NetBeans Architecture Answers for Java Platform UI module

General Information

Question (arch-what): What is this project good for?
Answer:

Many Java-based project types need to be able to configure the version and location of Java to be used when building and running the project. This API/SPI permits these platforms to be registered and queried, and any customizations made in an appropriate GUI and persisted to disk.

Question (arch-overall): Describe the overall architecture.
Answer: JavaPlatformUI - The Java Platform API permits access to installed Java platforms (for example, the J2SE JDK, or various mobile-device emulators for J2ME). Particular platform types are registered by modules and can store customized information about the platform to disk.
Note that this module concentrates the UI part of API. Its desktop-independent counterpart is in the org.netbeans.modules.java.platform module.
Question (arch-usecases): Describe the main use cases of the new API. Who will use it under what circumstances? What kind of code would typically need to be written to use the module?
Answer:

The API can be used by any code wishing to know the list of installed platforms and information about each one; typically this would be used by project type providers to implement a customizer dialog. The SPI is intended to be implemented by a few modules supply support for locating and introspecting installed platforms, for example a JDK setup wizard.

Question (arch-time): What are the time estimates of the work?
Answer:

It is working and no major efforts are thought to remain.

Question (arch-quality): How will the quality of your code be tested and how are future regressions going to be prevented?
Answer:

Ought to be covered by unit tests, with the exception of GUI components which may need functional tests.

Question (arch-where): Where one can find sources for your module?
WARNING: Question with id="arch-where" has not been answered!

Project and platform dependencies

Question (dep-nb): What other NetBeans projects and modules does this one depend on?
Answer:
1. Filesystems -

   Various purposes.

2. Actions -

   Registration of platform manager action.

3. Datasystems -

   FolderInstance is used only internally.

4. JavaSupportAPIs -

   To return bootstrap libraries and standard libraries as a ClassPath.

5. Wizards -

   Dialogs used to customize platforms.

6. Modules -

   SpecificationVersion used in the API.

7. Nodes -

   For miscellaneous GUI.

The default answer to this question is:


These modules are required in project.xml:

• CommonAnnotationsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.14 is required.
• JavaSupportAPIs - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.18 is required.
• ClassPathAPIs - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.0 is required.
• JavaPlatformAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.36 is required.
• org.openide.awt - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
• DialogsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 7.8 is required.
• ExplorerAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.8 is required.
• FilesystemsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 9.0 is required.
• LoadersAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 7.61 is required.
• ModulesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
• NodesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
• UtilitiesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 9.3 is required.
• WeakListener.setAccessible - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 9.3 is required.
• LookupAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 8.0 is required.
Question (dep-non-nb): What other projects outside NetBeans does this one depend on?
Answer:

None.

Question (dep-platform): On which platforms does your module run? Does it run in the same way on each?
Answer:

Any.

Question (dep-jre): Which version of JRE do you need (1.2, 1.3, 1.4, etc.)?
Answer:

1.4+.

Question (dep-jrejdk): Do you require the JDK or is the JRE enough?
Answer:

JRE, though the default platform (the one running the IDE itself) would be the JDK.

Deployment

Question (deploy-jar): Do you deploy just module JAR file(s) or other files as well?
Answer:

JAR only.

Question (deploy-nbm): Can you deploy an NBM via the Update Center?
Answer:

Yes.

Question (deploy-shared): Do you need to be installed in the shared location only, or in the user directory only, or can your module be installed anywhere?
Answer:

Anywhere.

Question (deploy-packages): Are packages of your module made inaccessible by not declaring them public?
Answer:

Yes, only API and SPI packages are exported.

Question (deploy-dependencies): What do other modules need to do to declare a dependency on this one, in addition to or instead of the normal module dependency declaration (e.g. tokens to require)?
Answer: Nothing.

Compatibility with environment

Question (compat-i18n): Is your module correctly internationalized?
Answer:

Yes. The only UI of platform module is a platform template wizard and customizer and it is localized. Platforms can provide display names. The main portion of the wizard/customizer UI is supplied by the platform type.

Question (compat-standards): Does the module implement or define any standards? Is the implementation exact or does it deviate somehow?
Answer:

No.

Question (compat-version): Can your module coexist with earlier and future versions of itself? Can you correctly read all old settings? Will future versions be able to read your current settings? Can you read or politely ignore settings stored by a future version?
Answer:

Yes. The platform module does not provide any persistence mechanism.

Question (compat-deprecation): How the introduction of your project influences functionality provided by previous version of the product?
WARNING: Question with id="compat-deprecation" has not been answered!

