Editorial Reviews:
This book brings together advanced guidelines and techniques for building exceptionally effective user interfaces with Java technology. Building on the insights presented in Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines, Second Edition, this book focuses on several key opportunities to enhance Java user interfaces, and draws upon brand-new user analyses by Sun Microsystems' Java Look and Feel Design Group. The authors begin with in-depth coverage of Java windows, including techniques for choosing the right window type, designing window elements, setting state, and handling multiple windows. In a detailed chapter on menus, they show how to design menu elements, common, and contextual menus; and assign mnemonics and keyboard shortcuts. The book demonstrates how to control key aspects of application behavior, including addressing modes, filtering, searching, and tool tips. A chapter on idioms shows how to use sets of JFC components to standardize appearance and behavior. Readers will find practical techniques for improving responsiveness and providing more useful operational feedback. For every Java developer, software engineer, usability specialist, and manager responsible for developing or commissioning Java software.
Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines, from Sun Microsystems, provides programmers with the requirements for creating user interfaces using the Java Foundation Classes (JFC). This handsomely printed book uses rich color on every page while demonstrating how you can create Java programs that will look great on any computer. The book focuses on the built-in Java look-and-feel (called Metal). Early sections discuss the philosophy of Java user interfaces, which include excellent support for different languages and accessibility, keeping disabled users in mind. Much of this text covers Java UI elements offering advice on creating more intuitive interfaces. Sections of the book look at the rudimentary, visual sensibilities needed for using colors and text appropriately, including how to design artwork (like icons and graphics) that fits in with the rest of the JFC interface. One example shows the step-by-step creation of a proper Java icon. Other sections propose standards for the number of pixels that should be used to separate onscreen elements. Sections on mouse, keyboard, and drag-and-drop user operations make clear how your Java programs should handle user actions. Later this text surveys JFC components beginning with basic windows, dialog boxes, menus, and toolbars. Next it's on to individual components from basic controls (like buttons, checkboxes, and text controls) to more advanced components (like tables and tree controls). (This section, which lists the extensive options for selecting data and resizing table columns, shows the real sophistication of today's JFC package.) Though it contains no actual Java code, Java Look and Feel Guidelines defines the visual design standard for the next generation of Java programs. It will useful for anyone who builds user interfaces during the software design process. --Richard Dragan
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 6 to 10 of 11 total reviews (Page 2 of 3):
 get it online!
One excellent feature of the book is that it and its code samples are available free online from Sun at java.sun.com/products/jlf/This book is very specifically aimed at designers who want to lay out components that mesh visually with Java's Metal, a Swing-based (javax.swing) cross-platform look and feel. As another reviewer pointed out, it's not primarily about designing an interface for usability, but for look and feel. It doesn't completely ignore usability issues, but only covers the basics that are built into the platform. For instance, the book details how many pixels of space to use between buttons and how the text and image on the button should be placed and what it should look like in active/inactive/selected states. Another example is a detailed description of designing icon bitmaps for different color depths, platforms and internationalization. This book's invaluable for the detailed description of the behavior of the Swing. A simple example is the description of selecting items in a JComboBox by (a) clicking the primary mouse button to activate the list and clicking on a selection, or by (b) depressing the primary mouse button, scrolling to the selection, and releasing. This is not a book about Java programming per se, but contains many links to illustrative code examples for the look and feel. But you won't get a detailed description of event dispatching. (To the book's credit, it does examine which events are available per component.) Despite its wordiness, I like Kim Topley's book on JFC for the description of the event model and the components, but I haven't compared Topley's book to anything more recent.  A Java Essential
This is the only serious book on the market which deals with user interface guidelines based on the JFC.The only drawback is that there should be an HCI methodology companion book to be used alongside. ARE YOU LISTENING, SUN? Therefore only 4-stars. Excellent resource for web developers
Whereas Windows developers usually have a copy of Microsoft's 'Windows Interface Guidelines for Software Design' to turn to for advice on behaviour and usage of Windows elements, such a resource has been sorely lacking for developers of applications for the internet.This book fills the gap admirably. It provides a comprehensive set of guidelines on the use of the various components of an internet application (windows, dialogs, menus, buttons and so on), with detailed descriptions of their appearance and behaviour. As with any set of guidelines, there are individual elements and recommendations with which one could disagree. This is an eminently practical and useful book, and I believe it should be on the bookshelf of every developer of internet applications - whether using Java or another tool. Filling a vacuum of Java UI design space.
Personally, I think the book is well structured, comprehensive for a technical audience. It gives a lot of examples and detailed guidelines how Java GUIs should look like. As well, there are a lot of hints what to do when designing screens such as dialog boxes which is not totally covered in other GUI styleguides. There are some minor "inconsistencies" concerning which interface widgets should be used e.g. slider control. Another point that should be changed is the use of the default button for "destructive" actions. A further point which should be elaborated is the difference between application and object-oriented user interface design, which is only partially covered. All in all, the guide is worth buying. Due to this minor "inconsistencies" I give four stars. Overall nice and neccessary
Overall the book is nice and was neccessary in the Java GUI space.The only objection I have is invetion of Utility windows. The book says that utility windows should be used to hold palettes or tools and then goes on to say that utility windows do not close or minimize when the main application window is. Why would one want a utility window without the main application window. It also says that utility windows do not remain in front of application window. This is different than existing standards (look at standard tools like Photoshop) and is unneccesary. Imagine having to bring on the utility window to front everytime before being able to click on one of the palette buttons. It also says that the utility windows can be implemented using JDialog. However JDialogs close/minimize when the main application window is closed/minimized. Conventionaly tool palettes or floating toolbars are implemented using Dialogs (non-modal) which has a nice property of floating in front of the application window and minimizing with the application window. There could have been more discussion on which control(s) should be chosen to represent real world concepts i.e. discussion on use of metaphors. MDI design and other alternatives could have been discussed more. Once again... Great initial effort. Keep up the good work... More Customer Reviews:
Previous Page Next Page
|
