Exercise 1: Creating the Project

Once you've determined the design, you will need to create a project to keep track of the files that build your application. In this exercise, you will create an applet project named Calculator, which you will build using Visual Java. Visual Java provides the components you need to assemble a working application.
  1. Choose Portfolio => Choose => personal.
    If you do not have a personal portfolio, see Importing Your Personal Portfolio.

  2. Choose Project => Create => Applet.

  3. In the Applet tab, type Calculator in the Project Name field.
    Make sure you capitalize the "C" in Calculator. Java is case-sensitive. The project name Calculator follows the Java convention of initial capitalization.

  4. In the Source Directory field, type the name of the directory where you want to store the project.
    You can store a project in a directory anywhere in your file system. If the directory you specify does not exist, the WorkShop will create it. For clarity, you should create a project in its own directory.

  5. Click the Visual Java radio button in the Create Using field.

  6. Click Apply.
    The WorkShop adds the file Calculator.prj to the project directory. Visual Java appears in the WorkShop browser. All components you need to create the GUI for the calculator are available in the palette on the left. A separate layout window opens, displaying a 12-cell grid. The cells help you position components (such as text buttons and labels) accurately within your application.

    While working through this tutorial, you may want to arrange the window as follows: Visual Java on the right, the Help window in the upper-left corner, and the layout window in the lower-left corner.

Next lesson:

Exercise 2: Starting the Layout