## About Distributing Rich-Client Applications

See Also

Rich-client applications are complete, functioning, standalone Swing applications. The Swing libraries provide a rich collection of user interface elements. However, the Swing libraries do not provide a mechanism for joining the user interface elements together into an application. For this purpose, NetBeans provides the NetBeans Platform, which is the application framework on top of which you build your application. Each distinct part of a rich-client application is provided by a separate module, several of which serve to provide the user interface elements from the Swing libraries. For example, if your rich-client application is an editor, you might have one module that provides syntax highlighting, while another provides file templates.

### Branding

Before you distribute a rich-client application, you need to consider whether you want to leave it resembling NetBeans. For example, your rich-client application uses the NetBeans splash screen by default. Branding, the final stage before creating distribution packages, involves making decisions such as what the splash screen should look like and whether the application will include a progress bar during startup. In the module suite project's Project Properties dialog box, you define such settings, as described in Branding a Rich-Client Application.

While branding, also consider whether your rich-client application needs all the modules that the IDE uses. For example, if your rich-client application is not an editor, you will not need the modules that relate to editor functionality. Similarly, it is unlikely that all of the IDE's menu items and toolbar buttons are needed by your application.

### Releasing

Once a rich-client application is branded, you can distribute it over the web as a web-startable JNLP application. Alternatively, you can distribute the ZIP file. See Building a JNLP Application and Building a ZIP Distribution for details. Updates to the modules that make up a rich-client application can be distributed via the Update Center.

See Also
  About NetBeans Platform and Module Development
  About the NetBeans Platform

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