Glossary

The following terms have been used this book.

Absolute Layout    A layout provided by NetBeans that positions components on a form using predefined coordinates and dimensions. The layout does not take into account font sizes or container. This layout is added to a project by either selecting Absolute Layout as a form’s layout or adding the Absolute Layout library.

absolute path    A path that is the full path to a directory or file from the root directory. For example, C:ProjectSpinnakerTrac is an absolute path.

access modifier    Modifiers that define the access privileges of interfaces, classes, methods, constructors, and data members.

Active Scripting Debugger Framework    An Internet Explorer browser addon that provides a debugging environment that extends any Microsoft ActiveX Scripting Host Application.

AJAX    An acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. A web application model where the client layer interfaces with the server without the need for the associated HTML pages to be reloaded.

annotation glyph margin    The left margin of the source editor that displays annotations glyphs. Glyphs that may appear in this margin include bookmarks, breakpoints, errors, warnings, ToDos, and fixable hints.

annotations    An annotation is syntactic metadata that can be added to a class, method, parameter, variable, and package. An example annotation is @Test, which is added to a class to denote it as a JUnit 4 unit test.

anonymous class    A type of inner class that has no name. It is defined in the middle of a method.

Ant    An XML-based build tool for Java. It is similar in concept to Make. Extensions can be easily added via Java classes.

Ant build script    An XML file that is interpreted by Apache Ant. It is used to build and deploy applications. NetBeans provides an IDE-generated Ant build script for all Java standard projects.

Ant targets    An Ant target contains a sequence of Ant tasks to be executed. It is named and may depend upon other Ant targets. It is defined in an Ant build script with the tags <target></target>.

Ant tasks    An individual unit of work in an Ant target that is executed. Ant includes a default set of tasks for compiling, copying, and manipulating files.

applet    An application that executes within applications, devices, and, most commonly, web browsers. The execution environment must support the applet programming model.

application server    A software framework that hosts various applications and their environments.

assessor method    A method used to return the value of a private or protected field.

AWT    An acronym for Abstract Window Toolkit. A platform-independent API for creating rich user interfaces on the desktop. It includes a widget library along with classes for rendering graphics and drawing windows and dialog boxes. Unlike Swing, it uses the operating system’s widgets.

Beans Binding    A Java API defined by JSR 295 for keeping two bean properties in sync. It specifically focuses on Swing components and provides adapters for nonconforming components. The NetBeans GUI Builder uses Beans Binding.

Beans Binding expression    An expression used to bind bean properties together in Beans Binding. The syntax was derived from Java Unified Expression Language (EL).

breakpoint    A marked place in code where execution will pause when reached by the debugger.

Breakpoints window    A debugging-related window that lists all of the project’s breakpoints.

build.xml    An Ant build script. See Ant build script.

Call Stack window    A debugger window that lists the sequence of calls made during the execution of the current thread up to the current execution point.

Checkstyle    A development tool that assists programmers with adhering to coding standards. Checkstyle has a NetBeans IDE plugin.

classpath    An argument set that tells the Java Virtual Machine where to look for user-defined classes and packages.

code completion    The process that includes mechanisms for assisting the user in automatically or manually completing partially inserted code.

code folding    A source editor feature that allows for the selective hiding of information such as grouped imports and comments.

code template    A three-part template consisting of an abbreviation, expanded text, and a description. The abbreviation is designed to transform into the expanded text when you press a designated key shortcut. The expanded text may use Special Code Template Syntax to affect how the code template behaves.

Codebase    An optional parameter of the jnlp element in the JNLP file used by Java Web Start. It is used for finding resources specified in the JNLP file and also for finding the file itself.

cookie    Mechanism where information is set and retrieved on the client side by the resources of web applications.

CSS    An acronym for Cascading Style Sheets. It is a language that describes how a markup language should be rendered. It is often used with HTML and XHTML.

