Swing for Jython : [graphical] Jython UI and scripts development using Java Swing and WebSphere Application Server

This book shows you how to use Swing to add a GUI to your Jython scripts, with an emphasis on the WebSphere Application Server wsadmin utility. In fact, we're going to teach you Swing using Jython, and we're going to do it in a way that, hopefully, that makes your scripts easier for people to use, more robust, more understandable, and therefore easier to maintain. This book is for experienced Java programmers who have experience with Jython and at least some experience maybe with Swing.

Jython is an open source implementation of the high-level, dynamic, object-oriented scripting language Python seamlessly integrated with the Java platform. The predecessor to Jython, JPython, is certified as 100% Pure Java. Jython is freely available for both commercial and noncommercial use and is distributed with source code. Jython is complementary to Java.

The Definitive Guide to Jython, written by the official Jython team leads, covers Jython 2.5 (or 2.5.x)—from the basics tomore advanced features. This book begins with a brief introduction to the language and then journeys through Jython’s different features and uses.

The Definitive Guide to Jython is organized for beginners as well as advanced users of the language. The book provides a general overview of the Jython language itself, but it also includes intermediate and advanced topics regarding database, web, and graphical user interface (GUI) applications; Web services/SOA; and integration, concurrency, and parallelism, to name a few.

What you’ll learn

• How to handle Jython basics like language syntax and concepts
• How to use the Jython scripting language for I/O, Java/Jython integration, and Jython in an IDE and databases
• How to integrate Jython with the Django web framework and even Spring
• How to develop web applications with Jython including web services/SOA, GUI considerations, and deployment targets
• How to conduct testing, continuous integration, concurrency, scaling, and more with Jython

Who this book is for

This book is for Java web developers looking to use a dynamic scripting language as an alternative to Groovy or JRuby. Other web developers who use Python and Django may also be interested in this book.

Table of Contents

1. Language and Syntax
2. Data Types and Referencing
3. Operators, Expressions, and Program Flow
4. Defining Functions and Using Built-ins
5. Input and Output
6. Object-Oriented Jython
7. Exception Handling and Debugging
8. Modules and Packages for Code Reuse
9. Scripting With Jython
10. Jython and Java Integration
11. Using Jython in an IDE
12. Databases and Jython: Object Relational Mapping and Using JDBC
13. Simple Web Applications
14. Web Applications With Django
15. Introduction to Pylons
16. GUI Applications
17. Deployment Targets
18. Strategy and Technique
19. Testing and Continuous Integration
20. Concurrency
21. Appendix A: Using Other Tools with Jython
22. Appendix B: Jython Cookbook
23. Appendix C: Built-in Functions

The Swing classes eliminate Java's biggest weakness: its relatively primitive user interface toolkit. Swing provides many new components and containers that allow you to build sophisticated user interfaces, far beyond what was possible with AWT. The old components have been greatly improved, and there are many new components, like trees, tables, and even text editors. It also adds several completely new features to Java's user interface capabilities: drag-and-drop, undo, and the ability to develop your own look and feel, or the ability to choose between several standard looks. The Swing components are all lightweight, and therefore provide more uniform behavior across platforms, making it easier to test your software.

All these new features mean that there's a lot to learn. Swing is undoubtedly way ahead of AWT - or, for that matter, any widely available user interface toolkit - but it's also a lot more complicated. It's still easy to do simple things. But once you've seen what's possible, you won't want to do the simple things.

Java Swing gives you in-depth coverage of everything you need to know to take full advantage of Swing, providing detailed descriptions of every class and interface in the key Swing packages. It shows you how to use all of the new components, allowing you to build state-of-the-art user interfaces. It also discusses how the components implement the MVC (Model View Controller) architecture, so you can understand how the components are designed and subclass them intelligently. Finally, it shows how to create your own look and feel. Throughout, Java Swing focuses on giving you the context you need to understand what you're doing. It's more than documentation; Java Swing helps you develop code quickly and effectively.

Whether you're a serious Java developer, or just trying to find out what Java can do, you'll find Java Swing an indispensable guide.

Swing, the user interface components of the Java Foundation Classes (JFC), is quickly revolutionizing user interface development. This publication provides both an excellent reference and a complete tutorial for the Swing component set. Based on Java 1.1 and 1.2 beta 4 JFC, it details UI development, the model delegate architecture and all data models. To derive the most benefit from this reference, you should be familiar with the Java language, programming concepts, inner classes and the Java 1.1 event model.

Front Matter....Pages i-xxv Components and Containers....Pages 1-7 Interactive Sessions vs. Scripts....Pages 9-14 Building a Simple Global Security Application....Pages 15-19 Button Up! Using Buttons and Labels....Pages 21-34 Picking a Layout Manager Can Be a Pane....Pages 35-63 Using Text Input Fields....Pages 65-77 Other Input Components....Pages 79-97 Selectable Input Components....Pages 99-104 Providing Choices, Making Lists....Pages 105-120 Menus and MenuItems....Pages 121-136 Using JTree to Show the Forest: Hierarchical Relationships of Components....Pages 137-152 Motion to Take from the Table: Building Tables....Pages 153-191 Keystrokes, Actions, and Bindings, Oh My!....Pages 193-204 It’s the Event of the Year: Events in Swing Applications....Pages 205-229 Nuts to Soup: Using Jsoup to Enhance Applications....Pages 231-261 Conversing with a User with Dialog Boxes....Pages 263-283 Specialized Dialog Boxes....Pages 285-296 Monitoring and Indicating Progress....Pages 297-315 Internal Frames....Pages 317-353 Building a Graphical Help Application....Pages 355-384 A Security Configuration Report Application....Pages 385-417 WASports: A WebSphere Port Application....Pages 419-462 Back Matter....Pages 463-471 Jython is an open source implementation of the high-level, dynamic, object-oriented scripting language Python seamlessly integrated with the Java platform. The predecessor to Jython, JPython, is certified as 100% Pure Java. Jython is freely available for both commercial and noncommercial use and is distributed with source code. Jython is complementary to Java. The Definitive Guide to Jython, written by the official Jython team leads, covers Jython 2.5 (or 2.5.x)—from the basics to more advanced features. This book begins with a brief introduction to the language and then journeys through Jython's different features and uses. The Definitive Guide to Jython is organized for beginners as well as advanced users of the language. The book provides a general overview of the Jython language itself, but it also includes intermediate and advanced topics regarding database, web, and graphical user interface (GUI) applications; Web services/SOA; and integration, concurrency, and parallelism, to name a few. "Swing, the centerpiece of the JFC (Java Foundation Classes), eliminates Java's biggest weakness: its relatively primitive user interface toolkit. Swing provides many new components that allow you to build sophisticated user interfaces easily."--BOOK JACKET. "Java Swing gives you in-depth coverage of everything you need to know to take full advantage of Swing. It's more than documentation; Java Swing is full of examples and detailed explanations that help you develop code quickly and effectively."--BOOK JACKET. "Whether you're a serious Java developer, or just trying to find out what Java can do, you'll find Java Swing an indispensable guide."--BOOK JACKET This book shows you how to use Swing to add a GUI to your Jython scripts, with an emphasis on the WebSphere Application Server wsadmin utility. You'll learn how to: add Swing APIs to your Jython scripts; work with components, containers, layouts, input/output fields, lists, menus, trees, frames, tables, event handling and more; build a simple global security application with a graphical UI; monitor and indicate progress; create a simple graphical help application; build a security configuration report application; port over to WebSphere for middleware deployment. -- Edited summary from book