Java UI Toolkit Overview

The UI Toolkit APIs (interfaces, classes, and beans) are designed to help you develop Swing-based applications that use the eProcess APIs. To use these interfaces and classes, you must be familiar with the eProcess APIs. These interfaces, support classes, and beans are meant to make user interface development easier once you understand the programmatic requirements of the eProcess APIs.

This overview information, and the information found in the UI Toolkit API documentation, is useful if you are using these Swing components and controls to extend the interface of the Java Step Processors or Launch Step Processors. You can use these Swing components in one of two ways: (1) explicitly coding using these components in a text-based editor, or (2) drag-and-drop development in an IDE capable of supporting RAD. For drag-and-drop development you must add the vwpanel.jar file to the IDE.

While runtime versions of these classes are included in the pw.jar file, the necessary support files for drag-and-drop development are packaged in the vwpanel.jar file. Refer to Install Panagon eProcess Toolkit for more information on accessing the UI Toolkit APIs reference documentation.

Interfaces

Name

Description

IVWAppLauncher

Interface that must be implemented by all applications that need to share session information with child applications.

IVWFrameInterface

Interface that specifies which methods the dialogs support. This is a parent class for the IVWAppLauncher and IVWLaunchableApp interfaces.

IVWLaunchableApp

Interface that must be implemented in child applications that need to share session information with the parent application.

IVWPanelComponent

Implements required methods for all components for which VWPanel or VWLaunchPanel beans act as a container.

IVWParameterConstants

Interface that contains String versions of all of the necessary parameters for launching and running applets and applications.

IVWStepProcessor

Interface that should be implemented by any Step Processor application that allows the toolkit to modify its title.

IVWStepProcessorComponent

Interface that should be implemented by all components implemented as a Step Processor bean. Additionally, the VWPanel or VWLaunchPanel bean can contain these objects.

Support Classes

Name

Description

VWDriverFrame

Provides a container for customized frame implementations (extends the java.awt.Frame class).

VWPanelComponentInfo

Implements required interfaces for all components contained by the VWPanel. Retrieves information about the specified parameter from the step element and saves the changes to the step element.

VWSessionInfo

Provides a container for session related information (like host name, router name, router ports, and other necessary session data).

Beans (containers and controls)

See the UI Toolkit Parameters topic for information on the parameters supported by these beans.

Name

Description

VWAttachmentPanel

Provides the means for listing attachments associated with the current step. The toolbar provides the Content Services and Image Services functionality. This bean provides the only programmatic means to interact with the Content Services and Image Services within the UI Toolkit APIs. No other UI Toolkit APIs allow interaction with attachments.

VWButton

Provides support for some Step Processor operations, like save, complete, cancel, or reassign.

VWCheckBox

Provides a means for exposing the state of a Boolean data field. If the field is editable, the user changes the state by clicking on the control.

VWComboBox

Displays a list of responses. Calling the doSave() method saves the selected response.

VWFieldPanel

Displays the data fields exposed at the step. The panel allows users to modify the values based on the specified workflow definition mode.

VWLabel

Provides a means for displaying read-only parameter data.

VWLaunchPanel

Provides a container for other controls. This class is used to build a Launch Step Processor. The class creates the workflow, initializes the other components, and serves as an ActionListener for the button press events from the VWButton objects.

VWMilestonePanel

Provides a read-only milestone list.

VWPanel

Provides a container for other controls. This class is used to build a Step Processor. The class retrieves the VWStepElement, initializes the other components, and implements an ActionListener for the button press events from the VWButton objects.

VWTabbedPane

Provides a tabbed control for displaying the attachments, fields, and workflow group beans. In addition, the control allows an end user to select a response and enter his/her comments.

VWTextArea

Provides a multi-row control for displaying step instructions, or allowing the user to enter his/her comments.

VWTextField

Provides a single-row control for displaying field data.

VWWflGroupPanel

Provides a dialog box for displaying the Workflow Group parameters exposed at this step. The panel allows users to modify the contents of the groups.

All of the component beans have an associated information class. The information classes are named using the convention of adding BeanInfo to the bean name. For example, the information class for VWButton is named VWButtonBeanInfo. The information classes describe the associated beans, and the information classes support the following methods: