Are you planning to develop a robust, highly scalable, and innovative desktop application? If so, Java turns out to be one of the most promising contenders to consider. From versatility to an extensive ecosystem to easy portability to developing rich and interactive user interfaces (UIs), it is no wonder Java remains one of the most favored technologies among software developers across the globe. Not to mention, the platform ensures neutrality, resilience, and diversity, which means it features a rich ecosystem and is also recommended for web as well as enterprise development solutions.
The ultimate objective of Java development is to write once and run anywhere, no wonder Java-based apps are platform-independent and carry immense compatibility. Another crucial reason for Java being a go-to language is “the Java GUI framework.”
Yes, the tech provides a broader set of tools and frameworks for conducting successful GUI development projects. Yes, in other words, nothing can beat Java when it comes to designing visually beautiful and functional interfaces. The following post focuses on understanding the Java GUI Frameworks, what they are, how they are beneficial, the top Frameworks available today and how to pick the right GUI framework for your development project.
What are Java GUI Frameworks?
These are an extensive collection of tools, libraries, and APIs that certainly assist in developing intuitive and visually appealing user interfaces for Java applications, and that too in a pretty easy manner. So here, you will find a wide range of libraries featuring graphical control elements that are mainly used to develop an app’s GUI. Also, here you will find pre-constructed widgets and other UI elements in simple words, developer will no longer have to waste their time and energy in developing menu buttons and all other obvious elements again and again. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. As a result, it saves ample time and money, and in the end, nothing can stop you from developing a reliable, repeatable server, mobile, IoT, and desktop application.
So now what can go wrong if you don’t employ any of these GUI frameworks? Well, developers will have to do all the hard work again, they will have to write code for every piece of the app which can be a pretty tiresome and daunting task. Instead, using Java GUI frameworks can certainly give them an upper hand by cutting some slack and using or should I say reusing different bits to save a considerable amount of time and effort.
How is Using Java GUI Frameworks Beneficial?
Now, I am sure you must be well aware of the fact that several modern computing languages and older desktop operating systems, such as MS-DOS, use a command-line interface. Here, you are required to type several code lines at a command line to make the most of this interface and access the overall features and functionalities of the developed system. This also means that a newbie cannot work on such projects, he or she is supposed to be well-experienced and highly knowledgeable regarding commands that can be easily accessed on the system. Not just that, he should be well versed in how to enter them accurately. Maybe this is why earlier minor mistakes were inevitable, such as misspellings or incorrect spacing, which led to issues while functioning.
Fortunately, with advancements in Java Desktop GUI frameworks, things now seem to be pretty easy it is possible to conduct seamless interaction with the users all thanks to graphical interfaces. Down below I would like to mention certain benefits of incorporating a graphical user interface in your development project.
Easy to use - One of the obvious benefits of choosing Java GUI frameworks is that it is pretty easy to use. Here users can simply identify, classify, as well as navigate seamlessly through different options. Also, data can be easily figured out with the help of different symbols, shapes, and icons. All it takes is a single click to acquire a function.
Attention-grabbing - The next benefit to consider here is attention-grabbing. Making the most of graphical user interfaces means getting hands-on visually appealing elements and is free of command line codes. It may quite interest you to know that with the help of long lines of computing codes, several emotions, remarks, and situations in the form of visual representations can be showcased. No wonder visual media is still pretty much in vogue.
Easy to get started with - Visual form doesn’t work wonders every time, I mean data representations can be recognized more easily in text than in visual form. So this works wonders for those who are non-programmers, they can use graphical user interfaces since it doesn’t require any knowledge and experience of computational techniques. This also means one no longer needs to worry about writing code or repairing errors. For users, GUI is often referred to as an intuitive interface.
Multi-tasking - The next benefit offered by Graphical User Interface is multi-tasking. With GUI, users can search the internet and at the same time watch a streaming presentation on the same web browser.
Now without further ado, I guess we need to focus on considering the top Java GUI frameworks for your upcoming development project.
Top Java GUI Frameworks
JavaFX
One of the top Java GUI frameworks which is highly considered for developing rich desktop applications and enterprise solutions. Modern UI, full-graphic support, and FXML for UI Design are some of its core reasons for making JavaFX a cut above. This one is a GUI toolkit mainly designed to develop as well as facilitate rich internet-based apps or web apps and, of course, different desktop apps. And do you know what the most interesting aspect of using this GUI framework is? It can successfully run on multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and other platforms, including desktop, web, mobile, TVs, Tablets, and more.
