NetBeans API Changes since Last Release

Current Development Version

10 Dec 2010

This document highlights changes in NetBeans APIs since previous version (e.g. since 11 Dec 2005). There are also other documents that list changes made for release 4.1, release 5.0, and release 5.5.

(Nov 2 '07) org-openide-explorer: Added support for property ColumnDisplayNameWithMnemonicTTV.
(Oct 23 '07) org-openide-util: Obsolete method Utilities.isLargeFrameIcons deprecated.
(Oct 23 '07) org-openide-windows: Changed behavior of TopComponent.close() and TopComponentGroup.close() for non persistent TopComponent
(Oct 9 '07) org-openide-windows: Added command line boolean option 'netbeans.winsys.auto_iconify'.
(Sep 18 '07) org-netbeans-modules-editor-mimelookup: MimeLookup.getLookup(String mimePath) method added
(Aug 14 '07) org-openide-loaders: Prefixing attributes from TemplateWizard with wizard.
(Aug 1 '07) org-openide-loaders: Templates may use ${encoding} and ${nameAndExt} properties
(Jul 30 '07) org-netbeans-modules-sendopts: An option that is always on
(Jul 26 '07) org-openide-filesystems: Added method to test if file is locked
(Jul 18 '07) org-openide-modules: Enhanced support for OS specific modules (part II)
(Jul 11 '07) org-openide-explorer: Added method TreeView.setUseSubstringInQuickSearch(boolean).
(Jun 28 '07) org-netbeans-modules-editor-mimelookup: MimePath.validate methods added
(Jun 16 '07) org-openide-filesystems: Added methods to order files in a folder
(Jun 16 '07) org-openide-loaders: Folders may be ordered by numeric position
(Jun 15 '07) org-openide-dialogs: Generics-friendly constructor added for WizardDescriptor.ArrayIterator
(Jun 15 '07) org-openide-explorer: Added an interface and a registration slot for explorer delete action interceptors.
(Jun 1 '07) org-openide-explorer: Added setters to show/hide the description area and enable/disable the popup menu
(Jun 1 '07) org-openide-nodes: API for Children objects that asynchronously compute keys/child nodes and simplifies implementation of Children.Keys usages
(May 22 '07) org-openide-text: Public static inner class NbDocument.Colors moved to org.openide.options.
(May 22 '07) org-openide-text: Remove public field NbDocument.COLORS
(May 22 '07) org-openide-text: Adding PrintPreferences
(May 22 '07) org-openide-text: Removing PrintSettings
(May 4 '07) org-openide-awt: Added factory class for drop-down buttons
(May 3 '07) org-openide-windows: Added a method to check the TopComponent type - editor/view
(Apr 30 '07) org-openide-dialogs: New WizardDescriptor constructor.
(Apr 17 '07) org-netbeans-modules-settings: Provides support for Lookups.forPath
(Apr 17 '07) org-openide-util: Added simplified support for named lookups Lookups.forPath
(Apr 6 '07) org-openide-windows: Added methods for opening TopComponent at specified position
(Mar 30 '07) org-openide-loaders: SaveAsCapable interface defines the ability to save DataObject under a different file name and/or extension
(Mar 28 '07) org-netbeans-modules-queries: Default Encoding of System File System is always UTF-8
(Mar 26 '07) org-openide-util: Added ChangeSupport
(Mar 14 '07) org-openide-loaders: DataEditorSupport uses FileEncodingQuery to read or write document in correct encoding
(Mar 12 '07) org-openide-filesystems: Allow modules to dynamically add/remove layer content
(Mar 6 '07) org-openide-windows: Removal of netbeans.windows=sdi and netbeans.windows=mdi cmnd line option.
(Mar 5 '07) org-openide-text: Adding Line.SHOW_REUSE and Line.SHOW_REUSE_NEW constants for Line.show method
(Feb 28 '07) org-openide-awt: Added TabbedPane with closeable tabs
(Feb 22 '07) org-openide-windows: Added a method to check the type of a TopComponent - 'editor' or 'view'
(Feb 8 '07) org-netbeans-modules-queries: Added support for obtaining encoding of files
(Feb 8 '07) org-openide-dialogs: New method getProperties added to WizardDescriptor
(Feb 8 '07) org-openide-loaders: Integration with scripting and templating
(Feb 7 '07) org-openide-text: CloneableEditorSupportRedirector
(Feb 6 '07) org-openide-dialogs: Method notifyLater improved to work before main window is opened