CVS    An acronym for Concurrent Versions Control System. A popular version control system that is both open source and free. It tracks changes to files, enabling multiple copies of a file to be concurrently edited and merged. It uses client/server architecture with project history being stored on a centralized server. Command-line access is performed using the cvs command-line program.

Cygwin    Linux-like environment for Windows making it possible to port software running on POSIX systems (for example, Linux) to Windows.

data dictionary    See database schema.

database    See RDBMS.

Database Explorer    A collection of tools in the IDE enabling users to perform various basic tasks such as registering JDBC database drivers, connecting to databases, managing tables and views, performing SQL commands, and saving schemas.

database schema    A catalog consisting of a set of system tables in a database that describes the shape of the database. Also known as a data dictionary.

Debugging window    A debugger window that displays a list of threads in the current debugging session and allows for the suspension and resumption of those threads.

dialog box    A window that either displays information to a user or prompts for a response.

editor hints    Invokable commands associated with fixable problems flagged by source code warnings and errors. You can list editor hints by pressing ALT-ENTER relative to the fixable code or by clicking the associated light bulb in the left margin.

Editor panel    A panel in the Options window that configures code folding, camel case behavior, source code formatting, code completion, code templates, hints, the marking of occurrences, and macros.

error stripe    The strip to the right of the source editor and scrollbar (if shown). It contains color-coded marks for items such as the current line, errors, warnings, bookmarks, and breakpoints.

Executable JAR    A JAR file containing a manfest.mf in the META-INF directory with the Main-Class attribute set to a class with a public static void main(String args[]) method.

external library    A dependency that is added to a Java project, such as a JAR file, directory of classes, or native library for JNI code. The external library provides functionality that is treated as a black box.

FindBugs    A program that uses static analysis to look for bugs in Java code.

Firebug    A Firefox web browser add-on that allows for the editing, debugging, and monitoring of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript in web pages.

Flow Layout    A layout manager that arranges components either left-to-right or top-to-bottom. Components can also be aligned left, right, center, leading, and trailing. The preferred size of the component is used for determining dimensions.

Fonts & Colors panel    A panel in the Options window that configures language syntax attributes, IDE components highlighting, annotation glyphs coloring, and background coloring of the diff tool components.

frame    A top-level window with a title and border.

Free Design    A layout manager in the NetBeans GUI Builder that uses the Group Layout. Using this layout, components can be dragged from the palette and dropped on the editor. Components can be anchored to other components and also to the parent container.

free-form project    A project that does not use the NetBeans-generated Ant build script. Instead, it uses the project’s own Ant build script. The NetBeans project must be configured to invoke actions in the project’s build script. A free-form project is not a NetBeans Standard Java Project.

General panel    A panel in the Options window that configures the default web browser, proxy settings configuration, and activation of Usage Statistics.

getter    A simple public method used to return an instance variable.

GIS    An acronym for Geographical Information System. A term for systems that integrate, store, analyze, and retrieve spatial data.

Git    A free and open source, distributed version control system.

glyph    A symbol/icon used to denote a diagnostic or informative message.

glyph gutter    See annotation glyph margin.

glyph margin    See annotation glyph margin.

GridBag Layout    A layout manager that arranges components in a grid using the GridBagConstraints object to control the layout.

Group Layout    A layout manager used to implement layout designs that are specified when components are moved around a form.

heap    A memory area where objects are stored.

HeapWalker    A tool that is a part of the NetBeans Profiler that analyzes the contents of the Java heap. It is used for investigating memory leaks. It enables a developer to view a list of the loaded classes, instances of the classes, fields of the instances, and references to each instance.

Hibernate    An object/relational mapping library.

HTML    An acronym for HyperText Markup Language. A collection of tags used to create hypertext documents (for instance, web pages).

HTTP    An acronym for HyperText Transfer Protocol. The protocol used for information exchange on the World Wide Web.

