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JFormDesigner

Introduction

JFormDesigner is an innovative GUI designer for Java Swing user interfaces. Its outstanding support for JGoodies FormLayout, Clearthought's TableLayout and GridBagLayout makes it easy to create professional looking forms.

JFormDesigner is available in three editions: as stand-alone application and as IDE plug-ins for Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA. This documentation covers all editions. If there are functional differences between the editions, they are marked with: Stand-alone, Eclipse plug-in, IntelliJ IDEA plug-in, JBuilder plug-in or IDE plug-ins.

A printable version (PDF) of this documentation is available here: www.formdev.com/download/.

Key features
Easy and intuitive to use, powerful and productive JFormDesigner provides an easy-to-use but powerful user interface. Easily drag and drop components, resize components using the handles, set properties, etc. Powerful features like in-place-editing, keyboard navigation, automatic component ordering (for grid based layout managers), IntelliGap, auto-insert columns/rows, drag and drop of columns/rows, bean morphing, layout manager changing increase your productivity.
IDE plug-ins and stand-alone application
 JFormDesigner is available as IDE plug-ins for Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA and JBuilder and as stand-alone application.
JGoodies FormLayout and TableLayout support These open-source layout managers allow you to design high quality forms. JGoodies FormLayout support includes column/row specifications (alignment, size, resize behavior), IntelliGap (automatically handles gap columns/rows) and column/row grouping (makes widths/heights equal). Also other parts of the JGoodies Forms framework are supported (DLU borders, component factory). TableLayout is fully supported (column/row size, gaps, alignment).
Advanced GridBagLayout support The advanced GridBagLayout support allows the specification of horizontal and vertical gaps (as in TableLayout). JFormDesigner automatically computes the GridBagConstraints.insets for all components. This makes designing a form with consistent gaps using GridBagLayout much easier. No longer wrestling with GridBagConstraints.insets.
Column and row headers The column and row headers (for grid based layout managers) show the structure of the layout (including column/row indices, alignment, growing, grouping) and allow you to insert or delete columns/rows and change column/row properties. It's also possible to drag and drop columns/rows (incl. contained components and gaps). This allows you to swap columns or move rows in seconds.
Localization support Localizing forms using properties files has never been easier. Specify a resource bundle name and a prefix for keys when creating a new form and then forget about it. JFormDesigner automatically puts all strings into the specified resource bundle (auto-externalizing). It also updates resource keys when renaming components, copies resource strings when copying components and removes resource strings when deleting components.

You can also externalize and internalize strings, edit resource bundle strings, add locales, switch locale used in Design view, in-place-edit text of current locale.
Java code generator or runtime library Either let JFormDesigner generate Java source code for your forms (the default) or use the open-source (BSD license) runtime library to load JFormDesigner XML files at runtime. Your choice. Turn off the code generator in the Preferences, if you don't need it.
Generation of nested classes The Java code generator is able to generate and update nested classes. You can specify a class name for each component in your form. This allows you to organize your source code in an object-oriented way.

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