Let's Create... Our Own SQL Editor

Isn't it time you gained full control of your SQL work environment? Stop being limited by the tools foisted upon you and start creating your own. Not hard at all, either. Here's a complete tutorial for creating your very own SQL editor, which will look like this:

OK. Now, let's create it from scratch. Start up NetBeans IDE and use this template to create a basis for your application. Just click through it and you'll have new folders and files on disk that represent your project:

When you've clicked Next above, you'll be able to provide the name of your project:

And when you click Finish, the Projects window will show you your application structure:

You've now got a basic application that includes all the infrastructure you need (a module system, window system, file system, actions system, and more), without any content. Let's now add the content.

Now right-click the "SQLEditor" node above (i.e., the orange icon) and choose Properties. In the Project Properties dialog, expand the "java" node and then include the SQL Editor:

Click "Resolve" above and the IDE will include all the related modules. I.e., the SQL Editor module depends on other modules. Via the "Resolve" button, those dependencies will be identified and registered in your project.

Next, let's include support for Java DB:

Click "Resolve" again. Hurray, we're done. All the functionality for our own SQL editor is now available in our application.

Now we'll add a new module, just so that we can perform a few tweaks to our application. In other words, this will be a branding module. Right-click the "Modules" node and choose "Add New":

Name it something, such as "SQLBranding":

Provide a unique identifier for your new module and make sure to include a layer.xml file, which you'll use to mask out the default menus and toolbars you don't need in your application:

Click Finish above. Then right-click on the main package that is created in the module and choose New | Other. There you'll be able to create a new Module Install class, which will initialize the module when the application starts up:

What we want is to force the Services window in the application (i.e., this is a window in NetBeans IDE for working with databases) to open when the application starts. So, we will provide code in the Module Install class (which you created above) for finding that window and opening it. The code we will need comes from the Window System API. Right-click the Libraries node in the module, as shown below, and choose "Add Module Dependency":

Then browse to Window System API and click OK:

Tip: In the Projects window, right-click the module's "Libraries" node. Choose "Add Dependency" and set a dependency on the "Window System API". That's what we need to use the window system code in the snippet below:

Now, in the Module Install class, provide the following code:

public class Installer extends ModuleInstall {

    @Override
    public void restored() {
        WindowManager.getDefault().invokeWhenUIReady(
                new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                TopComponent svcWindow =
                        WindowManager.getDefault().
                        findTopComponent("services");
                svcWindow.open();
                svcWindow.requestActive();
            }
        });

    }

} 

Now the window we need will be forced to open when the application starts.

Let's turn to some other ancillary matters now. We can change the default splash screen, via "Branding", which is a menu item that you see when you right-click on the application's node in the Projects window, producing the Branding Editor below:

And we can search all the strings in the modules that come from the NetBeans Platform, so that we can change the string "Services" to "Databases", for example. Or to some other custom string.

You can also hide the menu items and toolbar buttons that you don't need and perform similar wrap-up tasks to really customize the application to your specific business needs.

Let's now, just for fun, also include a file browser in our application. So, back in the Project Properties dialog of your application, choose Favorites under the "platform" node. While you're there, also enable the two AutoUpdate modules, so that the end user will be able to install plugins (i.e., new features and patches) that you or the community of your SQL editor will provide:

The application is now complete. Let's create a ZIP distribution for our end users, while noticing we can also create a Mac distribution or one for web starting the application:

After doing the above, the Files window shows your new ZIP distribution:

If you prefer, you can also create an installer for your application:

Once the application is unzipped or installed, click the launcher in the bin folder. Then you'll have the application with which this article started. Look in the Tools menu and, guess what? You find that you have a "Plugins" menu item, enabling extensions (i.e., features and patches) to be installed into the application.

Many thanks to Tim Sparg from CoreFreight in Johannesburg for inspiring this article.