A new article by Björn Müller, now up on otn/java, titled “Why, Where, and How JavaFX Makes Sense” incisively explores the intricacies of when, where, and how JavaFX is a good technology fit.

Müller writes:
 “Our experience proves that implementing an employee desktop front end with native technology is a valid approach and that JavaFX is a good fit.

* JavaFX is available on the leading desktop operating systems (Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X)
* Although it has gone through some painful changes, its evolution proves its vendor’s level of commitment.
* As the successor to Swing, it is being used by an increasing number of Java developers. Regardless of its future, it will benefit from a strong developer community.
* Compared to Swing, it provides a clear and clean architecture and features many enhancements: styling, event management, transitions, scene graph—to name a few.
* It provides the possibility of developing up-to-date user interfaces with animations, multitouch, and the like.
* It is based on a clear and clean language: Java.
* It provides all the professional Java tooling required to debug, analyze, profile, and log a client application.
* It enables a simple app-like installation on the client side, without any prerequisites.”

Müller provides a nuanced discussion of the kinds of architecture in which JavaFX should be embedded, its uses with JavaServer Faces, and reports on his own experiences using JavaFX.

Have a look at the article here.

Up on otn/java is a very useful article by Oracle Java/Middleware/Core Tech Engineer Mark Heckler, titled, “How to Get Started (FAST!) with JavaFX 2 and Scene Builder.”  Heckler, who has development experience in numerous environments, shows developers how to develop a JavaFX application using Scene Builder “in less time than it takes to drink a cup of coffee, while learning your way around in the process”.

He begins with a warning and a reassurance: “JavaFX is a new paradigm and can seem a bit imposing when you first take a look at it. But remember, JavaFX is easy and fun. Let's give it a try.”

Next, after showing readers how to download and install JDK/JavaFX and Scene Builder, he informs the reader that they will “create a simple JavaFX application, create and modify a window using Scene Builder, and successfully test it in under 15 minutes.”

Then readers download some NetBeans files:
“EasyJavaFX.java contains the main application class. We won't do anything with this class for our example, as its primary purpose in life is to load the window definition code contained in the FXML file and then show the main stage/scene. You'll keep the JavaFX terms straight with ease if you relate them to the theater: a platform holds a stage, which contains scenes.

SampleController.java is our controller class that provides the ‘brains’ behind the graphical interface. If you open the SampleController, you'll see that it includes a property and a method tagged with @FXML. This tag enables the integration of the visual controls and elements you define using Scene Builder, which are stored in an FXML (FX Markup Language) file.

Sample.fxml is the definition file for our sample window. You can right-click and Edit the filename in the tree to view the underlying FXML -- and you may need to do that if you change filenames or properties by hand - or you can double-click on it to open it (visually) in Scene Builder.”

Then Scene Builder enters the picture and the task is soon done.

Check out the article here.

A new article by Oracle’s Java Champion Jim Weaver, titled “Expressing the UI for Enterprise Applications with JavaFX 2.0 FXML -- Part Two,” now up on otn/java, shows developers how to leverage the power of the FX Markup Language to define the UI for enterprise applications. Weaver, the author of Pro JavaFX Platform, extends the SearchDemoFXML example used in Part One to include more concepts and techniques for creating an enterprise application using FXML.

Weaver concludes the article by summarizing its content, “FXML provides the ability to radically change the UI without modifying the controller. This task can be accomplished by loading different FXML documents, leveraging JavaFX cascading style sheets, and creating localized resource bundles. Named parameters can be used with these features to provide relevant information to an application at startup.”

Check out the article here.

A new article by Java Champion Adam Bien, now up on otn/java, titled “Enterprise JavaFX Deployment with LightView: Part 3,” explores ways to use Maven 3 to build and deploy the LightView application in all available deployment modes. In addition, Bien shows how to sign and deploy LightView with a Java EE 6 application.

Bien explains the basics:

“LightView uses the HTTP (REST) protocol to communicate with the back-end server. For the realization of back-end communication, an external library—the Jersey client—is used. LightView connects with the back end (LightFish) at startup time, so it is not suitable to lazy-load the Jersey dependencies for optimization purposes. Furthermore, multiple JAR files are hard to handle for standalone applications; you have to set up the class path correctly and keep all the moving parts consistent. The most convenient way to deploy Java (and JavaFX) applications is simply by starting them with java -jar my-killer-app.jar and deploying a single file that contains all the dependencies.”

