About the System Filesystem
See Also
The system filesystem is the central repository for configuration data in NetBeans.
It is composed at runtime of a stack of XML layer files
supplied by modules in
the system.
It is a virtual filesystem that contains configuration information.
NetBeans stores a wide variety of configuration information in the system filesystem. For example, the system filesystem
contains a folder called Menu, which contains subfolders with names such as File and Edit.
These subfolders contain files that represent Java classes which implement the actions that appear in
the File and Edit menus.
When you create a module, you are free to create your own folders in the system
filesystem to store data that relate to your module. You can also add objects
to existing folders. One of the reasons
to use the system filesystem is that it enables an application to be constructed piecemeal
from pluggable components (modules) without requiring the use of a monolithic "master controller" that knows about everything.
One important aspect of a NetBeans virtual filesystem is that it can fire events to notify the rest of
the system when something in it changes. NetBeans listens for changes in the system filesystem, and if,
for example, something creates a new object in one of the menu folders, that new item will appear in the menu.
- See Also
- About the NetBeans Platform
- About the NetBeans APIs
- About NetBeans Platform and Module Development
- About XML Layer Files
- Working with Modules
- Module Tasks: Quick Reference
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