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         <h1>NetBeans Java Hint Module Tutorial</h1>

         <p>This tutorial demonstrates how to create a NetBeans module that provides
             one or more Java hints. In this particular scenario, whenever the user
             types "<tt>showMessageDialog</tt>", a Java hint will appear, with the reminder that
             using the NetBeans Debugger is more effective than using calls to <tt>JOptionPane</tt>:</p>

         <p><img alt="" src="../../images/tutorials/hint/hint-result.png"/></p>

         <p><b class="notes">Note:</b> This document is applicable to NetBeans IDE 7.1 and
             NetBeans Platform 7.1. If you
             are using an earlier version, see <a href="../70/nbm-java-hint.html">the previous version
                 of this document</a>.</p>

         <p><b>Contents</b></p>

         <p><img src="../../images/articles/71/netbeans-stamp.png" class="stamp" width="114" height="114" alt="Content on this page applies to NetBeans IDE 7.1" title="Content on this page applies to NetBeans IDE 7.1"/></p>
         <ul class="toc">
             <li><a href="#creatingthemoduleproject">Setting Up the Module Project</a>
             </li>

             <li><a href="#coding-module">Creating the Java Hint</a></li>

             <li><a href="#registering-module">Declaring and Registering the Java Hint</a>
             </li>

             <li><a href="#building">Building and Installing the Java Hint</a>
                 <ul>
                     <li><a href="#try-plugin">Trying Out the Java Hint</a></li>
                     <li><a href="#share-plugin">Creating a Shareable Module Binary</a></li>
                 </ul></li>

         </ul>

         <p><b>To follow this tutorial, you need the software and resources listed in the following
                 table.</b></p>

         <table>
             <tbody>
                 <tr>
                     <th class="tblheader" scope="col">Software or Resource</th>
                     <th class="tblheader" scope="col">Version Required</th>
                 </tr>
                 <tr>
                     <td class="tbltd1"><a href="https://netbeans.org/downloads/index.html">NetBeans IDE</a></td>
                     <td class="tbltd1">version 7.1 or above</td>
                 </tr>
                 <tr>
                     <td class="tbltd1"><a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp">Java Developer Kit (JDK)</a></td>
                     <td class="tbltd1">version 6 or above</td>
                 </tr>
             </tbody>
         </table>

         <h2 class="tutorial"><a name="creatingthemoduleproject"></a>Setting up the Module Project</h2>
         <p>Before you start writing the module, you have to make sure you
             that your project is set up correctly. The IDE provides a wizard that sets up all the basic files
             needed for a module.</p>

         <ol>
             <li>Choose File &gt; New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). Under Categories, select NetBeans Modules.
                 Under Projects, select Module. Click Next.</li>
             <li>In the Name and Location panel, type <tt>HintDemo</tt> in the Project Name field.
                 Change the Project Location to any directory on your computer. Leave the Standalone Module option
                 and Set as Main Project checkbox selected. Click Next.</li>
             <li>In the Basic Module Configuration panel, type <tt>org.nb.hintdemo</tt>
                 in Code Name Base. Click Finish.</li>
         </ol>

         <p> The IDE creates the <tt>HintDemo</tt>
             project. The project contains all of your sources and
             project metadata, such as the project's Ant build script. The project
             opens in the IDE. You can view its logical structure in the Projects window (Ctrl-1) and its
             file structure in the Files window (Ctrl-2).</p>

         <!-- ===================================================================================== -->
         <h2><a name="coding-module"></a>Creating the Java Hint</h2>

         <p>In this section, you provide the Java code for the Java hint.</p>

         <div class="indent">

             <ol>

                 <li><p>Right-click the HintDemo project node and
                         choose Properties. In the Libraries panel, you need
                         to set dependencies on the following modules:</p>

