Overview

Guava has primarily been created to make it simpler for moderately experienced Java programmers to create Swing GUIs. It is therefore expected that the potential Guava user:

However, it is also a useful tool in the teaching of Java Swing GUI fundamentals to students. The Guava code can be compared to the Java output it generates to gain insight into how Java (in creating Swing GUIs and as an object-oriented language as a whole) works. Essentially, Guava is limited only to the abilities of the Swing package and (more specifically) the user's knowledge of it, and its learning curve is rather shallow.

From here on, references to 'GUIs' should be read as 'Java Swing GUI applications'.

Actual Guava code is given in a red courier for clarification. Code that should be there but which has been omitted is given as [...], with the exception of code immediately before and after example code fragments.

For words you don't know the meaning of, a quick glossary is provided (see Contents page).

Finally, this manual (apart from the Introduction, below) is intended to make things as clear but as concise as possible. Please read it all and always refer to the official Java Swing documentation for more information, rather than getting stuck and then reading this manual.