(Feb 2 '07) org-openide-dialogs: Generified WizardDescriptor.Panel
(Feb 1 '07) org-openide-awt: Actions.ButtonActionConnector interface added
(Jan 11 '07) org-openide-util: Added Utilities.isMac() method
(Dec 19 '06) org-netbeans-modules-options-api: API to open the options dialog with some category pre-selected
(Dec 8 '06) org-openide-util: Added Parameters
(Nov 23 '06) org-openide-windows: Generics
(Nov 13 '06) org-openide-util: Added NbCollections.iterable(...) methods
(Nov 10 '06) org-openide-util: Added NbPreferences.forModule(Class cls) and NbPreferences.root() methods as static factory methods for getting preference node from NetBeans preference tree.
(Nov 10 '06) org-openide-windows: Enhanced logic for maximized mode
(Nov 9 '06) org-openide-explorer: PropertySheetSettings was deleted
(Nov 6 '06) org-openide-nodes: CookieSet can hold any objects and not just cookies
(Nov 2 '06) org-openide-loaders: DataNode.getLookup contains FileObject, DataObject has getLookup()
(Oct 23 '06) org-netbeans-api-progress: Add ProgressHandle.suspend(String) method for visual suspend of a running task.
(Oct 17 '06) org-openide-windows: Slided-in windows remember their size
(Oct 12 '06) org-openide-windows: New constants PROP_TC_OPENED and PROP_TC_CLOSED in TopComponent.Registry
(Sep 7 '06) org-openide-filesystems: Added additional methods FileUtil.createData and FileUtil.createFolder that take java.io.File as a parameter.
(Aug 23 '06) org-openide-windows: New method to invoke code after main window is shown
(Aug 20 '06) org-netbeans-modules-sendopts: Completelly rewritten
(Aug 18 '06) org-openide-nodes: BeanNode constructor allows passing Lookup instance
(Aug 3 '06) org-netbeans-api-progress: Add methods to create main/detail labels for an custom placed progress component.
(Aug 2 '06) org-openide-text: Adding CloneableEditorSupport.getEditorKit method
(Aug 1 '06) org-openide-modules: An option to revert user's modifications to XML layer files
(Jul 24 '06) org-netbeans-api-progress: Split API and implementation of progress component
(Jul 19 '06) org-openide-execution: No need to require ExecutionEngine token anymore
(Jul 19 '06) org-openide-io: No need to require IOProvider token anymore
(Jul 19 '06) org-openide-modules: Requires/Provides and Needs
(Jul 4 '06) org-openide-util: Added Utilities.icon2Image method to perform conversion from Icon to Image
(Jun 20 '06) org-openide-dialogs: New method to asynchronously show messages
(Jun 20 '06) org-openide-util: Added Exceptions class as a replacement for ErrorManager
(Jun 13 '06) org-netbeans-modules-options-api: The Options Dialog API has been stabilized.
(Jun 5 '06) org-openide-util: Added NbCollections and Union2
(May 30 '06) org-openide-explorer: When an external object(s) is dragged over the Explorer, the drag events are passed to Nodes under the cursor.
(May 30 '06) org-openide-loaders: Folders in IDE can accept files dragged from outside, files and folders in IDE can be dragged and dropped to external applications.
(May 30 '06) org-openide-text: Editor panes listen for special objects being dragged over them
(May 30 '06) org-openide-windows: Added ExternalDropHandler abstract class.
(May 29 '06) org-openide-filesystems: Semantics of XMLFileSystem's methodvalue extended to also support methods that do not depend on FileSystems API at all
(May 9 '06) org-netbeans-modules-settings: Added new attribute for provider registration - settings.subclasses
(May 3 '06) org-openide-filesystems: Added additional method FileObject.getOutputStream that doesn't take FileLock as a parameter.
(Apr 15 '06) org-openide-util: Do not use ErrorManager for logging
(Apr 8 '06) org-openide-dialogs: Interface ProgressInstantiatingIterator added
(Apr 3 '06) org-openide-util: Convenience methods added to Lookup
(Mar 22 '06) org-openide-modules: Generified Interfaces
(Mar 18 '06) org-netbeans-modules-sendopts: Use short description for each Option
(Mar 18 '06) org-netbeans-modules-sendopts: Command exceptions can have localized messages
(Mar 15 '06) org-netbeans-modules-sendopts: Using PrintStream
(Feb 26 '06) org-netbeans-modules-sendopts: Using PrintStream