Inside the JBuilder OpenTools API
Written by Keith Wood
Published by BookSurge, 2004, ISBN 1-59457-427-8.
JBuilder from Borland is the #1 development environment for Java. It is an all-Java application written atop a generic IDE base. Inside the JBuilder OpenTools API lets you make the most of this environment by describing how you can extend and enhance the IDE itself. You can automate repetitive processes, or capture complex steps behind a simple wizard interface. You can interact with the IDE to augment its capabilities and make it easier to work with. You can interface the IDE with third party tools, such as version control systems and application servers. And, you can add innovative functionality that takes JBuilder in new directions.
JBuilder is, itself, a collection of OpenTools built upon a generic IDE base. The OpenTools API lets you hook into and interact with most facets of the JBuilder IDE. This book covers JBuilder versions from 7 through 10.
Starting with the basics of how JBuilder automatically discovers new tools and loads them into the IDE, this book covers many aspects of the OpenTools API. From creating actions and adding them to the JBuilder menu or toolbar, through creating wizards, saving settings with the properties system, interacting with the Message Pane, to creating new file node types, and viewers for these or existing types. From creating new key bindings, or intercepting keystrokes in the editor, through Java code parsing and generation, to interfacing with version control systems and application servers. This book has something for everyone that uses JBuilder.
Additional chapters from the book (PDF, zipped, 3.3MB)
Keith Wood hails from Brisbane, Australia, where he is a Solutions Architect for Hyro. He has used JBuilder since its first release and has contributed many OpenTools to the JBuilder community. He is also a frequent contributor of technical articles to Delphi Informant and Hardcore Delphi magazines, and has written the Delphi Developer's Guide to XML, 2nd Edition. You can contact him via e-mail at wood.keith{at}optusnet.com.au.
© 2004, Keith Wood