Overview (Project UI API)

Project UI API
Package	Description
org.netbeans.api.project.ui
org.netbeans.spi.project.ui	Ability to provide a tailored UI for a project.
org.netbeans.spi.project.ui.support	Helpful UI support classes for general projects.
org.netbeans.spi.project.ui.templates.support	Support for providing own templates visible in New File... action.

ProjectUIAPI
The Project UI API provides some miscellaneous APIs and SPIs relating to the appearance and UI behavior of generic projects. Most importantly, it permits the customizer and logical view of a project to be defined.
ProjectUIAPI-provider
Callbacks intended to let the Project UI module plug in implementations of APIs defined here. Uses implementation dependencies.

What is New (see all changes)?

May 13 '13 Moved CustomizerProvider2 from java.api.common

CustomizerProvider2 has been available so far in java.api.common but requests have been made to move it to projectuiapi, where its parent CustomizerProvider resides, before CustomizerProvider3 is defined. For reasoning see Issue 229161.
Feb 27 '13 Project system related file templates can include shared license header file

When including license headers into templates, the only license templates from IDE's configuration were accessible. Now templates can include new expression to set a path to a license template within the project's own space. The new way to include license headers is <#include "${project.licensePath}">. Project types need to provide their own way of defining the license template location and mapping it to project.licensePath item in their CreateFromTemplateAttributesProvider implementation.
Feb 22 '13 Added BuildExecutionSupport.ActionItem extension to BuildExecutionSupport.Item

Implementing BuildExecutionSupport.ActionItem allows creating execution history lists at various places, currently the toolbar for Run action.
Jan 24 '13 Added CommonProjectActions.PROJECT_PARENT_FOLDER constant

Added CommonProjectActions.PROJECT_PARENT_FOLDER constant that is respected by the CommonProjectActions.newProject() action and the project's parent directory can be set that way.
Nov 10 '12 Added Close listener to ProjectCustomizer.Category.

Added a Close listener to ProjectCustomizer.Category to enable correct memory management when specific project properties are to be maintained while Project Properties dialog is displayed, containing various, possibly extended, categories. This is the case with JWSProjectProperties and JFXProjectProperties, where cleanup is needed at the time of dialog closing. The introduction of a Close listener here actually enables to deprecate J2SECustomPropertySaver interface and thus make the same mechanism available even outside J2SE projects.

Use Cases

The main use case is for project type providers to supply logical views and customizers for the project. Also for template providers to create project-aware file templates. Can also get a list of open projects, create different kinds of project-related actions, and select projects on disk.

Exported Interfaces

This table lists all of the module exported APIs with defined stability classifications. It is generated based on answers to questions about the architecture of the module. Read them all...

Group of java interfaces

Interface Name	In/Out	Stability	Specified in What Document?
ProjectUIAPI	Exported	Official	The Project UI API provides some miscellaneous APIs and SPIs relating to the appearance and UI behavior of generic projects. Most importantly, it permits the customizer and logical view of a project to be defined.
ProjectUIAPI-provider	Exported	Friend	Callbacks intended to let the Project UI module plug in implementations of APIs defined here. Uses implementation dependencies.

Group of property interfaces

Interface Name	In/Out	Stability	Specified in What Document?
willOpenProjects	Exported	Friend	Since version 1.55 a special PropertyChangeEvent is generated for benefit of `ide.ergonomics` module by OpenProjects.getDefault(). The property name of the event is `"willOpenProjects"` and its new value contains an array of projects that will be opened (a type `Project[]`). Ergonomics module uses this information to enable modules that seem to provide support for technologies used in the about to be opened projects.
project.license	Exported	Official	`project.license` attribute contains project license as `String` for newly created templates. It is used to import license templates. The `default` is used if the attribute was not found in any project lookup.
project.encoding	Exported	Official	`project.encoding` attribute contains the project encoding as `String` for newly created templates. The encoding of the parent folder of the new file is used if the attribute was not found in any project lookup.
project.licensePath	Exported	Stable	contains `String` path to the license header include file, by default as path to `Templates/Licenses/license-${project.license}.txt` system filesystem location, but a local filesystem (file:) url is also supported.

Group of lookup interfaces

Interface Name	In/Out	Stability	Specified in What Document?
org.openide.loaders.CreateFromTemplateAttributesProvider	Exported	Official	The attributes provider is registered in `META-INF/services`. It collects attributes from `org.openide.loaders.CreateFromTemplateAttributesProvider`s registered in project lookups. It provides the project.license and project.encoding attributes for file templates using scripting support.

Group of layer interfaces

Interface Name	In/Out	Stability	Specified in What Document?
RegisteredActions	Exported	Under Development	Several project related actions are registered in the Actions folder in the layer. Product branding is intended to use those actions to build main menu, toolbars and shortcuts. Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-BuildMainProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-CleanMainProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-RebuildMainProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-RunMainProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-DebugMainProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-TestProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-BuildProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-CleanProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-RebuildProject.instance Actions/Project/org-netbeans-modules-project-ui-RunProject.instance
ProjectTemplates	Exported	Official	New (or import) project wizards can be registered in a special folder `Templates/Projects/`.
ProjectActions	Exported	Official	Providers of generic project actions can register `Action` and `JSeparator` instances in a special folder `Projects/Actions/`. So if any module wishes to extend, hide or reorder some of them it can just register its actions there. Example: <folder name="Projects" > <folder name="Actions" > <file name="org-mymodule-MyAction.instance" > <attr name="instanceCreate" stringvalue="org.mymodule.MyAction" /> </file> </folder> </folder>
Templates	Exported	Official	File templates can be registered with various attributes, some specific to the project system.
TemplatesLicenses	Exported	Official	Under `Templates/Licenses` folder should be registered various license headers that can be imported by templates using scripting. The recommended format of filename is `license-[licensename].txt` e.g. `license-cddl.txt`.

Implementation Details

What do other modules need to do to declare a dependency on this one, in addition to or instead of a plain module dependency?

Nothing.

Read more about the implementation in the answers to architecture questions.

Project UI APIOfficial