HOWTO.md

How to Use FxDock Library in Your Project

Overview

• Register your provider for GlobalSettings.
• Implement a generator which creates custom FxDockWindows and FxDockPanes.
• Load the layout by calling FxFramework.openLayout().

Please refer to DockDemoApp.java for an example of how to integrate this library into your project.

Generator

The docking framework operates with two types of objects: FxDockWindows and FxDockPanes.

There could be only one type of application window (FX Stage), and it must extend FxDockWindow class. Each window may contain one or more (or zero, if it is a last window) panes, which must extend FxDockPane class. You can have as many different types of FxDockPanes as you wish, each type identified by a String type ID.

Before the framework loads the layout, you must set a FxDockSchema, which creates windows and panes for your application.

Here is an example: DemoDockSchema.java

/**
 * Demo Schema creates custom dock windows and dock panes.
 */
public class DemoDockSchema
	extends FxDockSchema
{
	/** type id for a browser pane */
	public static final String BROWSER = "BROWSER";
	/** type id for a CPane demo */
	public static final String CPANE = "CPANE";
	/** type id for a HPane demo */
	public static final String HPANE = "HPANE";
	/** type id for a login pane */
	public static final String LOGIN = "LOGIN";
	/** type id for a VPane demo */
	public static final String VPANE = "VPANE";
	
	
	public DemoDockSchema(ASettingsStore store)
	{
		super(store);
	}
	

	/** creates custom pane using the type id */
	public FxDockPane createPane(String id)
	{
		switch(id)
		{
		case BROWSER:
			return new DemoBrowser();
		case CPANE:
			return new DemoCPane();
		case HPANE:
			return new DemoHPane();
		case LOGIN:
			return new DemoLoginPane();
		default:
			// id determines the background color
			return new DemoPane(id);
		}
	}
	

	public Stage createWindow(String name)
	{
		return new DemoWindow();
	}


	public Stage createDefaultWindow()
	{
		return DemoWindow.openBrowser("https://github.com/andy-goryachev/FxDock");
	}
}

Global Settings

The docking framework uses an implementation of ASettingsStore to store the layout. This is a facade that can use your custom key-value database to store application-wide settings, or you can simply use the file-based implementation provided by GlobalSettings.instance().

Local Settings

The framework also provides a mechanism to store JavaFX properties as a part of the layout. All you need to do is to add a property to an instance of LocalSettings which can be obtained from either a Node or a Window with LocalSettings.get().

Logging

The framework uses custom logging façade Log .

Startup

Here is an example of startup code (taken from DockDemoApp ). The framework attempts to load an existing layout first, the proceeds to creating the default window if no prior layout exists:

public class DockDemoApp
	extends Application
{
	public static final String COPYRIGHT = "copyright © 2016-2024 andy goryachev";
	public static final String TITLE = "FxDock Framework Demo";
	public static final String VERSION = "2024.0407.1750";


	public static void main(String[] args)
	{
		// init logger
		Log.initConsole(LogLevel.WARN);
		
		// init non-ui subsystems
		GlobalSettings.setFileProvider(new File("settings.conf"));
		
		// launch ui
		Application.launch(DockDemoApp.class, args);
	}
	

	public void start(Stage s) throws Exception
	{
		ASettingsStore store = GlobalSettings.instance();
		DemoDockSchema gen = new DemoDockSchema(store);
		FxFramework.openLayout(gen);
	}
}

Bugs? Questions?

Please let me know by creating an issue on Github.