a VCE (for example, if the class inherits from javax.swing.JFrame).

– Open a class browser.

– Do not open a browser.

– Which interfaces (if any) does the class implement?

– Which modifiers should be implemented?

• Public

• Abstract

• Final

– Should stub methods be generated?

There are a number of SmartGuides including class creation, interface creation, method

creation, applet creation, and Fix/Migrate SmartGuide. The Fix/Migrate SmartGuide can

repair broken class or package references due to renaming of package in the Java 2 SDK or

the renaming of user-defined program elements, in the Professional Edition.

In VisualAge for Java Version 3.5 Enterprise Edition, you can find many different

SmartGuides, such as the Create Program Call SmartGuide and Convert Display File

SmartGuide in ET/400, SmartGuides for creating session beans for the EAB, and so on.

VisualAge for Java help

The VisualAge for Java IDE comes with extensive documentation consisting of numerous

HTML files and PDF files. These files are mostly stored locally but can also contain links to

pages on the Internet. Therefore, it is advantageous to have access to the Internet while

searching for information. Help for VisualAge for Java can be accessed by selecting a menu

item from the Help menu. It starts your default browser and displays the page that you chose.

Navigate through the various topics on the left window to gain an idea of what can be found

where inside the documentation of VisualAge for Java. Try also the VisualAge for Java

Search, which works efficiently for searching specific topic.

3.3 System requirements and prerequisites for version 3.5

Table 3-2 on page 120 defines the system requirements for VisualAge for Java depending on

which version you choose.