Keeping BeanInfo classes in a JAR file

You can keep your BeanInfo classes in a separate JAR file in the same project as the Java beans that they define, in a separate project, or on the file system.

To use the BeanInfo classes and browse their source code, they can be imported into a project as a ZIP or JAR file. Then the contents of the file can be expanded to their individual entries. To save space, the BeanInfo classes can be left in the JAR file, and the JAR can be imported as is.

However, in order for the BeanInfo classes in the JAR file to be used during introspection of your visual classes, include the JAR file in the BeanInfo Path for the project and name the packages in the JAR file.

To add JAR files containing BeanInfo classes to your project's BeanInfo path:

  1. Right-click your project with your visual classes, and select Properties from the pop-up menu.

  2. On the BeanInfo Path property page, go to the BeanInfo classes tab:

    BeanInfo Path properties

  3. Do one of the following steps:

    • Click the Add JARs button if the BeanInfo JAR files are included in a project on your workspace.

    • Click the Add External JARs button if the BeanInfo JAR files are on the file system, and not included in a project.

    The JAR Selection window opens. If you are adding external JAR files, you can browse to the location in the file system. If you are adding JAR files from projects in your workspace, the window detects any JAR files that are not already included in the BeanInfo path.

  4. Select the JAR files that include your BeanInfo classes, and click OK.

  5. You must now specify the packages in the JAR files that include the BeanInfo classes. Complete the following steps for each JAR file that you added:

    1. Select the JAR file, and click Modify Paths. The Modify Search Paths window opens.

    2. Click Choose Packages and enter the name of the package that includes the BeanInfo classes, and click OK. Repeat this step for multiple packages in the same JAR file.

      Specifying package name
      The packages are added to the list in the Modify Search Paths window.

    3. Click OK when you are finished listing the packages in the JAR file that include the BeanInfo classes.

  6. Click OK to close the project properties window

For example, the project MyProject contains the Java bean runtimeclasses.MyBean. The JAR file designtime.jar contains its BeanInfo class in the package beaninfoclasses.

You can either import the designtime.jar file into MyProject, or another project, or you can leave it on your file system. Then you add designtime.jar to the BeanInfo Path of MyProject, and name the beaninfoclasses package as the location of the BeanInfo classes.

Remember: Because designtime.jar is only used during design, not during build, it does not need to be added to the Java Build path.
Tip: If you expand the JAR file in your project when you import it, you simply need to add the beaninfoclasses package to the BeanInfo Path on the Packages tab.

 

Parent topic

Specifying the location of BeanInfo classes

 

Related concepts

BeanInfo classes and introspection

 

Related tasks

Keeping beans and BeanInfo classes in different packages in the same project
Keeping beans and BeanInfo classes in different projects
Explicitly defining the location of BeanInfo classes
Keeping beans and BeanInfo classes in the same package