Recent Posts by Geertjan Wielenga

Using a sample I found on-line in an old (very very old) document, I achieved something that I've been hoping to achieve ever since I started learning about NetBeans Modules: I added some nodes to the IDE's Runtime window. And, finally, I have a working sample that I can play with and learn from, specifically in relation to the Nodes API. Here's the evidence: The sample is actually pretty useful (i.e., it goes way beyond the 'Hello World' type examples that I've been building...

Last month, in Lucky You: No Deleting of Projects in NetBeans IDE 4.1, I listed some of the queries that people who found my blog had typed into search engines. Here is another list of random queries, this time from the past few weeks: jboss and reference JBOSS IDE in NetBeans netbeans jboss how to use connection pooling in JBOSS eclipse remote debugger misses breakpoints maven webdoclet jbosswebxml default tomcat password "netbeans 4.1" change ide default password ide manager...

In Adding an Item to a File's Pop-Up Menu in NetBeans IDE 4.1 I learnt, well, exactly what's described in the title of that blog entry. However, what I didn't mention is that the Open item, the View item, and the Edit item were disabled. So, while I was able to use the Cut and the Paste items, I wasn't able to open the HTML file, to view it, or to edit it. Cutting and pasting are standard actions -- there's only one conceivable reason why you'd choose those items; this is...

One way of dealing with a cluttered Source Editor is to unclutter it. Another way is to keep the clutter but navigate through it more efficiently. (Kind of like not cleaning your room, but working out how to make the mess work to your advantage.) Not sure if the whole NetBeans world knows about this, but if you click the Tab key while holding down the Ctrl key in the Source Editor, NetBeans gives you a little list containing all the open documents: You can navigate through...

In Docking a NetBeans Module in the IDE (Part 2), I listed the files that are necessary for docking a NetBeans Module. Now, in this blog entry, here is some actual sample code as well. This sample code turns the Anagrams sample, available in the IDE when you click Ctrl-Shift-N and go to the Samples category, into a NetBeans Module that can be docked in one of the IDE's (or the Platform's) modes. (Don't know what "docking" means and how it can make your module fit really...

Now that there are server plugins available for JBoss, WebLogic, and WebSphere, there's not really much point in using Ant to start a server. After all, virtually every popular server is somehow already integrated in the IDE and, in addition to the functionality offered by the abovementioned plugins, the IDE comes bundled with the Sun Java System Application Server 8.1 and Tomcat Web Server 5.5.7. So there's no point in Ant-based server deployment. Right? Wrong. First of all,...

In Playing with File Types in NetBeans IDE 4.1, I learnt how to create a module that identifies a file by its extension. In that particular blog entry, the module I ended up with was able to distinguish between different JSP Objects. By default, the IDE lumps tag files and JSP files together as "JSP Objects". My module made a distinction between them and proved it by showing a different icon and menu selection for tag files. However, the menu selection was provided by the org...

To "dock" a module means embedding it in one of the IDE's (or the Platform's) modes. There are several modes to chose from. For example, by default the Favorites window's module (org.netbeans.modules.favorites) is docked in the 'Explorer' mode. This mode is on the left side of the IDE where the Projects window and Files window are displayed by default. Each module can have an opened state of 'true' or 'false'. By default, the Favorites window, for example, has an opened state...

Last night was the NetBeans IDE 4.1 Release Party. It was held at a bobsled track here in Prague. I arrived quite late and never got to try the bobsled (okay, so maybe I was chicken) but I can report that the beer was excellent. Even more excellent were all the fascinating conversations I had about NetBeans -- with the actual people who make NetBeans. Apart from the fact that I met several people for the first time (including a few who work in the same building, who I've...