Access to resources

Question (resources-file): Does your module use java.io.File directly?
Answer:

For miscellaneous purposes.

Question (resources-layer): Does your module provide own layer? Does it create any files or folders in it? What it is trying to communicate by that and with which components?
Answer:

The folder org-netbeans-api-java/platform/installers on the system filesystem is used to store the PlatformInstall instance files.

The folder Services/Platforms/org-netbeans-api-java-Platform on the system filesystem is used to store the Java platform definitions.

Question (resources-read): Does your module read any resources from layers? For what purpose?
Answer:

JavaPlatform and PlatformInstall instances are read from the system filesystem.

Question (resources-mask): Does your module mask/hide/override any resources provided by other modules in their layers?
Answer:

No.

Question (resources-preferences): Does your module uses preferences via Preferences API? Does your module use NbPreferences or or regular JDK Preferences ? Does it read, write or both ? Does it share preferences with other modules ? If so, then why ?
WARNING: Question with id="resources-preferences" has not been answered!

Lookup of components

Question (lookup-lookup): Does your module use org.openide.util.Lookup or any similar technology to find any components to communicate with? Which ones?
Answer:

Instances of the platforms are put into the default lookup by the platform implementors. Rather than query the lookup clients should use PlatformManager.getInstalledPlatforms().

Question (lookup-register): Do you register anything into lookup for other code to find?
Answer:

• Default (J2SE) platform.

• Query implementations relating to Java platforms.

Question (lookup-remove): Do you remove entries of other modules from lookup?
Answer:

No.

Execution Environment

Question (exec-property): Is execution of your code influenced by any environment or Java system (System.getProperty) property? On a similar note, is there something interesting that you pass to java.util.logging.Logger? Or do you observe what others log?
Answer:

No.

Question (exec-component): Is execution of your code influenced by any (string) property of any of your components?
Answer:

No.

Question (exec-ant-tasks): Do you define or register any ant tasks that other can use?
WARNING: Question with id="exec-ant-tasks" has not been answered!
Question (exec-classloader): Does your code create its own class loader(s)?
Answer:

No.

Question (exec-reflection): Does your code use Java Reflection to execute other code?
Answer:

No.

Question (exec-privateaccess): Are you aware of any other parts of the system calling some of your methods by reflection?
Answer:

No.

Question (exec-process): Do you execute an external process from your module? How do you ensure that the result is the same on different platforms? Do you parse output? Do you depend on result code?
Answer:

No.

Question (exec-introspection): Does your module use any kind of runtime type information (instanceof, work with java.lang.Class, etc.)?
Answer:

No.

Question (exec-threading): What threading models, if any, does your module adhere to? How the project behaves with respect to threading?
Answer:

TBD.

Question (security-policy): Does your functionality require modifications to the standard policy file?
Answer:

No.

Question (security-grant): Does your code grant additional rights to some other code?
Answer:

No.

Format of files and protocols

Question (format-types): Which protocols and file formats (if any) does your module read or write on disk, or transmit or receive over the network? Do you generate an ant build script? Can it be edited and modified?
Answer:

None.

Question (format-dnd): Which protocols (if any) does your code understand during Drag & Drop?
Answer:

None.

Question (format-clipboard): Which data flavors (if any) does your code read from or insert to the clipboard (by access to clipboard on means calling methods on java.awt.datatransfer.Transferable?
Answer:

None.

Performance and Scalability

Question (perf-startup): Does your module run any code on startup?
Answer:

No.

Question (perf-exit): Does your module run any code on exit?
Answer:

No.

Question (perf-scale): Which external criteria influence the performance of your program (size of file in editor, number of files in menu, in source directory, etc.) and how well your code scales?
Answer:

Number of installed platforms.

Question (perf-limit): Are there any hard-coded or practical limits in the number or size of elements your code can handle?
Answer:

No.

Question (perf-mem): How much memory does your component consume? Estimate with a relation to the number of windows, etc.
Answer:

Probably minimal.

Question (perf-wakeup): Does any piece of your code wake up periodically and do something even when the system is otherwise idle (no user interaction)?
Answer:

No.

Question (perf-progress): Does your module execute any long-running tasks?
Answer:

No.

Question (perf-huge_dialogs): Does your module contain any dialogs or wizards with a large number of GUI controls such as combo boxes, lists, trees, or text areas?
Answer:

Nothing large.

Question (perf-menus): Does your module use dynamically updated context menus, or context-sensitive actions with complicated and slow enablement logic?
Answer:

No.

Question (perf-spi): How the performance of the plugged in code will be enforced?
Answer:

No special provisions.