JavaFX Developer's Guide: (Developer's Library)

Updated for JavaFX 1.3   The JavaFX platform makes it possible to write applications that can be deployed across devices ranging from cell phones to desktops, with little or no change required. JavaFX applications are written using JavaFX Script, a new and easy-to-use scripting language.   Kim Topley’s JavaFX™ Developer’s Guide thoroughly covers the JavaFX language and its core libraries and shows you step by step how to develop and deliver JavaFX applications for the desktop and for mobile devices. It provides complete coverage of all aspects of the language, including Language syntax Tools you can use to develop, debug, and deploy JavaFX applications User interface classes Animation How to play audio and video How to use RESTful Web services and databases to retrieve the data for your application How to create custom components Transformations User interface basics, attributes, events,and controls JavaFX and networking JavaFX development with NetBeans and Eclipse Packaging and deployment Topley highlights critical topics that other books gloss over, presents detailed examples that stretch JavaFX to its limits, and shows you exactly how to build on the skills you already have. Whether you’ve been focused on HTML/XML/CSS Web development or Java Swing, this book will help you get outstanding results with JavaFX.

Table of Contents:
About the Author xxv Preface xxvi Part I: Introduction to JavaFX Chapter 1: An Overview of JavaFX 3 The JavaFX Platform 3 The JavaFX Script Language 5 The JavaFX Runtime 9 JavaFX Development Tools 13 Deployment 14 Chapter 2: JavaFX Script Basics 17 Source File Structure 17 Comments 18 The package Statement 20 The import Statement 20 Other JavaFX Statements 23 JavaFX Keywords and Reserved Words 27 Script Execution and Arguments 28 Predefined Variables 31 Chapter 3: JavaFX Script Development 33 Compiling and Running JavaFX Code 33 Documentation in JavaFX Source Code 43 Chapter 4: A Simple JavaFX Application 45 Building the SnowStorm Application 46 SnowStorm on the Web, a Phone, and TV 65 Debugging the SnowStorm Application 72 Profiling the SnowStorm Application 77 Source Code for the SnowStorm Application 82 Part II: The JavaFX Script Language Chapter 5: Variables and Data Types 89 Variable Declarations 89 Object Types 94 Basic Data Types 97 Type Inference 117 Visibility of Variables 119 Chapter 6: Expressions, Functions, and Object Literals 121 Expressions and Operations 121 JavaFX Functions 134 Object Literals 147 Chapter 7: Sequences 153 Sequence Creation 153 The String Form of a Sequence 155 Range Notation 156 Sequence Equality and Copying 157 Querying Sequences 158 Modifying Sequences 162 Operations on Sequences 167 Java Arrays 174 Chapter 8: Controlling Program Flow 179 The if Statement 179 The while Statement 181 The for Statement 184 Exception Handling 193 Chapter 9: Binding 195 Binding to Variables and Expressions 195 Binding and Functions 207 Binding and Sequences 217 Chapter 10: Triggers 221 Triggers on Simple Variables 221 Triggers and Sequences 229 Triggers and Instance Variables 236 Chapter 11: JavaFX Script Classes 239 JavaFX Class Declaration 240 Subclassing and Abstract Classes 249 Using Bound Functions 258 Variable Overrides 259 Class Initialization 261 Classes and Script Files 265 Mixins 266 Chapter 12: Platform APIs 285 Built-In Functions 285 Arguments and System Properties 287 Application Shutdown 292 Deferring Operations 294 Functions for Internationalization 295 Local Storage 298 Conditional Features 307 Chapter 13: Reflection 309 Context and Classes 309 Types and Values 314 Variables and Functions 320 Using Reflection 328 Part III: User Interfaces with JavaFX Chapter 14: User Interface Basics 341 The Stage Class 342 The Scene Class 358 Nodes 360 Alerts 369 3D Features 372 Chapter 15: Node Variables and Events 375 Cursors 375 Colors 378 Events 401 Chapter 16: Shapes, Text, and Images 433 Shapes 433 Stroking and Filling Shapes 456 The Text Class 466 Fonts 472 Groups and Custom Nodes 482 Images 486 Chapter 17: Coordinates, Transforms, and Layout 503 Transforms 503 Combining Transforms 517 Clipping 523 Coordinates and Bounds 527 Node Layout 538 SnowStorm Revisited 579 Coordinates and Screens 585 Chapter 18: Animation 591 Timelines 591 Controlling a Timeline 605 Transitions 613 Chapter 19: Video and Audio 627 The Media Class 628 The MediaPlayer Class 630 The MediaView Class 639 Chapter 20: Effects and Blending 651 Effects Overview 651 The JavaFX Effects Classes 656 Blending 686 Lighting 690 Chapter 21: Importing Graphics 703 The JavaFX Production Suite 703 Using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop Graphics 705 Importing SVG Graphics 733 Chapter 22: Cross-Platform Controls 737 Controls Overview 737 The Label Control 738 Button Controls 749 The TextBox Control 761 The PasswordBox Control 771 The ListView Control 773 The ChoiceBox Control 786 The ScrollBar Control 787 The ScrollView Control 794 The Slider Control 797 The ProgressIndicator and ProgressBar Controls 804 The Separator Control 807 Tooltips 808 Chapter 23: Style Sheets 811 Style Sheet Basics 811 Style Sheet Property Specifications 824 Chapter 24: Using Swing Controls 829 Swing Component Wrappers 829 Labels 833 Text Input 839 Buttons 843 The SwingList Class 849 The SwingScrollPane Class 852 The SwingComboBox Class 854 The SwingSlider Class 857 Using Other Swing Components 860 Chapter 25: Building Custom Controls 865 Custom Nodes 865 The CoordinateGrid Node 866 Custom Containers 869 Custom Controls 887 Chapter 26: Charts 911 Chart Basics 911 Pie Charts 914 Bar Charts 919 Line Charts 926 Area Charts 930 Scatter Charts 932 Bubble Charts 934 Chart Interaction 936 Common Customizations 937 Part IV: Miscellaneous Chapter 27: Using External Data Sources 949 The HttpRequest Class 950 Using RESTful Web Services 974 RSS and Atom Feeds 995 Tasks and Progress Monitoring 1008 Asynchronous Operations and Database Access 1014 Chapter 28: Packaging and Deployment 1025 Packaging and Deployment for the Desktop 1026 Packaging and Deployment for Mobile Devices 1045 Appendix A: Using JavaFX Command-Line Tools 1049 Development Using Command-Line Tools 1049 Generating Documentation from JavaFX Source 1055 Appendix B: CSS Properties 1061 Properties Applicable to Nodes 1061 Properties Applicable to Shapes 1063 Properties Applicable to Containers 1064 Properties Applicable to Controls 1067 Index 1071

About the Author :
Kim Topley is a freelance computer consultant, based in England. He has worked in the computer industry for thirty years, writing microcode for mainframe computers; device drivers, file systems, and security features for the UNIX operating system; communications protocol stacks for Cray supercomputers; and C and Java applications for financial institutions. He learned Java as a result of a chance encounter with the book Core Java in a bookshop in 1995 and has since written four Java books: Core JFC and Core Swing: Advanced Programming, both published by Prentice Hall, and J2ME in a Nutshell and Java Web Services in a Nutshell, published by O'Reilly Media. Topley has a keen interest in space flight and aviation and has a private pilot’s license.