HTTP Server-Side Monitor    An integrated NetBeans IDE analysis and recording tool for HTTP messages.

HTTPS    An acronym for HyperText Transfer Protocol over SSL. The protocol used for secure information exchange on the World Wide Web.

Hudson    An open source continuous integration server that checks code out from version control, builds it, and can optionally execute unit tests. Typically, it is configured to build projects on a regular basis—often when code is committed to version control.

IDE    An acronym for Integrated Development Environment. A development suite that allows developers to edit, compile, debug, connect to version control systems, collaborate, and do much more, depending on the specific tool. Most modern IDEs have add-in capabilities for various software modules to enhance the IDE’s capabilities.

import statement    A statement used in the beginning of a class so that external packages are available within the class.

inner class    A class defined within another class. Various types of inner classes include member classes, local classes, and anonymous classes.

interface    A definition of public methods that must be implemented by a class.

internationalization (i18n)    The process of designing or implementing software so that it can be adapted to different languages and regions without reengineering. This involves storing text, fonts, colors, and graphics in resource bundles and adapting input for locales. It also involves handling date, time, currency, text encoding, and numeric formatting appropriately.

issue tracker    A system for tracking and managing issues such as bugs, feature requests, and customer support problems.

J2EE    An acronym for Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition. The legacy term for Java EE. See Java EE.

J2ME    An acronym for Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition. The legacy term for Java ME. See Java ME.

J2SE    An acronym for Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition. The legacy term for Java SE. See Java SE.

JAR    An acronym for Java Archive. A JAR file is used to store a collection of Java class files. It is represented by one file with the .jar extension in the file system. It may be executable.

Java Bean    A reusable Java component based on a platform-independent reusable component model that has standardized means to access and modify the object state of the bean.

Java DB    A database with a small footprint supported by Sun.

Java Debug Interface (JDI)    A high-level Java language interface with support for remote debugging.

Java Debug Wire Protocol (JDWP)    A protocol that defines the format of information and requests transferred between the process being debugged and the debugger front-end.

Java Editor    A source editor that is integrated with key IDE components such as the GUI Builder, the compiler, and the debugger.

Java EE    An acronym for Java Platform, Enterprise Edition. A software development platform that includes a collection of enterprise API specifications for EJBs, servlets, and JSPs. Java EE compliance is reached when an application server (full compliance) or web container (partial compliance) implements the necessary Java EE specifications.

Java ME    An acronym for Java Platform, Micro Edition. A software development platform including a collection of APIs designed for embedded devices.

Java Platform Manager    The configuration window in NetBeans for adding and removing Java Development Kits to be used in development. This window is used to configure the JDKs available to projects. A project can use only JDKs already defined in the Java Platform Manager.

Java SE    An acronym for Java Platform, Standard Edition. A software development platform including a collection of APIs designed for client application development.

Java SE project    A project that contains a main method and depends only on the Java Standard Edition. NetBeans includes support for creating five different types of Java SE projects including Java Application, Java Desktop Application, Java Class Library, Java Project with Existing Sources, and Java Free-Form Project. A Java SE Project possesses a runtime classpath.

Java Unified Expression Language (EL)    A unified expression language that combines the JSP and JSF expression languages. It is a special-purpose language where execution is deferred until runtime. It is typically used in web applications to bind controls in the JSF/JSP forms to the data model.

Java Web Start    A deployment technology for the Java platform that enables Java applications to be deployed over the network. Deployment is specified in a JNLP file. This deployment method requires that a JVM be installed, and if deployment is performed using a web browser, the browser plugin must be installed. Applications can subsequently be launched from the desktop.

Javadoc    A tool that produces HTML documentation from extracted comments of Java source code.

JavaScript    A scripting language that is most often used in conjunction with HTML. JavaScript has no connection to Java.

JConsole    A monitoring and management tool that is a part of the JDK. It supports local or remote applications monitoring. It tracks CPU as well as memory usage.

