Developing Java Beans

The JavaBeans Architecture

JavaBeans is an architecture for both using and building components in Java. This architecture supports the features of software reuse, component models, and object orientation. One of the most important features of JavaBeans is that it does not alter the existing Java language. If you know how to write software in Java, you know how to use and create Beans. The strengths of Java are built upon and extended to create the JavaBeans component architecture.

Although Beans are intended to work in a visual application development tool, they don’t necessarily have a visual representation at run-time (although many will). What this does mean is that Beans must allow their property values to be changed through some type of visual interface, and their methods and events should be exposed so that the development tool can write code capable of manipulating the component when the application is executed.

Creating a Bean doesn’t require any advanced concepts. So before I go any further, here is some code that implements a simple Bean:

public class MyBean implements java.io.Serializable
{
   protected  int theValue;

   public MyBean()
   {
   }

   public void setMyValue(int newValue)
   {
      theValue = newValue;
   }

   public int getMyValue()
   {
      return theValue;
   }
}

This is a real Bean named MyBean that has state (the variable theValue) that will automatically be saved and restored by the JavaBeans persistence mechanism, and it has a property named MyValue that is usable by a visual programming ...