                     <p></p>
                     <ul>
                         <li>Datasystems API</li>
                         <li>Editor</li>
                         <li>Editor Hints</li>
                         <li>Editor Library 2</li>
                         <li>File System API</li>
                         <li>Javac API Wrapper</li>
                         <li>Java Source</li>
                         <li>Java Support APIs</li>
                         <li>Nodes API</li>
                         <li>Text API</li>
                         <li>UI Utilities API</li>
                         <li>Utilities API</li>
                     </ul></li>
                 <li> <p>You need to set an implementation
                         dependency on the "Java Hints" module. The module
                         is not a stable API, i.e., it is not officially
                         supported. A new API is likely to be created in a future
                         release, it will be annotation-based and will allow the
                         Java hints to use patterns, similar to Jackpot patterns.
                         However, in the meantime, the "AbstractHint" class, in the
                         "Java Hints" module should be used. Just be aware of this
                         upcoming change while using the class.</p>
                     <p>To use the implementation version of the "Java Hints" API,
                         right-click the HintDemo project node and
                         choose Properties. In the Libraries panel, click Add.
                         Make sure to put a checkmark in the "Show Non-API Modules"
                         checkbox. Then find the Java Hints module and click OK,
                         making it a dependency
                         of the module you're working on.</p>
                     <p>Finally, to make
                         the new dependency an "implementation" dependency,
                         which means that you're aware the classes you're going
                         to use from this module are likely to change,
                         right-click the "Java Hints" display name in the Projects
                         window, click Edit, and select the "Implementation
                         Version" checkbox. Then click OK.</p></li>

                 <li>Right-click the <tt>org.nb.hintdemo</tt> package node and
                     choose New &gt; Java Class.
                     Click Next.</li>

                 <li>Type <tt>DemoHint</tt>
                     and click Finish.</li>

                 <li>Replace the default content of the <tt>DemoHint.java</tt> file with the following:

                     <pre class="examplecode">import <a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/jdk/api/javac/tree/com/sun/source/tree/Tree.html">com.sun.source.tree.Tree</a>;
 import <a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/jdk/api/javac/tree/com/sun/source/tree/Tree.Kind.html">com.sun.source.tree.Tree.Kind</a>;
 import <a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/jdk/api/javac/tree/com/sun/source/util/class-use/TreePath.html">com.sun.source.util.TreePath</a>;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.EnumSet;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
 import javax.lang.model.element.Element;
 import <a href="http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-modules-java-source/org/netbeans/api/java/source/CompilationInfo.html">org.netbeans.api.java.source.CompilationInfo</a>;
 import org.netbeans.modules.java.hints.spi.AbstractHint;
 import <a href="http://kickjava.com/src/org/netbeans/spi/editor/hints/ErrorDescription.java.htm">org.netbeans.spi.editor.hints.ErrorDescription</a>;
 import <a href="http://kickjava.com/src/org/netbeans/spi/editor/hints/ErrorDescriptionFactory.java.htm">org.netbeans.spi.editor.hints.ErrorDescriptionFactory</a>;
 import <a href="http://kickjava.com/src/org/netbeans/spi/editor/hints/Fix.java.htm">org.netbeans.spi.editor.hints.Fix</a>;

 public class DemoHint extends AbstractHint {

     <b>//This hint does not enable the IDE to fix the problem:</b>
     private static final List&lt;Fix&gt; NO_FIXES = Collections.&lt;Fix&gt;emptyList();

     <b>//This hint applies to method invocations:</b>
     private static final Set&lt;Tree.Kind&gt; TREE_KINDS =
             EnumSet.&lt;Tree.Kind&gt;of(Tree.Kind.METHOD_INVOCATION);


     public DemoHint() {
         super(true, true, AbstractHint.HintSeverity.WARNING);
     }

     <b>//Specify the kind of code that the hint applies to, in this case,
     //the hint applies to method invocations:</b>
     @Override
     public Set&lt;Kind&gt; getTreeKinds() {
         return TREE_KINDS;
     }

     @Override
     public List&lt;ErrorDescription&gt; run(CompilationInfo info, TreePath treePath) {

         Tree t = treePath.getLeaf();

         Element el = info.getTrees().getElement(treePath);
         String name = el.getSimpleName().toString();

         <b>//This is where it all happens: if the method invocation is 'showMessageDialog',
         //then the hint infrastructure kicks into action:</b>
         if (name.equals("showMessageDialog")) {
             return Collections.&lt;ErrorDescription&gt;singletonList(
                     ErrorDescriptionFactory.createErrorDescription(
                     getSeverity().toEditorSeverity(),
                     getDisplayName(),
                     NO_FIXES,
                     info.getFileObject(),
                     (int) info.getTrees().getSourcePositions().getStartPosition(info.getCompilationUnit(), t),
                     (int) info.getTrees().getSourcePositions().getEndPosition(info.getCompilationUnit(), t)));

         }

         return null;

     }

     <b>//This is called if/when the hint processing is cancelled:</b>
     @Override
     public void cancel() {
     }

     <b>//Message that the user sees in the left sidebar:</b>
     @Override
     public String getDisplayName() {
         return "Hey buddy, shouldn't you be using the NetBeans Debugger instead?";
     }

     <b>//Name of the hint in the Options window:</b>
     @Override
     public String getId() {
         return "Demo Hint";
     }

     <b>//Description of the hint in the Options window:</b>
     @Override
     public String getDescription() {
         return "This is a dummy description for the Demo hint!";
     }

 }</pre>
                     <p class="tips">The second "true" in the constructor
                         in the class above is
                         for the "showInTaskListDefault" parameter. This
                         parameter was ignored in pre-7.1 NetBeans IDE,
                         but has a meaning now. False means that the hint
                         will not appear in the "Inspect and Refactor"
                         dialog. True means that the hint will appear,
                         though a non-java.hints AbstractHint cannot provide
                         a transformation and can only serve as a "query".</p>

                     <p>Right-click in the Source Editor and choose Format (Alt-Shift-F) and then save the file.
                     </p>

                 </li>

             </ol>

         </div>

         <h2><a name="registering-module"></a>Declaring and Registering the Java Hint</h2>

         <p>Hints are registered in the <tt>layer.xml</tt> file for
             the category to which they apply. Right-click the
             "HintDemo" project node and then choose "New | Other". In
             the New File dialog, go to "Module Development | XML Layer" and
             then click Next and Finish.</p>

         <p>Add the following tags to the <tt>layer.xml</tt> file, between the <tt>&lt;filesystem&gt;</tt> tags:</p>

         <pre class="examplecode">&lt;folder name="org-netbeans-modules-java-hints"&gt;
     &lt;folder name="rules"&gt;
         &lt;folder name="hints"&gt;
             &lt;folder name="general"&gt;
                 &lt;file name="org-nb-hintdemo-DemoHint.instance"/&gt;
             &lt;/folder&gt;
         &lt;/folder&gt;
     &lt;/folder&gt;
 &lt;/folder&gt;</pre>

         <!-- ======================================================================================= -->

         <h2><a name="building"></a>Building and Installing the Java Hint</h2>
         <p>Now we need to think about installation and distribution.
             In the first section below, we install the Java hint,
             next we create an NBM file and examine distribution channels.</p>
         <div class="indent">

             <h3 class="tutorial"><a name="try-plugin"></a>Trying Out the Java Hint</h3>


             <p>Install and try out the Java hint,
                 by following the steps below.</p>

             <ol>

                 <li><p>In the Projects window, right-click the <tt>HintDemo</tt>
                         project and choose Run. The module is built and installed in the target platform. The target platform opens so that you
                         can try out your new module. The default target platform is the
                         installation used by the current instance of the development IDE.</p></li>

                 <li><p>Open a Java source file and call '<tt>showMessageDialog</tt>' on <tt>JOptionPane</tt>.
                         Notice the hint that is created in the left sidebar or press Alt-Enter to invoke it.</p></li>

                 <li><p>In the main menu choose
                         "Refactor | Inspect and Transform". Click Browse.
                         Now you should see that your hint has been registered, as shown below. The user can
                         modify the severity level in the drop-down list.</p>
                     <p><img alt="" src="../../images/tutorials/hint/71/hint-options.png"/></p></li>

             </ol>

             <h3 class="tutorial"><a name="share-plugin"></a>Creating a Shareable Module Binary</h3>

             <p>An NBM file is the binary version of the module that
                 provides the Java hint. Below, using one menu item, we create
                 the NBM file.</p>

