## About the System Filesystem

See Also

The system filesystem is the central repository for configuration data in NetBeans. It is composed at runtime of a stack of XML layer files supplied by modules in the system. It is a virtual filesystem that contains configuration information. NetBeans stores a wide variety of configuration information in the system filesystem. For example, the system filesystem contains a folder called `Menu`, which contains subfolders with names such as `File` and `Edit`. These subfolders contain files that represent Java classes which implement the actions that appear in the File and Edit menus.

When you create a module, you are free to create your own folders in the system filesystem to store data that relate to your module. You can also add objects to existing folders. One of the reasons to use the system filesystem is that it enables an application to be constructed piecemeal from pluggable components (modules) without requiring the use of a monolithic "master controller" that knows about everything.

One important aspect of a NetBeans virtual filesystem is that it can fire events to notify the rest of the system when something in it changes. NetBeans listens for changes in the system filesystem, and if, for example, something creates a new object in one of the menu folders, that new item will appear in the menu.

See Also
  About the NetBeans Platform
  About the NetBeans APIs
  About NetBeans Platform and Module Development
  About XML Layer Files
  Working with Modules
  Module Tasks: Quick Reference

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