JDBC    An acronym for Java Database Connectivity. A database-connectivity API providing independent connectivity between the Java programming language and various data sources—for example, databases.

JDK    An acronym for Java Development Kit. A bundled set of development utilities for compiling, debugging, and interpreting Java applications. The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is included in the JDK.

jhat    A Java heap analysis tool.

JMX    A standard Java API that is used for managing and monitoring applications as well as services. It was developed through JSR 3.

JNLP    An acronym for Java Network Launching Protocol. A technology enabling Java applications to be distributed via the web browser and run inside a secure sandbox.

JPQL    An acronym for Java Persistence Query Language. An API used for searching and retrieving persisted application data.

JRE    An acronym for Java Runtime Environment. An environment that is used to run Java applications. It contains basic client and server JVMs, core classes, and supporting files.

JRuby    A pure Java implementation of the Ruby interpreter.

JSF    An acronym for the JavaServer Faces API. A presentation layer web technology for the Java platform, designed as a component framework for building web user interfaces.

JSP    An acronym for the JavaServer Pages API. A dynamic web content solution that uses template data and custom elements to expedite and ease the development of the presentation layer. JavaServer Pages are compiled to servlets before the page content is rendered.

JSTL    An acronym for JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library. An extended library of JavaServer Pages tag functions.

JTA    An acronym for Java Transaction API. A technology that allows applications and Java EE servers to access transactions.

JUnit    A testing framework for testing individual units of source code. It specifically tests Java code. NetBeans supports JUnit versions 3 and 4.

JVM    An acronym for Java virtual machine. The platform-independent environment where the Java interpreter executes.

JVM Tools Interface (JVM TI)    A low-level native interface that defines the services a Java virtual machine provides for tools such as debuggers and profilers. The JVM TI replaces the legacy JVMPI and JVMDI interfaces.

JVMDI    An acronym for Java virtual machine debug interface. A legacy programming interface used by debuggers and other programming tools.

JVMPI    An acronym for Java virtual machine profiler interface. A legacy programming interface intended for tools vendors to develop profilers that work in conjunction with Sun’s Java virtual machine implementation.

keyboard shortcut    A single keystroke or series of keystrokes to perform an IDE-related action.

keymap    A group of profiles, where each profile is made up of several keyboard shortcuts associated with user-initiated actions.

Keymap panel    A panel in the Options window that configures for the selection and management of keymap profiles.

keymap profiles    A grouping of shortcuts defined with their actions and categories.

keyword    A word in the Java programming language that cannot be used as an identifier (in other words, a variable or method name). Java SE 6 maintains 50 keywords, each designed to be used for a specific purpose.

left margin    The margin to the left side of the source editor containing line numbers and annotation glyphs.

library    Set of compiled classes that add functionality to a Java application.

light bulb    A diagnostic indicator in the left margin relative to a warning or error in the source code.

line numbers    Consecutive line numbers in the left margin of the source editor representing the numeration of source code lines.

live code template    A code template that includes editable fields within the “live” expanded text. The editable fields are highlighted in blue and are traversable by pressing TAB.

Loaded Classes window    A debugger window that lists the loaded classes for the current debugging session. Right-clicking a class and choosing Show In Instances View will open the Instances window with related information.

Local History    NetBeans tracks the diffs between file save events. Local History enables developers to roll back to earlier code snapshots and to compare changes. Changes are tracked over a short period—usually days. It can be thought of as a lightweight version control system.

locale    A geographical, political, or cultural region.

localization (i10n)    Process of translating an application into a different language and adapting it to a locale.

Matisse    Matisse was the Sun internal project name of NetBeans GUI Builder.

Maven    A project software management tool designed for the management of builds, reports, and documentation of enterprise Java projects. It provides a standard structure and process for generating project artifacts. It manages a project’s dependencies and pulls them from a central repository. A project and its dependencies are described in a pom.xml file. NetBeans supports Maven-based projects and can open a Maven-based project without additional project configuration.