He shows how the class files are packaged with the javafxpackager, which is shipped with the JavaFX 2 SDK, using the exec-maven-plugin and explains the core tasks achieved by Maven and describes the what javafxpackager does behind the scenes. He then shows how the LightView application operates and interacts with LightFish.

Bien concludes by emphasizing that the richness of JavaFX lies in the fact that it is another Java library. “Because JavaFX is ‘just’ an additional Java library, all of the established build, test, and deployment infrastructure can be reused. You can develop JavaFX applications using any integrated development environment (IDE) you like. And best of all, you can use a single language in a project, from the Java EE back end to the JavaFX front end.”

Check out the article here.

A new article, part of a three-part series, now up on the front page of otn/java, by Java Champion Adam Bien, titled “The Enterprise Side of JavaFX,” shows developers how to implement the LightView UI dashboard with JavaFX 2. Bien explains that “the RESTful back end of the LightView application comes with a rudimentary HTML page that is used to start/stop the monitoring service, set the snapshot interval, and activate/deactivate the GlassFish monitoring capabilities.”

He explains that “the configuration view implemented in the org.lightview.view.Browser component is needed only to start or stop the monitoring process or set the monitoring interval.”

Bien concludes his article with a general summary of the principles applied:

“JavaFX encourages encapsulation without forcing you to build models for each visual component. With the availability of bindable properties, the boundary between the view and the model can be reduced to an expressive set of bindable properties. Wrapping JavaFX components with ordinary Java classes further reduces the complexity. Instead of dealing with low-level JavaFX mechanics all the time, you can build simple components and break down the complexity of the presentation logic into understandable pieces. CSS skinning further helps with the separation of the code that is needed for the implementation of the presentation logic and the visual appearance of the application on the screen. You can adjust significant portions of an application's look and feel directly in CSS files without touching the actual source code.”

Check out the article here.

A new article, the first of two parts, now up on otn/java by Oracle Evangelist and JavaFX expert, James L. Weaver, titled “Expressing the UI for Enterprise Applications with JavaFX 2.0 FXML, Part One,” shows developers how to leverage the power of the FX Markup Language (FXML) to define the UI in enterprise applications.

As Weaver explains, “JavaFX 2.0 is an API and runtime for creating Rich Internet Applications (RIAs). JavaFX was introduced in 2007, and version 2.0 was released in October 2011. One of the advantages of JavaFX 2.0 is that the code can be written in the Java language using mature and familiar tools.”

He goes on to show how to use the potential of FX Markup Language, which comes with JavaFX 2.0, to efficiently define the user interface for enterprise applications. FXML functions to enable the expression of the UI using XML. “Classes that contain FXML functionality are located in the javafx.fxml package,” says Weaver, “and they include FXMLLoader, JavaFXBuilderFactory, and an interface named Initializable.”

Weaver’s article offers a sample application that shows how to use the capabilities of FXML and JavaFX 2.0 to create an enterprise app.

Have a look at the article here.

A new article, up on otn/java, by Java Champion, Oracle Java Evangelist, and JavaFX expert Jim Weaver, titled "Best Practices for JavaFX 2.0 Enterprise Applications (Part One),” explores best practices for developing enterprise applications in JavaFX 2.0.

Weaver illustrates his points by examining a sample application named TweetBrowser which contains the following:

* “A Toolbar containing a TextField and a couple of Button controls for searching and navigating tweets obtained from the Twitter REST API.
* A ListView whose cells contain representations of the tweets. Each tweet is represented by a subclass of ListCell that contains an ImageView for the profile picture and Hyperlink controls that enable the user to navigate to screen names, hashtags, and Web links.
* A ProgressIndicator that spins when a search is performed and a WebView that displays the Web page associated with a Web link in a tweet.”

The TweetBrowser project, which Weaver invites the reader to download, contains the code for the application, portions of which he highlights throughout the article. Techniques and best practices used in the TweetBrowser application include:

    “Invoking an application via Java Web Start from the application’s home page
    Ensuring only one instance of the application is started
    Binding the UI to the model”

Weaver concludes the article by observing that, “Implementing techniques such as invoking an application via Java Web Start from the application’s home page, ensuring only one instance of the application is started, and binding the UI to the model make life easier for both the user and the developer."

Please stay tuned for Part Two of this series where Jim will explore more techniques and best practices used in the TweetBrowser example application.

You'll find Part One here.

Java Champion and JavaFX expert Jim Weaver has a new article up on otn/java, titled “Laying Out a User Interface with JavaFX 2.0,” in which he shows developers how to use the layout capabilities of JavaFX 2.0 to make nodes in a scene graph appear where they belong and with the appropriate size.

