🚀 go-pugleaf

"Bradford C. Miller" wrote:
> 
> Yes but therein lies my problem. I can look at the sample code, and all
> makes sense. but the IDE is not just code! Stuff gets put into the
> source code, other things are left out, (the JTable goes in but there is
> no TableModel put in, etc), and I'm left scratching my head. 

The JavaSoft tutorial site has already been recommended.  I'm going
to say that you'd benefit by going down to your local technical
bookstore and browse for a number of hours, over a number of 
evenings if necessary, or actually entertain the thought of _buying_
a book or two on Java 2, Swing, and the likes.

> Plus the fact that all the documentation really appears to be 
> Sun's more than Borland's, so I end up looking at source code 
> that makes sense but how does that relate to the IDE...oh wait, 
> that's where I started.

No, let's not wait -- let's just start thinking straight, here.
The JDKs you are using are primarily Sun's (JavaSoft's).
Hence, it is not confusing in the least that the documentation for
those is written by Sun.  And yes, as with any framework over the
past ten or so years, the ultimate approach to understanding it
is not by just "looking at the source code" but coming to know
it intimately.  I'm not joking.  When you read something in this
newsgroup by someone like John McGrath, Joi Ellis, James Cook, 
and others who seem to have all the answers, it's because they
have read the JDK source hundreds of times, and know a lot of
it by heart.  There's no other way.   

It's very clear what the IDE can and cannot do.  If the library
you are using has JavaBeans in it which can be installed on the
Component Palette (this is the case for the Swing library, for 
instance which comes pre-installed on your Component Palette), 
you can drop those components onto the UI Designer and JBuilder
will write the code for you.  This mostly applies to, but is
not limited to, visual components.  As you may have noticed, 
the dbSwing components include "models" (if you have a fuzzy 
notion of what I mean by "models" here, definitely spend some
time down at the bookstore very soon).  

It just so happens that one of the reasons for dbSwing (in JBuilder
Pro and Enterprise versions, not in Foundation) is that
Sun in its lack of infinite wisdom, didn't do a very good job
at making beans of the "models" which interact with Swing
components.  dbSwing attempts to graft Borland's DataExpress
onto Swing UI components so the latter become "data-aware" and 
visually designable.

The most important piece of advice, so you won't be prone to 
castigating the "IDE" as your source of problems, is to do a 
good deal of reading, making sure that one of the fundamental 
concepts you have so firmly in your head that you could go out 
and teach a class tomorrow is that of Model-View-Controller.  
Once you understand MVC, you will have a much easier time coming to 
grips with JTable and its model.  Secondly, use the IDE to 
drill down into the source and keep reading.


Paul Furbacher (TeamB)

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