Java GUI creation framework

Question

Do you know any decent framework for creating Swing screens? I need to extend my application for implementors that will have to add their own screens.

Possible options:

1. Netbeans platform with Matisse editor

2. Bean builder (very old and unsupported)

3. Eclipse VEP (beta)

Any other option?

---

Update: I am not looking for design time tool to build my screens. I am looking for an addon or a platform to allow implementors (users of my application) to build custom screens for different clients. The screens have to be saved in some format (say xml) and will be displayed by another (view-only) application.

Because of that, solutions like Matisse4MyEclipse don't fit, because I can't bundle their proprietary plugin with my application.

---

Update 2:

I am asking for a framework, not a design-time tool. I want some kind of component to embed in my application, so that users will be able to create screens by themselves.

Answer 1

What do you mean by "screens"? JFrames? JPanels?

If you use the NetBeans JPanel Form, it's pretty easy to add/modify components. With one JPanel per "screen" you can put a bunch of screens together into a wizard, using tabs, etc NetBeans GUI forms can be copied, edited, combined pretty freely.

Answer 2

instantiations' WindowBuilder - a commercial product

Answer 3

I haven't seen Matisse4MyEclipse mentioned yet. That said, it's part of MyEclipse, which isn't free, so it seems likely to me that there are potential licensing issues here.

As for having users implement screens for different clients, it sounds like your users are going to be tech savvy. Perhaps you could use Groovy's SwingBuilder to define these views in an editable form. I think this is perhaps more of what you're looking for than a design-time tool.

Answer 4

Oracle's Application Development Framework (ADF) running alongside JDeveloper allows you to develop Swing applications with a nearly WYSIWYG editor. ADF provides rich drag-and-drop components (widgets) that get tied to model objects, which, in turn, are packaged by modules. The modules contain the database connection information, control connection pooling, and so forth.

ADF also allows you to reuse the modules and models in web-based applications.

Answer 5

IntelliJ IDEA also has an GUI Designer.

Answer 6

I have used the JGoodies Form API in the past, and I liked the simplicity of it. (I dislike GUI builders...) I guess it could be made configurable using Spring.