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User Interface Specification: Window System in NetBeans IDE

Author: Jan Rojcek
Revision: $Revision: 1.14 $
Document History: available in CVS

Abstract: This document is a specification of default windows layout. It also defines a composition of window groups and windowing menus as used in NetBeans IDE.

Table of Contents:

1 Introduction

2 References

3 Detailed Spec

3.1 Default Layout Positions

3.2 Default Windows Layout

3.3 Startup Windows

3.4 Window Groups

3.5 Window Menu

3.6 View Menu

3.7 Dialog Boxes

3.8 Actions Interacting with Window System

1 Introduction

This document is an implementation of Windowing System UI Spec into NetBeans IDE. This document defines the default layout of windows, also defines the window groups, and composition of Window and View menus.

2 References

Two documents should be read prior to this document:

Window System User View document provides foundation concepts for the window system specification.
Window System UI Spec document provides the complete specification of windowing system in NetBeans platform.

Other documents specifying changes in NetBeans IDE distribution due to the new windowing system implementation:

Form Editor Toolbar document provides a specification of form editor toolbar appearance and behavior in the new windowing system.
VCS Outputs document provides a complete specification of VCS outputs presentation in the new windowing system.
Search Results Window document provides a complete specification of Search Results Window presentation in the new windowing system.

3 Detailed Spec

3.1 Default Layout Positions

Each window in the new windowing system has a position where it is open by default. To make the layout simple by default, only six positions are defined. The positions are following:

Explorer - used for all windows which provide access to the user objects, usually in tree browsers.
Output - used for the Output window and VCS Output window by default.
Debugger - used for all debugger windows and other supporting windows that require horizontal layout.
Palette - used for component palette window.
Inspector - used for component inspector window.
Properties - used for properties window.

The "Documents" position is the layout position used for all document windows.

In MDI all window positions (window containers) are in window area:

Figure 1: Default layout positions in MDI

In SDI, the window containers are distinguished like this:

Explorer - native window.
Output - native window.
Debugger - native window.
Palette - elementary split cell in window area.
Inspector - elementary split cell in window area.
Properties - elementary split cell in window area.

Positions in SDI:

Figure 2: Default layout positions in SDI (in red are the native windows)

3.2 Default Windows Layout

A distribution of all NetBeans IDE windows into the default layout positions is below. Note that the names of windows are as they would appear in the UI. Some of the names has been changed. The order of windows is important. The topmost windows in the list would be the leftmost window in the UI.

3.2.1 Explorer

Projects
Files
Favorites
Runtime
Versioning
VCS Groups

3.2.2 Output

Output
VCS Output
Search Results
HTTP Monitor

3.2.3 Debugger

Watches
Local Variables
Call Stack
Classes
Breakpoints
Sessions
Threads
Execution

3.2.4 Palette

Palette

3.2.5 Inspector

Inspector

3.2.6 Documents

All the windows open in this layout position are the document windows.

Java Source Editor
HTML Editor
JSP Editor
XML Editor
Image Viewer
Bundle Editor (table)
Bundle Text Editor
Text Editor (txt files)
Form Editor
Status (output of cvs 'status' command)
Log (output of cvs 'log' command)
Annotate (output of cvs 'annotate' command)
Diff (cvs graphical diff)
Diff (of two files in explorer)
Explorer (open with Explore From Here contextual menu item)
Auto Comment
Javadoc Index Search
Web Browser
Welcome Screen

3.3 Startup Windows

A startup windows are windows which are open by default at the first startup. The NetBeans IDE startup windows are following:

Projects
Files
Welcome Screen

Figure 3: Default Startup layout

3.4 Window Groups

NetBeans IDE contains three window groups:

Execution
Debugging
GUI Editing

3.4.1 Execution

The Execution window group is open if the Execution action is invoked. The group is closed when the last executed process gets terminated.

