How to create a JDesktopPane

Desktop panes comply with Multiple Document Interfaces in that they allow to open several internal frames within a parent frame. To create such a MDI application first create a new JFrame as we have done before. In the meta-data tree select this frame and press the correspondent toolbar button to create a new JDesktopPane.

Leave the editor as it is, save the properties and select the newly created JDesktopPane in the meta-data tree. Now press the appropriate toolbar button to create a new JInternalFrame. Within this JInternalFrame editor select the Visible check-box and set this property to true. Than select the Bounds check-box and then save the properties of this editor.

Again select the JFrame within the meta-data tree and press the Check button from the toolbar. As you can see you have a functioning MDI.

To customize your windows select the different tabs from the editors, change the properties and check the results.

Hint At this point is to be mentioned that if you check your properties with the editors Check button you'll see the results of the current properties in the editor, whether they are saved or not. But if you select a Component within the meta-data tree and check this Component with the Check button from the toolbar, you only see the results of saved properties.

Furthermore, note that if you activate a property you first will see the Swing defaults of this property. If these settings are not sufficient for you, build your own Component repository as a separate GUI project. As several projects can be opened at the same time you can copy your Components into your current project with the Copy and Paste buttons from the toolbar.