Why can't I find Java desktop application in Netbeans 7.1

Question

I downloaded Netbeans 7.1 with all bundle from http://netbeans.org/downloads and installed it successfully on Windows 7.

But I can't find Java Desktop Application which should be under Java category when add new project as 7.0 does.

Where is it? Or what is the substitute one in 7.1? I need something to create GUI by dragging components.

Thanks.

Maestoso

Answer 1

Look here: http://netbeans.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=204661

Support for [B]SAF (JSR 296, basically the framework that was behind your "Java Desktop Application" project template) has been abruptly dropped (for no valid reason, let me add).

However, as Bill says in his answer, it is not necessary to use the SAF in order to visually design a form. NetBeans swing-designer (known as Matisse) can be used to design any JFrame, JDialog, JPanel, etc.

You just have to

Right click -> New -> JFrame Form...

and you're ready to drag-and-drop!

(The features you'll be missing are the extra bells and whistles that such framework provided, like SAF Actions, windowing persistence, simplified management for long running Tasks and related visual feedback [now you have to get your hands dirty with the SwingWorker class], etc)

Shamble

You can still get the Swing Application Framework library From the NetBeans Update Center. However note that it doesn't include the ability to create or Edit SWAF forms – Boer

Or even better, get the BSAF (Better Swing Application Framework, basically an actively mantained branch with bug fixes and small, backward compatible improvements) from here: kenai.com/projects/bsaf/pages/Home – Shamble

Answer 2

Java Desktop refers to an effort to create a standard or library (libraries) that never really produced anything of significance. I think its likely that they finally removed it from Netbeans.

Its easier to just create a new Java Application project, don't bother with a main, then create a new JFrame Form. That class will have a main for you to use, and you can also design the frame in the form. You can also create JPanel Form classes. Note: you can do this in just about any project in netbeans, there is nothing special about the projects for them.

Debatable

Probably OP also used all the extra bells&whistles that the Swing Application Framework offered, like SAF Actions, windowing persistence, etc – Shamble

Any chance you know what to do with an old project that does use Java Desktop (including org.jdesktop.beansbinding.*) from the NetBeans 7 era to migrate it to modern NetBeans, like Apache NetBeans 11? I've got a project with a bunch of beansbinding class references in generated code in form classes that I don't know what to do with to get rid of the dependency. – Feinleib

Answer 3

its better to use NetBeans 7.0 for full support of swing components. many tutorials and guides feature the "Java Desktop Application" (like the ones for JXMapKit : http://today.java.net/pub/a/today/2007/10/30/building-maps-into-swing-app-with-jxmapviewer.html )

Centuplicate

Answer 4

You can find something helpful to create CRUD desktop application in Java.

You can find it here.

Nosh