netbeans.apache.org/src/content/wiki/DefFaqMapApisToTasks.asciidoc

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= DefFaqMapApisToTasks
:jbake-type: wiki
:jbake-tags: wiki, devfaq, needsreview
:jbake-status: published
:keywords: Apache NetBeans wiki DefFaqMapApisToTasks
:description: Apache NetBeans wiki DefFaqMapApisToTasks
:toc: left
:toc-title:
:syntax: true

== What API do I use for ...

Here is a list of common things people need to do, and a very short description of how you do them.  From here, use the Javadoc and tutorials to get more information.

== I want to ...

=== Show my component in the main window

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-windows/overview-summary.html[Window System API].  You will want to create a subclass of link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-windows/org/openide/windows/TopComponent.html[TopComponent], a JPanel-like class, and call its `open()` method to show it.

=== Write to the output window

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-io/overview-summary.html[I/O API].  Call `IOProvider.getDefault().getInputOutput("Something")`.  The object returned has getters for standard output, standard error and input streams which write to and read from a tab in the output window.

=== Show a Tree, List or other control with a list of some objects

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-nodes/overview-summary.html[Nodes API] to create a hierarchy of link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-nodes/org/openide/nodes/Node.html[Node] objects, each representing one object in your data model.  Then use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-explorer/overview-summary.html[Explorer API] to show the Nodes - it contains tree, list, table, combo box and other controls which can show a hierarchy of Nodes.  Nodes are very easy to add popup menus to, decorate with icons and html-ized display names, etc. and are a lot less work than using Swing components directly.  See also the link:http://platform.netbeans.org/tutorials/nbm-nodesapi2.html[Nodes API Tutorial].

=== Provide an Editor for a particular kind of file

Use the new File Type template.  You will end up using the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-loaders/overview-summary.html[Data Systems API] (DataObject, DataLoader, etc.) and link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-nodes/overview-summary.html[Nodes API] primarily, plus the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-filesystems/overview-summary.html[Filesystems API] for accessing and parsing the file.  The link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-text/overview-summary.html[Text API] provides general support for creating editors for files.

=== Add a menu item to the main menu

No specific NetBeans APIs are needed - you can just create a subclass of Swing's `AbstractAction`, and link:DevFaqActionAddMenuBar.asciidoc[register it in your modules layer.xml file].  Or, use the new Action template in the IDE to generate a subclass of `SystemAction` for you and all the registration code, and fill in the action-performing logic.

=== Show content in the Navigator window when a file of a certain type is selected

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-spi-navigator/overview-summary.html[Navigator API] to create a navigator panel provider;  you then somehow parse the file and can create any component you want to show in the Navigator, and populate it with whatever you want.

=== Show a progress bar

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-api-progress/overview-summary.html[Progress API] - call `ProgressHandleFactory` to create a `ProgressHandle` for you.  That is an object with methods for setting the progress, status text, number of steps, etc. and is fairly self-explanatory.  Remember to make sure the code showing progress is not running in the AWT Event thread.

=== Set the main window's statusbar text

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-awt/overview-summary.html[UI Utilities API].  Simply call `StatusDisplayer.getDefault().setStatusText()`.

=== Allow other modules to register objects and then find those objects dynamically at runtime

Define a folder in the link:DevFaqSystemFilesystem.asciidoc[System Filesystem] in the XML layer file of your module.  Other modules can register instances of whatever class you specify by declaring `.instance` files in their own XML layer files.  You can find them at runtime using `Lookups.forPath("path/to/my/folder")` to get an instance of link:DevFaqLookup.asciidoc[Lookup] that you can query for these objects.

=== Save some settings persistently

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-util/overview-summary.html[Utilities API], specifically link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-util/org/openide/util/NbPreferences.html[NbPreferences] - which is just an implementation of the JDK's Preferences API which stores things in the user's settings directory rather than globally.  It's just like using standard JDK Preferences.

=== Run some code at application startup/shutdown

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-modules/overview-summary.html[Module System API].  Implement a subclass of link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-openide-modules/org/openide/modules/ModuleInstall.html[ModuleInstall] and override `restored()`, `close()`, etc.  Remember it is best to avoid running code on startup unless you really need to.

=== Add a Panel to the Options dialog

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-modules-options-api/overview-summary.html[Options API], implementing link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-modules-options-api/org/netbeans/spi/options/OptionsCategory.html[OptionsCategory] to define the category in the dialog and link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-modules-options-api/org/netbeans/spi/options/OptionsPanelController.html[OptionsPanelController] to manage the UI component.

=== Find/listen to/manipulate the set of open projects

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-modules-projectuiapi/overview-summary.html[Project UI API], specifically link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-modules-projectuiapi/org/netbeans/api/project/ui/OpenProjects.html[OpenProjects].

=== Create a graph editor such as the Mobility Pack uses

Use the link:http://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/org-netbeans-api-visual/overview-summary.html[Visual Library], which builds on top of Swing to make animated, graph-oriented UIs easy to build.  More info, tutorials and webcasts can be found in the link:http://platform.netbeans.org/graph[platform.netbeans.org/graph] project.

=== Apache Migration Information

The content in this page was kindly donated by Oracle Corp. to the
Apache Software Foundation.

This page was exported from link:http://wiki.netbeans.org/DefFaqMapApisToTasks[http://wiki.netbeans.org/DefFaqMapApisToTasks] , 
that was last modified by NetBeans user Skygo 
on 2013-12-13T23:52:13Z.


*NOTE:* This document was automatically converted to the AsciiDoc format on 2018-02-07, and needs to be reviewed.