Getting started with Eclipse

This section outlines the steps to get started using the BitSlice components in building applications.

Integrating the Components into your IDE

Inserting a Visual Component into your Form, Compiling and Running

A Simple Example

Integrating the components into your IDE (Eclipse)

The ‘Installation steps’ must be completed before integrating the components into your IDE.

Integrating the components into the IDE involves the following main steps:

1. Include the directory <download dir>\BitSlice into the IDE’s class path.

2. Include BitSlice.jar into the IDE’s class path. This .jar file contains the component suite.

3. Include hsqldb.jar into the IDE’s class path. This contains the HSQLDB database server, driver and other related software. The BitSlice component suite comes with sample data packaged in hsqldb tables. Once you go through this section, you can switch to your own database, refer Creating and Using your own database for this.

The following gives details of how the above steps can be done in Eclipse IDE. The details for other IDEs would be similar.

1. Create a directory, say BitSliceTest which will be used as the workspace in eclipse

2. Run Eclipse and specify ‘BitSliceTest’ as the workspace during startup

3. The package explorer view is normally open by default. Create a new project, say ‘BitSliceTest’. To do this, right-click on the package explorer view, choose ‘New’, ‘Java Project’. This will bring up a window, enter your project name, say ‘BitSliceTest’ and click on ‘Finish’.

4. In the package explorer view select your project. Click on ‘Window’, ‘Preferences’, ‘Java’, ‘Classpath variables’.

5. Select ‘New’, ‘Folder’.

6. Browse and select the <download dir>\BitSlice folder. Enter a variable name, say BitSliceFolder and click ‘OK’.

7. In the package explorer view, select your project. Click on ‘Window’, ‘Preferences’, ‘Java’, ‘Classpath variables’.

8. Select ‘New’, ‘File’.

9. Browse and select the file <download dir>\<BitSlice>\BitSlice.jar. Enter a variable name, say BitSliceJarFile and click ‘OK’.

10. In the package explorer view, select your project. Click on ‘Window’, ‘Preferences’, ‘Java’, ‘Classpath variables’.

11. Select ‘New’, ‘File’.

12. Browse and select the file <download dir>\<BitSlice>\hsqldb.jar. Enter a variable name, say HsqldbJarFile and click ‘OK’.

13. In the package explorer view right-click on your project and click on ‘Import’.

14. Select ‘Archive File’ and click ‘Next’.

15. Browse and select the file <download dir>\<BitSlice>\BitSlice.jar

16. Click ‘Finish’

17. Open out the com\compositesoft\bitslice node to see the component subsystems and individual components

18. In the package explorer view right-click on your project and click on ‘Properties’. Select ‘Java Build Path’, click on the ‘Libraries’ tab.

19. Click on ‘Add Variable’. Select the variable ‘BitSliceJarFile’ and click ‘Ok’. Click on ‘ok’ again to complete the operation.

To start using the components, do the following:

1. Startup the sample database by clicking on the BitSliceDbStartup icon created on your desktop or by running the batch file BitSliceDbStartup.bat present in <download dir>\BitSlice directory

2. In case you have a GUI editor/builder tool, such as Windows Builder installed, you can install the visual components in the tool’s component palette and use them on your forms using drag-drop operations

3. Integrating the components into the GUI editor involves the following steps:

· Include the directory <download dir>\BitSlice into the GUI editor’s class path.

· Include BitSlice.jar into the GUI editor’s class path.

· Include hsqldb.jar into the GUI editor’s class path.

· Follow the steps given in the GUI editor’s user manual for installing components into the palette and inclusion and usage in forms/windows.

4. The rest of this section outlines how java code can be written to make use of the components, assuming that no GUI editor is installed.

Refer the User Manual and API documentation for detailed usage instructions of any component.

Inserting a visual component into your Form, Compiling and Running

These steps outline how java code can be written to insert a visual component into the form, assuming that no GUI editor is installed. The steps given below pertain to Eclipse IDE. Other IDEs would have a similar set of steps.

Problem Statement

We describe the code to instantiate a ‘CurrencyModify’ component for the currency ‘USD’ and insert it into a Java JFrame. The component is capable of allowing user modifications to currency consistent with business rules. The code for the example described below is present in <download dir>\BitSlice\Docs\SamplePrograms\CurencyModifyTest.java

1. Startup the sample database by clicking on the BitSliceDbStartup icon created on your desktop.

2. Start the IDE. The package explorer view is normally open by default.

3. Select BitSliceTest, Rightclick, select ‘New’, ‘class’

4. Enter a name for the class, say, CurrencyModifyTest

5. In Superclass, enter javax.swing.JFrame

6. Tick the method stubs to be created: Public static void main and Constructors from superclass

7. Deselect the stub Inherited methods from super class

8. Click ‘Finish’

9. The editor creates a template of the program. Insert the following code:

1. Additional import statements, to import required java and BitSlice libraries

import java.sql.*;

import java.io.*;

import com.compositesoft.bitslice.Currency.*;

import com.compositesoft.bitslice.StaticDataManager.*;

2. Class level variable declarations, for the Currency Modify component and for the primary key value of ‘USD’ which is passed as parameter to constructor while instantiating the component.

CurrencyModify cm;

String[] pmkey = {"USD"};

3. The following code in the null constructor of the program, i.e, in CurrencyModifyTest(). This code does the following:

1. Instantiates the CurrencyModify component for the currency value ‘USD’

2. Adds it to the JFrame

3. Sets the title and size of the JFrame

4. Traps any exception and on error, shows a message in a window using the ComponentErrorMessage component

try {

cm = new CurrencyModify(pmkey);

getContentPane().add(cm);

this.setTitle("Currency Modify - BiSlice sample");

this.setSize(350, 350);

} catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {

new ComponentErrorMessage(e.getMessage());

}catch (SQLException e) {

new ComponentErrorMessage(e.getMessage());

}catch (IOException e) {

new ComponentErrorMessage(e.getMessage());

}catch (ValidationException e) {

new ComponentErrorMessage(e.getMessage());

}

4. The following code in ‘main’ to create an instance of the JFrame (CurrencyModifTest) and show.

new CurrencyModifyTest().setVisible(true);

10. Compile and run the program. You will get the form shown below.

Using the components with a GUI editor (Eclipse)

Most of the programming described above is not required if you have a GUI editor/builder installed and integrated into your Eclipse installation. With a GUI editor, you may insert components into your form using simple drag-drop operations and the required code will be automatically generated. Integrating the components into the GUI editor involves the following steps:

· Include the directory <download dir>\BitSlice into the GUI editor’s class path.

· Include BitSlice.jar into the GUI editor’s class path.

· Include hsqldb.jar into the GUI editor’s class path.

· Follow the steps given in the GUI editor’s user manual for installing components into the palette and inclusion and usage in forms/windows.

A Simple example

Refer the example described in Getting Started with Sun Studio 5 Update 1 CE. The steps for eclipse along with a GUI builder would be similar to that described in this section.