Overview

# NetBeans Architecture Answers for projects/projectuiapi module

- Author: jglick@netbeans.org
- Answers as of: Dec 7, 2006
- Answers for questions version: 1.25
- Latest available version of questions: 1.26

WARNING: answering questions version 1.25 rather than the current 1.26.

## Interfaces table

##### Group of java interfaces

Interface Name | In/Out | Stability | Specified in What Document?
ProjectUIAPI | Exported | Official | The Project UI API provides some miscellaneous APIs and SPIs relating to the appearance and UI behavior of generic projects. Most importantly, it permits the customizer and logical view of a project to be defined.
ProjectUIAPI-provider | Exported | Friend | Callbacks intended to let the Project UI module plug in implementations of APIs defined here. Uses implementation dependencies.
ProjectAPI | Imported | Under Development | For various purposes. .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.6 is required.
Filesystems | Imported | Official | For various purposes.
Datasystems | Imported | Official | For just internal purposes.
Nodes | Imported | Official | Part of API.
Progress | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.0 is required.
GeneralQueriesAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.5 is required.
org.openide.awt | Imported | Official | ../org-openide-awt/overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
DialogsAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
ExplorerAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
FilesystemsAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
LoadersAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime.
NodesAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
UtilitiesAPI | Imported | Official | ../org-openide-util/overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.

##### Group of layer interfaces

Interface Name | In/Out | Stability | Specified in What Document?
ProjectTemplates | Exported | Official | New (or import) project wizards can be registered in a special folder `Templates/Projects/`.
ProjectActions | Exported | Official | Providers of generic project actions can register `Action` and `JSeparator` instances in a special folder `Projects/Actions/`. So if any module wishes to extend, hide or reorder some of them it can just register its actions there. Example:
        <folder name="Projects" >
            <folder name="Actions" >
                <file name="org-mymodule-MyAction.instance" >
                    <attr name="instanceCreate" stringvalue="org.mymodule.MyAction" />
                </file>
            </folder>
        </folder>
Templates | Exported | Official | File templates can be registered with various attributes, some specific to the project system.

## General Information

Question (arch-what): What is this project good for?

Answer:

The module supplies the APIs for the basic, generic UI infrastructure for projects: list of opened projects, main project, basic project-sensitive actions, template wizards, etc.

Question (arch-overall): Describe the overall architecture.

Answer:

- ProjectUIAPI -

  The Project UI API provides some miscellaneous APIs and SPIs relating to the appearance and UI behavior of generic projects. Most importantly, it permits the customizer and logical view of a project to be defined.

- ProjectUIAPI-provider -

  Callbacks intended to let the Project UI module plug in implementations of APIs defined here. Uses implementation dependencies.

Question (arch-usecases): Describe the main use cases of the new API. Who will use it under what circumstances? What kind of code would typically need to be written to use the module?

Answer:

The main use case is for project type providers to supply logical views and customizers for the project. Also for template providers to create project-aware file templates. Can also get a list of open projects, create different kinds of project-related actions, and select projects on disk.

Question (arch-time): What are the time estimates of the work?

Answer:

Mostly finished.

Question (arch-quality): How will the quality of your code be tested and how are future regressions going to be prevented?

Answer:

No tests currently, but this is mostly API and not implementation.

Question (arch-where): Where one can find sources for your module?

WARNING: Question with id="arch-where" has not been answered!

## Project and platform dependencies

Question (dep-nb): What other NetBeans projects and modules does this one depend on?

Answer:

- ProjectAPI -

  For various purposes.

- Filesystems -

  For various purposes.

- Datasystems -

  For just internal purposes.

- Nodes -

  Part of API.

Default answer to this question is:

These modules are required in project.xml file:

- Progress - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.0 is required.
- ProjectAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.6 is required.
- GeneralQueriesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.5 is required.
- org.openide.awt - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- DialogsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- ExplorerAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- FilesystemsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- LoadersAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime.
- NodesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- UtilitiesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.

Question (dep-non-nb): What other projects outside NetBeans does this one depend on?

Answer:

None.

Question (dep-platform): On which platforms does your module run? Does it run in the same way on each?

Answer:

Any.

Question (dep-jre): Which version of JRE do you need (1.2, 1.3, 1.4, etc.)?

Answer:

1.4+.

Question (dep-jrejdk): Do you require the JDK or is the JRE enough?

Answer:

JRE.

## Deployment

Question (deploy-jar): Do you deploy just module JAR file(s) or other files as well?

Answer:

Just a JAR.

Question (deploy-nbm): Can you deploy an NBM via the Update Center?

Answer:

Yes.

Question (deploy-shared): Do you need to be installed in the shared location only, or in the user directory only, or can your module be installed anywhere?

Answer:

Anywhere.

Question (deploy-packages): Are packages of your module made inaccessible by not declaring them public?

Answer:

Yes, only API and SPI packages are public.

Question (deploy-dependencies): What do other modules need to do to declare a dependency on this one?