             <ol>
                 <li><p>In the Projects window, right-click
                         the <tt>HintDemo</tt> project and choose Create NBM.
                         The NBM file is created and you can view it in the Files window (Ctrl-2).</p></li>
                 <li>Make the module available to others via, for example, the
                     <a href="http://plugins.netbeans.org/PluginPortal/">Plugin Portal</a>.</li>
                 <li>The recipient can install the module by using their IDE's Plugin Manager. They
                     would choose Tools &gt; Plugins
                     from the main menu.</li>
             </ol>

         </div>

         <div class="feedback-box"><a href="https://netbeans.org/about/contact_form.html?to=3&amp;subject=Feedback:%20Java%20Hint%20Module%20Tutorial">Send Us Your Feedback</a></div>

         <!-- ======================================================================================== -->

         <h2><a name="nextsteps"></a>Next Steps</h2>

         <p>For more information about creating and developing NetBeans Java
             hints, see the following resources:</p>

         <ul>

             <li>Learn about how you can let the IDE fix the problem that is identified
                 by the hint, in <a href="http://blogs.oracle.com/geertjan/entry/fixable_hint">Fixable Hint</a>
                 in Geertjan's blog.</li>

             <li>Check out the NetBeans sources from Mercurial and then look at the code in
                 the 'java.hints' folder.</li>
         </ul>

         <!-- ========================================================================================

         <h2><a name="version"></a>Versioning </h2>

         <table width="76%" border="1">
          <tbody>
            <tr>
               <td>
                 <div align="left"><b>Version</b></div>
               </td>
               <td>
                 <div align="left"><b>Date</b></div>
               </td>
               <td>
                 <div align="left"><b>Changes</b></div>
         </td>
         <td>
                 <div align="left"><b>Open Issues</b></div>
               </td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
               <td>
                  1
               </td>
               <td>
                       15 November 2008
               </td>
               <td>
                  Initial version.
          </td>
           <tr>
               <td>
                  2
               </td>
               <td>
                       12 November 2011
               </td>
               <td>
                  Updated for 7.1.
          </td>
         <td>
         ...
               </td>
           </tr>
           </tbody>
         </table>-->
     </body>
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	<title>NetBeans Java Hint Module Tutorial for NetBeans Platform 7.1</title>
	<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://netbeans.org/netbeans.css"/>
	<meta name="AUDIENCE" content="NBUSER"/>
	<meta name="TYPE" content="ARTICLE"/>
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	content="A short guide to using the Java Hint API."/>
	<!-- Copyright (c) 2009, 2010, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. -->
	<!-- Use is subject to license terms.-->
	</head>
	<body>
	<h1>NetBeans Java Hint Module Tutorial</h1>

	<p>This tutorial demonstrates how to create a NetBeans module that provides
	one or more Java hints. In this particular scenario, whenever the user
	types "<tt>showMessageDialog</tt>", a Java hint will appear, with the reminder that
	using the NetBeans Debugger is more effective than using calls to <tt>JOptionPane</tt>:</p>

	<p><img alt="" src="../../images/tutorials/hint/hint-result.png"/></p>

	<p><b class="notes">Note:</b> This document is applicable to NetBeans IDE 7.1 and
	NetBeans Platform 7.1. If you
	are using an earlier version, see <a href="../70/nbm-java-hint.html">the previous version
	of this document</a>.</p>

	<p><b>Contents</b></p>

	<p><img src="../../images/articles/71/netbeans-stamp.png" class="stamp" width="114" height="114" alt="Content on this page applies to NetBeans IDE 7.1" title="Content on this page applies to NetBeans IDE 7.1"/></p>
	<ul class="toc">
	<li><a href="#creatingthemoduleproject">Setting Up the Module Project</a>
	</li>

	<li><a href="#coding-module">Creating the Java Hint</a></li>

	<li><a href="#registering-module">Declaring and Registering the Java Hint</a>
	</li>

	<li><a href="#building">Building and Installing the Java Hint</a>
	<ul>
	<li><a href="#try-plugin">Trying Out the Java Hint</a></li>
	<li><a href="#share-plugin">Creating a Shareable Module Binary</a></li>
	</ul></li>

	</ul>

	<p><b>To follow this tutorial, you need the software and resources listed in the following
	table.</b></p>

	<table>
	<tbody>
	<tr>
	<th class="tblheader" scope="col">Software or Resource</th>
	<th class="tblheader" scope="col">Version Required</th>
	</tr>
	<tr>
	<td class="tbltd1"><a href="https://netbeans.org/downloads/index.html">NetBeans IDE</a></td>
	<td class="tbltd1">version 7.1 or above</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
	<td class="tbltd1"><a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp">Java Developer Kit (JDK)</a></td>
	<td class="tbltd1">version 6 or above</td>
	</tr>
	</tbody>
	</table>

	<h2 class="tutorial"><a name="creatingthemoduleproject"></a>Setting up the Module Project</h2>
	<p>Before you start writing the module, you have to make sure you
	that your project is set up correctly. The IDE provides a wizard that sets up all the basic files
	needed for a module.</p>

	<ol>
	<li>Choose File > New Project (Ctrl+Shift+N). Under Categories, select NetBeans Modules.
	Under Projects, select Module. Click Next.</li>
	<li>In the Name and Location panel, type <tt>HintDemo</tt> in the Project Name field.
	Change the Project Location to any directory on your computer. Leave the Standalone Module option
	and Set as Main Project checkbox selected. Click Next.</li>
	<li>In the Basic Module Configuration panel, type <tt>org.nb.hintdemo</tt>
	in Code Name Base. Click Finish.</li>
	</ol>

	<p> The IDE creates the <tt>HintDemo</tt>
	project. The project contains all of your sources and
	project metadata, such as the project's Ant build script. The project
	opens in the IDE. You can view its logical structure in the Projects window (Ctrl-1) and its
	file structure in the Files window (Ctrl-2).</p>

	<!-- ===================================================================================== -->
	<h2><a name="coding-module"></a>Creating the Java Hint</h2>

	<p>In this section, you provide the Java code for the Java hint.</p>

	<div class="indent">

	<ol>

	<li><p>Right-click the HintDemo project node and
	choose Properties. In the Libraries panel, you need
	to set dependencies on the following modules:</p>

	<p></p>
	<ul>
	<li>Datasystems API</li>
	<li>Editor</li>
	<li>Editor Hints</li>
	<li>Editor Library 2</li>
	<li>File System API</li>
	<li>Javac API Wrapper</li>
	<li>Java Source</li>
	<li>Java Support APIs</li>
	<li>Nodes API</li>
	<li>Text API</li>
	<li>UI Utilities API</li>
	<li>Utilities API</li>
	</ul></li>
	<li> <p>You need to set an implementation
	dependency on the "Java Hints" module. The module
	is not a stable API, i.e., it is not officially
	supported. A new API is likely to be created in a future
	release, it will be annotation-based and will allow the
	Java hints to use patterns, similar to Jackpot patterns.
	However, in the meantime, the "AbstractHint" class, in the
	"Java Hints" module should be used. Just be aware of this
	upcoming change while using the class.</p>
	<p>To use the implementation version of the "Java Hints" API,
	right-click the HintDemo project node and
	choose Properties. In the Libraries panel, click Add.
	Make sure to put a checkmark in the "Show Non-API Modules"
	checkbox. Then find the Java Hints module and click OK,
	making it a dependency
	of the module you're working on.</p>
	<p>Finally, to make
	the new dependency an "implementation" dependency,
	which means that you're aware the classes you're going
	to use from this module are likely to change,
	right-click the "Java Hints" display name in the Projects
	window, click Edit, and select the "Implementation
	Version" checkbox. Then click OK.</p></li>

	<li>Right-click the <tt>org.nb.hintdemo</tt> package node and
	choose New > Java Class.
	Click Next.</li>

	<li>Type <tt>DemoHint</tt>
	and click Finish.</li>

	<li>Replace the default content of the <tt>DemoHint.java</tt> file with the following:

	<pre class="examplecode">import <a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/jdk/api/javac/tree/com/sun/source/tree/Tree.html">com.sun.source.tree.Tree</a>;
	import <a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/jdk/api/javac/tree/com/sun/source/tree/Tree.Kind.html">com.sun.source.tree.Tree.Kind</a>;
	import <a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/jdk/api/javac/tree/com/sun/source/util/class-use/TreePath.html">com.sun.source.util.TreePath</a>;
	import java.util.Collections;
	import java.util.EnumSet;
	import java.util.List;
	import java.util.Set;
	import javax.lang.model.element.Element;
	import <a href="http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-modules-java-source/org/netbeans/api/java/source/CompilationInfo.html">org.netbeans.api.java.source.CompilationInfo</a>;
	import org.netbeans.modules.java.hints.spi.AbstractHint;
	import <a href="http://kickjava.com/src/org/netbeans/spi/editor/hints/ErrorDescription.java.htm">org.netbeans.spi.editor.hints.ErrorDescription</a>;
	import <a href="http://kickjava.com/src/org/netbeans/spi/editor/hints/ErrorDescriptionFactory.java.htm">org.netbeans.spi.editor.hints.ErrorDescriptionFactory</a>;
	import <a href="http://kickjava.com/src/org/netbeans/spi/editor/hints/Fix.java.htm">org.netbeans.spi.editor.hints.Fix</a>;

	public class DemoHint extends AbstractHint {

	<b>//This hint does not enable the IDE to fix the problem:</b>
	private static final List<Fix> NO_FIXES = Collections.<Fix>emptyList();

	<b>//This hint applies to method invocations:</b>
	private static final Set<Tree.Kind> TREE_KINDS =
	EnumSet.<Tree.Kind>of(Tree.Kind.METHOD_INVOCATION);


	public DemoHint() {
	super(true, true, AbstractHint.HintSeverity.WARNING);
	}

	<b>//Specify the kind of code that the hint applies to, in this case,
	//the hint applies to method invocations:</b>
	@Override
	public Set<Kind> getTreeKinds() {
	return TREE_KINDS;
	}

	@Override
	public List<ErrorDescription> run(CompilationInfo info, TreePath treePath) {

	Tree t = treePath.getLeaf();

	Element el = info.getTrees().getElement(treePath);
	String name = el.getSimpleName().toString();

	<b>//This is where it all happens: if the method invocation is 'showMessageDialog',
	//then the hint infrastructure kicks into action:</b>
	if (name.equals("showMessageDialog")) {
	return Collections.<ErrorDescription>singletonList(
	ErrorDescriptionFactory.createErrorDescription(
	getSeverity().toEditorSeverity(),
	getDisplayName(),
	NO_FIXES,
	info.getFileObject(),
	(int) info.getTrees().getSourcePositions().getStartPosition(info.getCompilationUnit(), t),
	(int) info.getTrees().getSourcePositions().getEndPosition(info.getCompilationUnit(), t)));

	}

	return null;

	}

	<b>//This is called if/when the hint processing is cancelled:</b>
	@Override
	public void cancel() {
	}

	<b>//Message that the user sees in the left sidebar:</b>
	@Override
	public String getDisplayName() {
	return "Hey buddy, shouldn't you be using the NetBeans Debugger instead?";
	}

	<b>//Name of the hint in the Options window:</b>
	@Override
	public String getId() {
	return "Demo Hint";
	}

	<b>//Description of the hint in the Options window:</b>
	@Override
	public String getDescription() {
	return "This is a dummy description for the Demo hint!";
	}

	}</pre>
	<p class="tips">The second "true" in the constructor
	in the class above is
	for the "showInTaskListDefault" parameter. This
	parameter was ignored in pre-7.1 NetBeans IDE,
	but has a meaning now. False means that the hint
	will not appear in the "Inspect and Refactor"
	dialog. True means that the hint will appear,
	though a non-java.hints AbstractHint cannot provide
	a transformation and can only serve as a "query".</p>

	<p>Right-click in the Source Editor and choose Format (Alt-Shift-F) and then save the file.
	</p>

	</li>

	</ol>

	</div>

	<h2><a name="registering-module"></a>Declaring and Registering the Java Hint</h2>

	<p>Hints are registered in the <tt>layer.xml</tt> file for
	the category to which they apply. Right-click the
	"HintDemo" project node and then choose "New \| Other". In
	the New File dialog, go to "Module Development \| XML Layer" and
	then click Next and Finish.</p>

