Developing Java Beans

Preface

JavaBeans is one of the most important developments in Java™ since its inception. It is Java’s component architecture, which allows components built with Java to be used in graphical programming environments. Graphical development environments let you configure components by specifying aspects of their visual appearance (like the color or label of a button) in addition to the interactions between components (what happens when you click on a button or select a menu item). This means that someone can use a graphical tool to connect some Beans together and make an application without actually writing any Java code—in fact, without doing any programming at all. Developing an application isn’t necessarily a matter of producing thousands of lines of code that can only be read by computer professionals. It’s more like working with Lego blocks: you can build large structures using snap-together pieces. The result is that applications can be created by people who are good at designing user interfaces and aspects of the interaction between the user and the computer. The guts of an application can be written by software developers, who are great at coding, but not necessarily good at understanding users. This is how it should be, and in fact how it is in many other industries. The engineer who designed the engine of your car is certainly not the same person who designed the interior. JavaBeans allows us to make the same kind of distinction in the software business.

As Beans become widely ...