Mercurial    A distributed version control system that keeps track of work and changes for a set of files. Unlike with CVS or Subversion, each Mercurial instance contains the entire copy of the repository. That is, each copy contains the complete history of the project. Changes are pushed or pulled between repositories. Thus, to use the parlance of CVS/Subversion, developers are always working on their own branch. Mercurial is used by the NetBeans team and is well supported by the IDE. The primary Mercurial executable is hg. NetBeans requires the native Mercurial binaries. Mercurial is similar to Git.

method    A subroutine that contains the code for performing operations in a class.

MIME type    An acronym that stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. It is a standard used to define the type of data. It was originally created to define extended e-mail formats.

module    A collection of Java classes that provides a specific feature to an application.

mutator method    A method used to set the value of a variable.

MVC    An acronym for Model-View-Controller architecture. A design pattern separating business and presentation logic into model, view, and controller functional areas. The model represents the state of components. The view represents the components on the screen. The controller represents the functionality that ties the user-interface components to events.

MySQL    An open-source relational database.

Navigator window    A window that provides a view of a selected node in the Projects window or Source Editor.

nbproject    The directory under the root of a project that contains the settings for the project. This directory is created under the project root. It contains project.xml, build-impl.xml, and project.properties files, among others.

NetBeans APIs    Public classes and interfaces that developers use to create NetBeans modules.

NetBeans GUI Builder    A tool in NetBeans for constructing graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It was formerly the Matisse project. The NetBeans GUI builder generates Java code.

NetBeans JavaScript Debugger    A set of tools that aid in the process of inspecting, monitoring, and debugging JavaScript code.

NetBeans Modules    A group of Java classes that provides NetBeans with a specific feature.

NetBeans Platform    A Swing-based application framework for building desktop applications. It provides common infrastructure for handling menus, documents, settings, and so on.

NetBeans Profiler    A core NetBeans module that profiles local and remote Java applications.

netbeans.conf    A NetBeans configuration file that passes startup parameters to NetBeans. This file has two versions: a global instance and a local instance. The global instance is stored in the installation directory ${nb-install}/etc/netbeans.conf. The local instance can be found in ${userdir}/etc/netbeans.conf. Settings in the local file override global settings.

ODBC    An acronym for Open Database Connectivity. A database-connectivity API that provides a standard set of routines for which an application can access databases.

package    A statement at the beginning of a class that organizes a class into a namespace.

panel    A GUI component in which other components can be attached including other panels.

path variables    An abstraction in NetBeans for defining a path that may vary across machines. Path variables are defined by choosing Tools | Variables. The variables are substituted into the NetBeans project files in lieu of either absolute or relative paths.

plugin    A module that adds functionality to the NetBeans IDE such as support for version control systems or code quality tools. It is managed using the Plugin Manager.

Plugin Manager    A configuration tool in NetBeans that is accessed by choosing Tools | Plugins. It manages external plugins, which add functionality to the NetBeans IDE.

POSIX    An acronym that stands for Portable Operating System Interface for Unix. It is a group of standards defined by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). The standards cover APIs and command-line utilities.

private.properties    A configuration file stored under nbproject/private. It contains settings that are specific to a particular machine/user. Since this file is specific to a particular user/machine, it should not be checked into version control. Settings such as certificate parameters for signing JAR files are typically stored in this properties file.

profiler    A tool for performing dynamic analysis on code. This often includes recording and analyzing memory, CPU, and threading usage. The objective is to understand and troubleshoot application performance issues such as memory leaks, deadlocks, and busy loops. NetBeans includes a built-in profiler tool.

project.xml    A configuration file that is used by NetBeans. NetBeans stores basic information about the project in this file including the project name, source directories, and mappings of menus to Ant tasks among many others. It is stored in the nbproject directory.