The windows contained in the group:

Execution
Output

The windows open by default with the group:

Execution
Output

The windows which always stay open if the group is closed:

Output

Figure 4: Default Execution layout

3.4.2 GUI Editing

The GUI Editing window group is open if a document window containing the form editor is visible in the IDE. It means when at least one document tab displays the form editor. The group is closed if the last selected form editor is either deselected or closed.

The windows contained in the group:

Palette
Inspector
Properties

The windows open by default with the group:

Palette
Inspector
Properties

The windows which stay open if the group is closed:

None

Figure 5: Default GUI layout

3.4.3 Debugging

The Debugging window group is open when a debugging session is started. The group is closed when the last debugging session is closed.

The windows contained in the group:

Watches
Local Variables
Call Stack
Classes
Breakpoints
Sessions
Threads
Output

The windows open by default with the group:

Watches
Local Variables
Call Stack
Output

The windows which stay open if the group is closed:

Output

Figure 6: Default Debugging layout

3.5 Window Menu

The following figures specify the Window menu for NetBeans IDE. Each menu item has associated shortcut and mnemonic.

Figure 7: Window menu

| Window |
--------------
Projects       (j) [Ctrl-1]
File           (F) [Ctrl-2]
Favorites      (i) [Ctrl-3]
Runtime        (R) [Ctrl-5]
Properties     (P) [Ctrl+Shift-7]
Execution      (x) [Ctrl+Shift-6]
Output         (O) [Ctrl-4]
Search Results (u) [Ctrl+Shift-0]
To Do          (T) [Ctrl-6]
HTTP Monitor   (H) [Ctrl-7]
GUI Editing    (G) >
Debugging      (b) >
Versioning     (V) >
--------------
...

Figure 8: Window submenus

GUI Editing >  Palette         (P)
               Inspector       (I)

Debugging   >  Local Variables (L) [Alt+Shift-1]
               Watches         (W) [Alt+Shift-2]
               Call Stack      (S) [Alt+Shift-3]
               Classes         (C) [Alt+Shift-4]
               Breakpoints     (B) [Alt+Shift-5]
               Sessions        (n) [Alt+Shift-6]
               Threads         (T) [Alt+Shift-7]

Versioning  >  Versioning      (V) [Ctrl-8]
               VCS Groups      (G) [no shortcut]
               VCS Output      (O) [Ctrl-9]

3.6 View Menu

Due to the changes in the window menu the View menu would change too. The following figure displays the View menu.

Figure 9: View menu

| View |
--------
Web Browser           (W) [N/A]
Javadoc Index Search  (J) [Shift-F1]
Documentation Indices (D) >

3.7 Dialog Boxes

This section contains a list of all windows from the old window system, which are implemented as dialog boxes in the new window system.

Properties
Options

3.8 Actions Interacting with Window System

This section contains a list of all actions which interact with the windowing system. It describes how these actions influence the windowing system state, whether it is in opening / closing a window, window group or switching the keyboard focus. The following actions are not the window system actions as described in the window system UI spec. Following actions are regular actions provided by modules.

Many of the actions described below open a window or document window. Opening a window doesn't result in selecting and activating the window automatically. Selecting a window means selecting its tab (moving to front) if the window is tabbed with other windows. Activating a window means selecting it (its tab) and switching the keyboard focus to it. If the window tab is scrolled out from user's view when it is selected then it is also scrolled and made visible.

3.8.1 Main Menu Actions

File | Open File

Opens and activates a document window in window area containing an editor of selected file.

Edit | Find in Files

Opens and activates the "Search Results" document window in document area. The "Search Results" window is singleton. If the window is already open then it gets activated.

View | Web Browser

Opens and activates the document window named "Web Browser" in document area. The "Web Browser" window is singleton.

View | Javadoc Index Search

Opens and activates the "Javadoc Index Search" document window in document area. The "Javadoc Index Search" window is singleton. If the window is already open then it gets activated.