About this document

The purpose of this document is to introduce you to:

To help achieve these goals, we guide you through creating a simple Java applet. Then we guide you through adding features to this applet.

What this document includes

This document is divided into these sections:

Sample program in this document

By doing the exercises in this document, starting with Building your first applet, you will create a sample program called "To-Do List". You can find a completed version of this example in the com.ibm.ivj.examples.vc.todolist package in the IBM Java Examples project in the VisualAge for Java repository.

See Examining examples in the repository for details on how to examine the completed version of this example.

Who this document is for

This document is written for programmers who want to become familiar with the basic use of VisualAge for Java, and for anyone who wants an overall perspective on the product. It introduces you to the basic concepts behind building programs using VisualAge for Java, explains the general process of visual programming with VisualAge for Java, and walks you through a sample program. To get the most out of this document, you should be familiar with the basics of the Java language.

About this product

VisualAge for Java is a complete, integrated environment for creating Java applications and applets.

VisualAge for Java gives you interactive visual programming tools and a set of JavaBeans that represent common interface components. You create programs by assembling and connecting beans. In many cases, you may not even have to write code. When you do need to write code, VisualAge for Java provides a state-of-the-art, integrated development environment in which to do your coding.

What's new in VisualAge for Java Version 2.0

VisualAge for Java Version 2.0 includes the following new features:

Where you can get the latest VisualAge for Java information

To get the latest information updates, bookmark this Web site.

    www.software.ibm.com/ad/vajava

The Library section provides additional Java programming books, papers and links.

Conventions used in this document

The following conventions are used in the text:

Highlight style Used for
Boldface New terms the first time they are used
Items you can select, such as buttons and menu choices
Italics Special emphasis
Method names in general discussion. Method names that you can select in the VisualAge for Java environment, however, are boldface, and method names in code samples are monospace font.
Property and event names
Text that you can enter
Monospace font Examples of Java code
File names