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

netbeans desktop-application jsr296 swing-app-framework saf
Ovilia picture Ovilia · Feb 5, 2012 · Viewed 42.8k times · Source

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.

Answer

Unai Vivi picture Unai Vivi · Feb 6, 2012

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)

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