About This Tutorial

1 Hello World, JavaFX Style

• Construct the Application
• Run the Application
• Where to Go Next

2 Creating a Form in JavaFX

• Create the Project
• Create a GridPane Layout
• Add Text, Labels, and Text Fields
• Add a Button and Text
• Add Code to Handle an Event
• Run the Application
• Where to Go from Here

3 Fancy Forms with JavaFX CSS

• Create the Project
• Create the CSS File
• Add a Background Image
• Style the Labels
• Style Text
• Style the Button
• Where to Go from Here

4 Using FXML to Create a User Interface

• Set Up the Project
• Load the FXML Source File
• Modify the Import Statements
• Create a GridPane Layout
• Add Text and Password Fields
• Add a Button and Text
• Add Code to Handle an Event
• Use a Scripting Language to Handle Events
• Style the Application with CSS
• Where to Go from Here

5 Animation and Visual Effects in JavaFX

• Set Up the Application
• Set Up the Project
• Add Graphics
• Add a Visual Effect
• Create a Background Gradient
• Apply a Blend Mode
• Add Animation
• Where to Go from Here

6 Deploying Your First JavaFX Application

• Deployment Modes
• Packaging the Application in NetBeans IDE
  • Sizing the Application Window
• Running the Application Outside NetBeans IDE
• Deploying the Packaged Files
• Other Ways to Package JavaFX Applications

Gail Chappell

Technical Writer, Oracle

Gail is part of the JavaFX documentation team and enjoys working on cutting-edge, innovative documentation.

Nancy Hildebrandt

Technical Writer, Oracle

Nancy is a technical writer in the JavaFX group. She has a background in content management systems, enterprise server-client software, and XML. She lives on 480 acres in the middle of nowhere with horses, a donkey, dogs, cats, and chickens, and stays connected by satellite.

Construct the Application

1. From theFile menu, chooseNew Project.

2. In theJavaFX application category, chooseJavaFX Application. ClickNext.

3. Name the projectHelloWorld and clickFinish.

   NetBeans opens theHelloWorld.java file and populates it with the code for a basic Hello World application, as shown inExample 1-1.

   Example 1-1 Hello World

   package helloworld; import javafx.application.Application;import javafx.event.ActionEvent;import javafx.event.EventHandler;import javafx.scene.Scene;import javafx.scene.control.Button;import javafx.scene.layout.StackPane;import javafx.stage.Stage; public class HelloWorld extends Application {    public static void main(String[] args) {        launch(args);    }        @Override    public void start(Stage primaryStage) {        primaryStage.setTitle("Hello World!");        Button btn = new Button();        btn.setText("Say 'Hello World'");        btn.setOnAction(new EventHandler<ActionEvent>() {             @Override            public void handle(ActionEvent event) {                System.out.println("Hello World!");            }        });                StackPane root = new StackPane();        root.getChildren().add(btn);        primaryStage.setScene(new Scene(root, 300, 250));        primaryStage.show();    }}

Here are the important things to know about the basic structure of a JavaFX application:

• The main class for a JavaFX application extends thejavafx.application.Application class. Thestart() method is the main entry point for all JavaFX applications.

• A JavaFX application defines the user interface container by means of a stage and a scene. The JavaFXStage class is the top-level JavaFX container. The JavaFXScene class is the container for all content.Example 1-1 creates the stage and scene and makes the scene visible in a given pixel size.

• In JavaFX, the content of the scene is represented as a hierarchical scene graph of nodes. In this example, the root node is aStackPane object, which is a resizable layout node. This means that the root node's size tracks the scene's size and changes when the stage is resized by a user.

• The root node contains one child node, a button control with text, plus an event handler to print a message when the button is pressed.

• Themain() method is not required for JavaFX applications when the JAR file for the application is created with the JavaFX Packager tool, which embeds the JavaFX Launcher in the JAR file. However, it is useful to include themain() method so you can run JAR files that were created without the JavaFX Launcher, such as when using an IDE in which the JavaFX tools are not fully integrated. Also, Swing applications that embed JavaFX code require themain() method.

Figure 1-1 shows the scene graph for the Hello World application. For more information on scene graphs seeWorking with the JavaFX Scene Graph.

Figure 1-1 Hello World Scene Graph

Description of "Figure 1-1 Hello World Scene Graph"

Run the Application

1. In the Projects window, right-click theHelloWorld project node and chooseRun.

2. Click the Say Hello World button.

3. Verify that the text “Hello World!” is printed to the NetBeans output window.
   Figure 1-2 shows the Hello World application, JavaFX style.

Figure 1-2 Hello World, JavaFX style

Description of "Figure 1-2 Hello World, JavaFX style"

Where to Go Next

This concludes the basic Hello World tutorial, but continue reading for more lessons on developing JavaFX applications:

• Creating a Form in JavaFX teaches the basics of screen layout, how to add controls to a layout, and how to create input events.

• Fancy Forms with JavaFX CSS provides simple style tricks for enhancing your application, including adding a background image and styling buttons and text.

• Using FXML to Create a User Interface shows an alternate method for creating the login user interface. FXML is an XML-based language that provides the structure for building a user interface separate from the application logic of your code.

• Animation and Visual Effects in JavaFX shows how to bring an application to life by adding timeline animation and blend effects.

• Deploying Your First JavaFX Application describes how to run your application outside NetBeans IDE.