Java look and feel design guidelines

Window Toolkit The class library that provides the standard API for building GUIs for Java programs. The Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) includes imaging tools, data transfer classes, GUI components, containers for GUI components, an event system for handling user and system events among parts of the AWT, and layout managers for managing the size and position of GUI components in platform-independent designs. (The GUI components in the AWT are implemented as native-platform versions of the components, and they have largely been supplanted by the Swing components.) See also Java Foundation Classes, Swing classes. accessibility The degree to which software can be used comfortably by a wide variety of people, including those who require assistive technologies like screen magnifiers or voice recognition. An accessible JFC application employs the Java Accessibility API, enables its users to select an appropriate look and feel, and provides keyboard operations for all actions that can be carried out by use of the mouse. See also Java Accessibility API, Java Accessibility Utilities, keyboard operations. alert box A dialog box used by an application to convey a message or warning or to gather information from the user. Four standard alert boxes (Question, Info, Error, and Warning) are supplied for JFC applications. Alert boxes are created using the JOptionPane component. See also dialog box. applet A program, written in the Java language, that a user can interact with in a web browser. See also application. application A program that combines all the functions necessary for a user to accomplish a particular set of tasks (for instance, word processing or inventory tracking). Unless stated otherwise, this book uses “application” to refer to both applets and standalone applications. See also applet.