Sun Microsystems did the launch of JavaFX and soon after developers all across the globe were able to develop the GUI applications more effectively and productively.
It may quite interest you to know that JavaFX was conceived to supersede the Java Swing GUI framework. And what’s more interesting here, it offers more enhanced functionalities and features, especially in comparison to Java Swing. Also, here you will find a wide range of peculiarities allowing this one to be the most handpicked option worldwide.
Java library
Platform independent
FXML
Scene Builder
Hardware-accelerated Graphics Pipeline
WebView
Built-in UI controls
CSS Styling
Rich set of APIs
High-performance media engine
Swing
Now this one is a Java foundation class we talked about earlier. Also, Swing is considered an extension of Abstract Window Toolkit [AWT]. On the contrary, this GUI framework offers more improved functionality in comparison to AWT. Swing has about four times the number of User Interface [UI] components as AWT and is part of the standard Java distribution. Some of the core features and functionalities of Java Swing include:
Pluggable look and feel
Uses MVC architecture
Lightweight components
Platform independent
JTable, JTabbedPane, JScrollPane,
Lightweight components
Easy to customize
Rich controls such as Tree TabbedPane, slider, color picker, and table controls.
AWT
The next is AWT. AWT is one such Java GUI framework that is considered the core of Swing. Abstract Window Toolkit was created to develop Graphical User Interface (GUI) or Windows-based applications in Java. Unlike others, this one is platform-dependent, which means everything is done in sync with the operating system’s view. Another alluring aspect of AWT is that it is heavyweight, which means its components consume resources from the underlying operating systems.
Some of the most outstanding aspects of AWT include the ability to streamline basic interfaces effectively, adaptable, and seamless integration with Swing and JavaFX especially when collaborating with more complex programs.
Blade
The next interesting Java GUI framework to choose is Blade. It’s more like a full-stack web development framework, which turns out to be simple, lightweight, and quite efficient in its structure. Blade is one such GUI framework that assists well in data synchronization with the website. In addition, Blade offers an amazing routing interface. So, in other words, things are pretty much easy to understand and get started with.
Can you imagine what could be the total size of the source code? It is less than 500 kilobytes. This is successfully built upon the Java 8 foundation, including the template engine and web server.
SWT
This one is an open-source widget toolkit which is mainly used in Java development projects. The ultimate objective of using this one is to develop rich client applications and desktop applications in no time. Some of its core features include Native widget integration and high performance.
What else? SWT ensures efficient resource utilization, native look and feel and direct access to native components and some of its disadvantages include platform-specific code required, smaller community in comparison to other options and only used for developing desktop apps where native integration and high performance are critical.
How to Pick the Right Java GUI Framework?
And now comes the most crucial part, how to pick the right Java GUI framework. This is certainly the key decision to make here since your choice can directly impact the app’s functionality, user experience, and maintenance. So before you make a choice, time to evaluate these below-mentioned factors at once.
Project Requirements
Your choice of framework should mainly depend on your project’s prime requirements. First, decide what the program is being developed for, is it for a desktop or mobile platform, or whether it needs complicated graphics, multimedia, or real-time updates?
Customizability
The next is customization. You see there might be certain projects which require a higher customized user interface which is why the ability to alter components, styles, and layouts is definitely important.
High Performance
Another interesting factor to consider is high performance. Before making a choice you need to examine each framework’s performance qualities in regards to the rendering speed, resource utilization, responsiveness and much more.
Easy to use
The next factor to take into account is ease of use. Now if you have a development team featuring professionals with a diverse range of knowledge and experience then you can always pick a GUI framework with intuitive APIs, good documentation and a steep learning curve which certainly accelerates the development process while minimizing potential issues.
Community and support
Another aspect to consider is the framework’s community size and activity. Choosing a community which is thriving and well-engaged means you are bound to receive long-lasting support, regular updates and chances of overcoming troubleshooting and obstacles are pretty high.
Conclusion
Designing a stunning user interface for your Java app is no longer a daunting task especially when you have so many amazing options around. The key to success is to choose the correct option and this can happen only based on your pre-defined needs and requirements. So what are you waiting for, pick the right choice and take your UI design to the next level. If you are still confused, you can always seek assistance from reputable Java development companies who have a knack for offering the best results from their doorsteps.
Over the years, Java has been ranked as one of the leading technologies in the market, and by not making the most of it, you are quite at a loss here. So, wake up and look for ways to gain a competitive edge.
I hope you did find the following post worth reading. In case, if you have any issues or queries, feel free to let us know by writing down in the comment section below.