Answer:

       OpenIDE-Module-Module-Dependencies: org.netbeans.modules.projectuiapi/1 > ${OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version}

## Compatibility with environment

Question (compat-i18n): Is your module correctly internationalized?

Answer:

Yes.

Question (compat-standards): Does the module implement or define any standards? Is the implementation exact or does it deviate somehow?

Answer:

No.

Question (compat-version): Can your module coexist with earlier and future versions of itself? Can you correctly read all old settings? Will future versions be able to read your current settings? Can you read or politely ignore settings stored by a future version?

Answer:

No settings.

## Access to resources

Question (resources-file): Does your module use `java.io.File` directly?

Answer:

Only to open projects on disk, since `JFileChooser` is needed.

Question (resources-layer): Does your module provide own layer? Does it create any files or folders in it? What it is trying to communicate by that and with which components?

Answer:

No.

Question (resources-read): Does your module read any resources from layers? For what purpose?

Answer: ProjectTemplates -

New (or import) project wizards can be registered in a special folder `Templates/Projects/`.

ProjectActions -

Providers of generic project actions can register `Action` and `JSeparator` instances in a special folder `Projects/Actions/`. So if any module wishes to extend, hide or reorder some of them it can just register its actions there. Example:

        <folder name="Projects" >
            <folder name="Actions" >
                <file name="org-mymodule-MyAction.instance" >
                    <attr name="instanceCreate" stringvalue="org.mymodule.MyAction" />
                </file>
            </folder>
        </folder>

Templates -

File templates can be registered with various attributes, some specific to the project system.

Question (resources-mask): Does your module mask/hide/override any resources provided by other modules in their layers?

Answer:

No.

## Lookup of components

Question (lookup-lookup): Does your module use `org.openide.util.Lookup` or any similar technology to find any components to communicate with? Which ones?

Answer:

Just finds the Project UI module’s callbacks via lookup.

Question (lookup-register): Do you register anything into lookup for other code to find?

Answer:

No.

Question (lookup-remove): Do you remove entries of other modules from lookup?

Answer:

No.

## Execution Environment

Question (exec-property): Is execution of your code influenced by any environment or Java system (`System.getProperty`) property?

Answer:

No.

Question (exec-component): Is execution of your code influenced by any (string) property of any of your components?

Answer:

The template creation API uses file attributes to decide which templates are appropriate for certain project types, and to find template wizards.

Question (exec-ant-tasks): Do you define or register any ant tasks that other can use?

Answer:

No

Question (exec-classloader): Does your code create its own class loader(s)?

Answer:

No.

Question (exec-reflection): Does your code use Java Reflection to execute other code?

Answer:

No.

Question (exec-privateaccess): Are you aware of any other parts of the system calling some of your methods by reflection?

Answer:

No.

Question (exec-process): Do you execute an external process from your module? How do you ensure that the result is the same on different platforms? Do you parse output? Do you depend on result code?

Answer:

No.

Question (exec-introspection): Does your module use any kind of runtime type information (`instanceof`, work with `java.lang.Class`, etc.)?

Answer:

No.

Question (exec-threading): What threading models, if any, does your module adhere to?

Answer:

Should all be in EQ (GUI).

Question (security-policy): Does your functionality require modifications to the standard policy file?

Answer:

No.

Question (security-grant): Does your code grant additional rights to some other code?

Answer:

No.

## Format of files and protocols

Question (format-types): Which protocols and file formats (if any) does your module read or write on disk, or transmit or receive over the network? Do you generate an ant build script? Can it be edited and modified?

Answer:

None.

Question (format-dnd): Which protocols (if any) does your code understand during Drag & Drop?

Answer:

None.

Question (format-clipboard): Which data flavors (if any) does your code read from or insert to the clipboard (by access to clipboard on means calling methods on `java.awt.datatransfer.Transferable`?

Answer:

None.

## Performance and Scalability

Question (perf-startup): Does your module run any code on startup?

Answer:

No.

Question (perf-exit): Does your module run any code on exit?

Answer:

No.

Question (perf-scale): Which external criteria influence the performance of your program (size of file in editor, number of files in menu, in source directory, etc.) and how well your code scales?

Answer:

None.

Question (perf-limit): Are there any hard-coded or practical limits in the number or size of elements your code can handle?

Answer:

None known.

Question (perf-mem): How much memory does your component consume? Estimate with a relation to the number of windows, etc.

Answer:

Trivial.

Question (perf-wakeup): Does any piece of your code wake up periodically and do something even when the system is otherwise idle (no user interaction)?

Answer:

No.

Question (perf-progress): Does your module execute any long-running tasks?

Answer:

No.

Question (perf-huge_dialogs): Does your module contain any dialogs or wizards with a large number of GUI controls such as combo boxes, lists, trees, or text areas?

Answer:

No.

Question (perf-menus): Does your module use dynamically updated context menus, or context-sensitive actions with complicated and slow enablement logic?

Answer:

No.

Question (perf-spi): How the performance of the plugged in code will be enforced?

Answer:

No special provisions. GUI code must be fast.

Built on December 7 2006. | Portions Copyright 1997-2005 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.