NB71 FX2 Plan
JavaFX 2.0 supports development with both 32 bit and 64 bit Java SDKs. The production release will include runtime and SDK installers for both 32 and 64 bit. JavaFX 2.0 development in NetBeans 7.1 will support using either SDK.
Key support elements
- The NB plugin will include both a 32 bit and a 64 bit JavaFX 2.0 SDK libraries, bugzilla #199269, #198599
- Selection of the JavaFX 2.0 library will be automatic based on the Java platform (32 vs 64), bugzilla #199269
- The included JavaFX 2.0 libraries will have the same physical structure and the external JavaFX 2.0 SDK so that a user can edit the library settings in JavaFX 2.0 to point to a newer (or older) JavaFX 2.0 SDK, bugzilla #199269
- Surface all ant tasks in the UI as editable configuration elements in the project properties (bugzilla #199274):
- jnlp/html generation settings
- double-clickable jar settings
- binary css settings
- signing settings – including embedded cert
 NetBeans 7.1 will include support for JavaFX 2.0 projects |  New project wizard in NetBeans 7.1 will enable JavaFX 2.0 specific settings: the choice of JavaFX 2.0 SDK / JDK Platform and optional creation of JavaFX 2.0 Preloader |
 The plan is to extend NB71 platform manager so that the user can decide which available JavaFX 2.0 SDK to assign to which available JDK |  Active JavaFX 2.0 SDK assignment to JDK platform will enable JavaFX 2.0 specific tooling functionality, like FX-enabled WebStart instead of standard WebStart, etc. |
Source editing
- Support for FXML file creation and textual editing, bugzilla #199665
 JavaFX 2.0 supports CSS based UI styling. NetBeans is planned to support CSS editing as well as JavaFX 2.0 specific binary CSS packaging |
Applet and WebStart development specific
- NB will detect the installed Java and JavaFX 2.0 runtimes, bugzilla #199269, using a JavaFX 2.0 SDK utility to detect the installed JavaFX 2.0 RT versions, #199269
- If a user attempts to run an applet or WS app without having the corresponding Java+JavaFX 2.0 RT, NB will will issue warning if codebase and browser do not match, bugzilla #199657
- Automatically match javaws from the correct JavaFX 2.0 runtime, bugzilla #199658
- NB should enable selecting arbitrary browser per project in project properties to launch to run an applet from NB, bugzilla #199277
- Manage debug and profile configuration for WebStart and applets so that the user can debug and profile applets/ws without having to know detailed settings, bugzilla #199664, see parameter passing as described in [1]
 JavaFX 2.0 deployment model includes executable JARs, JavaFX 2.0 WebStart applications and JavaFX 2.0 Applications embedded in html. The same JNLP file (spec extended for JavaFX 2.0) configures the execution of both WebStart and embedded apps. NetBeans 7.1 is planned to support all JavaFX 2.0 deployment types. |  JavaFX 2.0 deployment settings will be reflected both inside NetBeans (run/debug) and outside (deployment). The relevant settings will be surfaced in Application, Run and Deployment project property panels. |
Productivity enhancements
- HTML templates for generating the html output to launch the applet/ws. For example this might be a complex webpage with JS and form elements that interact with the applet, the applet and params will be inserted into a specified location in the template. To be implemented in Ant task, bugzilla #199279
- Multiple JAR projects; the most common case would be a JavaFX 2.0 application that utilizes a custom preloader. Ideally a JavaFX 2.0 project type would be added to support this, allowing for the deployable elements from both projects to be dropped into a single “dist” location, bugzilla #199281
- Advanced features, for example prepared templates or code snippets for common JavaFX 2.0 idioms like FX properties and other small things, etc (larger things like a full master detail form to be dealt with through samples) – bugzilla #199282
Other
Note on JavaFX 2.0 Visual Tooling support
JavaFX 2.0 is a major update to the JavaFX platform. Starting with this version, developers can create JavaFX applications completely in the Java programming language using standard Java development tools, and the JavaFX Script programming language will not be supported in JavaFX 2.0 and future releases.
NetBeans composer, a visual GUI designer for JavaFX, was designed for the JavaFX Script language. We are actively working on providing a similar developer experience for JavaFX 2.0. More details and roadmap on this topic will be available soon. For specific questions please contact the JavaFX product team at javafx-support@sun.com.
