Using the component tree

The component tree is a structured view of all the components in your source file and their relationships. The component tree interacts directly with the Inspector and the designers.

The component tree allows you to:

How the component tree is organized

The component tree is organized into four folders:
  1. UI, for UI components and containers, such as panels, buttons, check boxes, and text fields.
  2. Menu, for menus and menu items.
  3. Data Access, for data access components.
  4. Other, for JavaBean components such as dialogs.

Icons in the component tree

The following is an explanation of the icons used to represent the various nodes in the component tree:

Icon Explanation
Represents the component under design.
Represents a UI container.
Represents the layout manager for the container immediately above it in the tree.
Represents a component added to the UI. The icon presented in the tree for each component is the one referenced in the BeanInfo class for that component.
Groups similar types of components in the tree (UI, Menu, Data Access, Other.)


Changing a component name in the component tree

You can change the name of a component in the component tree, as well as in the Inspector.

To change the name in the tree,

  1. Right-click the component name in the tree and choose Rename.
  2. Type the text for the new name, then press Enter.