The bean property sheet provides options for changing the
initial appearance and state of beans. You can open the property sheet
from the pop-up menu of a selected bean either in the Visual Composition
Editor or Beans List window. You can also select Properties from the
Tools pull-down menu or select
from the tool bar.
The left column of the bean property sheet contains a list of properties
and the right column contains the editable values. An expansion icon
to the left of the property indicates that the property has moreeditable
values. For example, when you expand the constraints, sizing
properties, such as x, y, width, and height, appear for editing. When
you select the value column of a property, you are provided with an editing
option. For example, if you want to modify the property for a label,
select the value field for label and enter the new label in the
entry field. If you want to change the background color for the same
bean, a small button
appears when you select the value column for background.
When you select this button, a dialog window appears with color
options.
You can specify the type of property editor to associate with the property by setting the propertyEditor field in the BeanInfo. For more information, see "Enabling Custom Edit Support for Your Bean."
Once you open a property sheet, you can modify properties for most beans in
Visual Composition Editor. To edit another bean select it in the Visual
Composition Editor or from within the property sheet by selecting the bean
from the drop-down list at the top of the property sheet. If you open a
property sheet after selecting multiple beans, the property sheet provides
editing options for only the common values of the selected beans. For
example, you can use this feature to set all at once, the left and top inset
of several beans in a GridBagLayout.
Visual Composition Editor Overview
Visual Programming Fundamentals
How Classes and Beans Are Related
Visual, Nonvisual, and Composite Beans
Working with Beans Visually
Composing Beans Visually
Adding the IBM Java Examples project
Opening the Property Sheet for a Bean
Visual Composition Editor
The Menu Bar in Visual Composition
Properties
Pop-Up Menus for the Visual Composition Editor