	<p>Add the following tags to the <tt>layer.xml</tt> file, between the <tt><filesystem></tt> tags:</p>

	<pre class="examplecode"><folder name="org-netbeans-modules-java-hints">
	<folder name="rules">
	<folder name="hints">
	<folder name="general">
	<file name="org-nb-hintdemo-DemoHint.instance"/>
	</folder>
	</folder>
	</folder>
	</folder></pre>

	<!-- ======================================================================================= -->

	<h2><a name="building"></a>Building and Installing the Java Hint</h2>
	<p>Now we need to think about installation and distribution.
	In the first section below, we install the Java hint,
	next we create an NBM file and examine distribution channels.</p>
	<div class="indent">

	<h3 class="tutorial"><a name="try-plugin"></a>Trying Out the Java Hint</h3>


	<p>Install and try out the Java hint,
	by following the steps below.</p>

	<ol>

	<li><p>In the Projects window, right-click the <tt>HintDemo</tt>
	project and choose Run. The module is built and installed in the target platform. The target platform opens so that you
	can try out your new module. The default target platform is the
	installation used by the current instance of the development IDE.</p></li>

	<li><p>Open a Java source file and call '<tt>showMessageDialog</tt>' on <tt>JOptionPane</tt>.
	Notice the hint that is created in the left sidebar or press Alt-Enter to invoke it.</p></li>

	<li><p>In the main menu choose
	"Refactor \| Inspect and Transform". Click Browse.
	Now you should see that your hint has been registered, as shown below. The user can
	modify the severity level in the drop-down list.</p>
	<p><img alt="" src="../../images/tutorials/hint/71/hint-options.png"/></p></li>

	</ol>

	<h3 class="tutorial"><a name="share-plugin"></a>Creating a Shareable Module Binary</h3>

	<p>An NBM file is the binary version of the module that
	provides the Java hint. Below, using one menu item, we create
	the NBM file.</p>

	<ol>
	<li><p>In the Projects window, right-click
	the <tt>HintDemo</tt> project and choose Create NBM.
	The NBM file is created and you can view it in the Files window (Ctrl-2).</p></li>
	<li>Make the module available to others via, for example, the
	<a href="http://plugins.netbeans.org/PluginPortal/">Plugin Portal</a>.</li>
	<li>The recipient can install the module by using their IDE's Plugin Manager. They
	would choose Tools > Plugins
	from the main menu.</li>
	</ol>

	</div>

	<div class="feedback-box"><a href="https://netbeans.org/about/contact_form.html?to=3&subject=Feedback:%20Java%20Hint%20Module%20Tutorial">Send Us Your Feedback</a></div>

	<!-- ======================================================================================== -->

	<h2><a name="nextsteps"></a>Next Steps</h2>

	<p>For more information about creating and developing NetBeans Java
	hints, see the following resources:</p>

	<ul>

	<li>Learn about how you can let the IDE fix the problem that is identified
	by the hint, in <a href="http://blogs.oracle.com/geertjan/entry/fixable_hint">Fixable Hint</a>
	in Geertjan's blog.</li>

	<li>Check out the NetBeans sources from Mercurial and then look at the code in
	the 'java.hints' folder.</li>
	</ul>

	<!-- ========================================================================================

	<h2><a name="version"></a>Versioning </h2>

	<table width="76%" border="1">
	<tbody>
	<tr>
	<td>
	<div align="left"><b>Version</b></div>
	</td>
	<td>
	<div align="left"><b>Date</b></div>
	</td>
	<td>
	<div align="left"><b>Changes</b></div>
	</td>
	<td>
	<div align="left"><b>Open Issues</b></div>
	</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
	<td>
	1
	</td>
	<td>
	15 November 2008
	</td>
	<td>
	Initial version.
	</td>
	<tr>
	<td>
	2
	</td>
	<td>
	12 November 2011
	</td>
	<td>
	Updated for 7.1.
	</td>
	<td>
	...
	</td>
	</tr>
	</tbody>
	</table>-->
	</body>
	</html>