RDBMS    An acronym for Relational Database Management System. A type of database management system that organizes its data in the form of interrelated tables.

refactoring    The process of changing the internal structure of code without changing its external behavior.

relative path    A path that is not anchored to the root of a drive. Its resolution depends upon the current path. For example, ../usr/bin is a relative path. If the current path were /home/user/Documents, this path would resolve to /home/usr/bin.

resource bundle    A bundle that contains locale-specific objects. It is identified by a locale, and querying with a key retrieves values. It is a key piece of Java’s internationalization support. The primary interface is defined in java.util.ResourceBundle with two subclasses: ListResourceBundle and PropertyResourceBundle.

Ruby    A dynamic object-oriented programming language, similar to Java but less strictly typed.

servlet    A pure-Java program that functions in response to an HTTP request.

Sessions window    A debugger window that lists all running debug sessions.

setter    A simple public method that accepts one argument and is used to set the value of an instance variable.

Shale    A framework based on JavaServer Faces providing integration links for other frameworks.

source editor    A collection of editors including Java, JSP, HTML, and XML source editors.

Sources window    A debugger window that lists source code files that may be available to the debugger.

Spring Framework    An open-sorce application framework. It provides a number of services and is considered to be an alternative to Java EE.

SQL    An acronym for Structured Query Language. A software language designed for retrieval and management of information in RDBMS systems.

standard project    A type of NetBeans project that uses an IDE-generated build script to compile, run, and debug an application. Projects that are standard projects include Java Application, Java Desktop Application, Java Class Library, Java Project with Existing Sources, Web Application, and Web Application with Existing Sources.

static analysis    Analysis of an application carried out without executing the application.

Struts    A framework for creating enterprise-ready Java web applications that utilize an MVC architecture.

subclass    A term for a class that is derived from another class through inheritance. This may also be called a child class.

Subversion    An open source version control system supported by NetBeans. It possesses client/server architecture and was developed as a replacement for CVS. NetBeans requires Subversion native executables to be installed. For secure shell (SSH) support, plink must also be installed on Windows.

Sun SPOT    An embedded development platform that runs Java. The platform is open source with kits available from Oracle. Sun SPOT can be used to control servos and LEDs, and to interact with other external devices. They communicate wirelessly and support mesh networks.

superclass    A term that describes a class used to derive other classes through inheritance. This may also be called a parent class or base class.

SvnAnt    An Ant task that performs common SVN operations for interfacing the Subversion version control system.

Swing API    A rich GUI API complete with an event model that is used for creating and managing user interfaces.

Threads window    A debugger window that lists all of the threads in the current debugging session.

Tomcat    A web container for Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages.

UML    An acronym for Unified Modeling Language. A specification that defines a modeling language for the specification, presentation, construction, and documentation of object-oriented system elements.

variable    A term for a symbolic reference to data in Java code.

Variables window    A debugging-related window that lists the variables in the current call.

version control system (VCS)    A software system for managing file revisions among one or more users. It tracks the history of the files allowing changes to be compared and traced. In addition, it merges changes when one or more users concurrently edit the same file. NetBeans supports three version control systems in its default distributions: CVS, Mercurial, and Subversion.

Visual Web JSF Framework    A NetBeans Module, based on drag and drop functionality that extends the JavaServer Faces standards, providing a visual approach to web application design.

VM Telemetry window    A window that displays information on thread activity, memory heap, and garbage collection of the virtual machine.

WAR file    A Web Archive file with the extension .war used for deploying web applications.

Watches window    A debugger window that lists specified variables and expressions to watch while in a debugging session.

web server    Software that hosts websites, supports various protocols, and executes server-side applications such as servlets.

window    A generic term for frames and dialog boxes.

XML    An acronym for Extensible Markup Language. A general-purpose specification used for creating markup languages. This specification allows for the creation of custom tags in structured text files. Web-based solutions make common use of XML files as configuration, deployment descriptor, and tag library files.