Bind Dialog Box: Advanced Tab (Java Desktop Applications)
See Also
This dialog box enables you to bind properties of JavaBeans components (beans)
with each other so that the values of those properties are synchronized. For example,
you can bind the value property of a JSlider component to the value of
an object in a table so that the value in the table cell is updated as the user
adjusts the slider.
The property for which you open the Bind dialog box serves as the target of the
binding. In the Bind dialog box, you specify the binding source and configure
the binding.
The dialog box opens when you do one of the following things:
- Right-click a component in the GUI Builder and choose a property from
the Bind submenu.
- Click the ellipsis (...) button for a property in the property
sheet of a bean.
The Advanced tab of the dialog box contains the following fields:
- Name. Enables you to create a name for the binding,
which gives you more flexibility for managing your bindings. The name is added to
the constructor of the binding and can be referenced with the binding's getName()
method.
- Update Mode. Specifies the way that the properties are kept synchronized.
The possible values are:
- Always sync (read/write). Whenever a change is made to either
the source or the target, the other is updated.
- Only read from source (read only). The target is only updated
the first time the source value is set. Changes that are made to the
source are updated in the target. Changes made to the target are not updated in
the source.
- Read from source once (read once). The target is only updated
when the target and source are initially bound.
- Update Source When (available only to the text property of JTextField and
JTextArea components). Enables you to select the frequency with which
the properties are synchronized.
- Ignore Adjusting (available to the value property of JSlider;
to the selectedElement property of JTable and JList;
and to the selectedElements property of JTable and JList).
If this checkbox is selected, any changes made to one
property are not propagated to the other property until the user is finished making the
change. For example, when the application's user drags a slider, the value
of the property to which the slider's value property is bound is only
updated once the user releases the mouse button.
- Converter. If your binding involves properties with different data
types, you can specify code that converts values between the types.
The beans binding library handles many commonly needed conversions, but you might
need to provide your own converters for other combinations of property types.
Such converters need to extend the org.jdesktop.beansbinding.Converter
class.
The Converter drop-down list is populated with any converters that have been
added as beans
to your form. You can also add the conversion code directly by
clicking the ellipsis (...) button, and selecting Custom Code from the
Select Converter Property Using drop-down list.
- Validator. Enables you to specify code to validate a change in the target
property value before propagating that change back to the source property. Such
a validator needs to extend the
org.jdesktop.beansbinding.Validator class.
The Validator drop-down list is populated with any validators that have been
added as beans
to your form. You can also add the validation code directly by
clicking the ellipsis (...) button, and selecting Custom Code from the
Select Validator Property Using drop-down list.
- Null Source Value. Enables you to specify a different value to use if
the source property has a null value when the binding is attempted.
This field corresponds with the setSourceNullValue() method
of the org.jdesktop.beansbinding.Binding class.
- Unreadable Source Value. Enables you to specify a different value to use if
the binding expression can not be resolved when the binding is attempted.
This field corresponds with the setSourceUnreadableValue() method
of the org.jdesktop.beansbinding.Binding class.
- To better understand the classes and methods mentioned above, you can
access the beans binding Javadoc documentation directly
from the IDE. Choose Help > Javadoc References > Beans Binding. In the browser
window that opens, click the org.jdesktop.beansbinding link to access
documentation for those classes.
- See Also
- Bind Dialog Box: Binding Tab
- Designing Java GUIs with the GUI Builder
- Working with the GUI Builder
- GUI Builder Tasks: Quick Reference
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