He provides an overview of the LayoutSansTearsSolution application, shows how to make use of the SceneBuilder and BorderPaneBuilder classes, and helps readers understand the behavior of resizable nodes. Weaver explains the distinction between clamped and unbounded nodes and, finally, shows how to use CSS style sheet properties to modify the layout.

From the article:

“JavaFX has very powerful features for laying out a user interface... These features enable your applications to appear the way you want them to appear, regardless of the size of the scene or the type of platform. Understanding the behavior of each type of layout class, as well as concepts such as clamped versus unbounded nodes, will go a long way toward helping you make the UI appear exactly the way you want it.”

Read the complete article here.

In a new tech article up on otn/java, adapted from a series of innovative blog postings, Downstream's Senior Java Architect Daniel Zwolenski develops ways to build apps in JavaFX 2.0 -- from Spring to controller injection to client servers. The article is derived from several blogs wherein he explores ways to create applications in JavaFX 2.0, building upon a direct port of Oracle Chief Client Java Architect Richard Bair’s FXML+Guice dependency injection example into Spring.

As Zwolenski says, “Many developers still believe that Spring is all about XML configuration files, but it has evolved a lot since the early days. I’m going to use Spring’s annotation-based configuration to create a pure Java example (i.e., zero Spring XML) that looks almost identical to the Guice one.”

Zwolenski is the creator of JFX Flow which he describes as, “a free, open source framework for developing rich, interactive and user friendly web-style GUIs for desktops using JavaFX (2.0+). JFX Flow combines the powerful feature set of JavaFX (styling, animations, FXML, etc.) with a simple ‘web flow’ style framework that is easy to use and that fosters clean architectural patterns, especially when developing Java EE applications. JFX Flow is currently in Alpha release and may still have some bugs. The core framework is usable however, and the API is quite stable.”

Read the complete article here.

JavaFX had a big presence at Devoxx 2011 as witnessed by the number of sessions this year given by leading JavaFX movers and shakers.

•     “JavaFX 2.0 -- A Java Developer's Guide” by Java Champions Stephen Chin and Peter Pilgrim
•     “JavaFX 2.0 Hands On” by Jasper Potts and Richard Bair
•     “Animation Bringing your User Interfaces to Life” by Michael Heinrichs and John Yoong (JavaFX development team)
•     “Complete Guide to Writing Custom Bindings in JavaFX 2.0” by Michael Heinrichs (JavaFX development team)
•     “Java Rich Clients with JavaFX 2.0” by Jasper Potts and Richard Bair
•     “JavaFX Properties & Bindings for Experts” (and those who want to become experts) by Michael Heinrichs (JavaFX development team)
•     “JavaFX Under the Hood” by Richard Bair
•     “JavaFX Open Mic” with Jasper Potts and Richard Bair

With the release of JavaFX 2.0 and Oracle’s move towards an open development model with an open bug database already created, it’s a great time for developers to take the JavaFX plunge.

One Devoxx attendee, Mark Stephens, a developer at IDRsolutions blogged about a problem he was having setting up JavaFX on NetBeans to work on his Mac. He wrote:

“I’ve tried desperate measures (I even read and reread the instructions) but it did not help. Luckily, I am at Devoxx at the moment and there seem to be a lot of JavaFX gurus here (and it is running on all their Macs). So I asked them… It turns out that sometimes the software does not automatically pickup the settings like it should do if you give it the JavaFX SDK path. The solution is actually really simple (isn’t it always once you know). Enter these values manually and it will work.”

He simply entered certain values and his problem was solved. He thanked Java Champion Stephen Chin, “for a great talk at Devoxx and putting me out of my misery.”

JavaFX in Java Magazine

Over in the November/December 2011 issue of Java Magazine, Oracle’s Simon Ritter, well known for his creative Java inventions at JavaOne, has an article up titled “JavaFX and Swing Integration” in which he shows developers how to use the power of JavaFX to migrate Swing interfaces to JavaFX. The consensus among JavaFX experts is that JavaFX is the next step in the evolution of Java as a rich client platform.

In the same issue Java Champion and JavaFX maven James Weaver has an article, “Using Transitions for Animation in JavaFX 2.0”. In addition, Oracle’s Vice President of Java Client Development, Nandini Ramani, provides the keys to unlock the mysteries of JavaFX 2.0 in her Java Magazine interview.

Look for the JavaFX community to grow and flourish in coming years.