:: JGOODIES Looks :: Professional Swing Look&Feels

:: JGoodies L&F in NetBeans ::

The NetBeans environment allows to use third party look&feels. This document describes how to use a JGoodies l&f in NetBeans.

Preparation

First make sure that NetBeans can find the JGoodies Looks library jar. Copy file looks-1.3.x.jar to directory <netbeans-dir>\lib\ext

Choosing a JGoodies Look&Feel

Add one of the following lines to file <netbeans-dir>\bin\ide.cfg

-ui com.jgoodies.looks.plastic.PlasticXPLookAndFeel
-ui com.jgoodies.looks.plastic.PlasticLookAndFeel
-ui com.jgoodies.looks.plastic.Plastic3DLookAndFeel
-ui com.jgoodies.looks.windows.WindowsLookAndFeel

Setting the Plastic Color Theme

To change the default Plastic color theme add the following line to the ide.cfg file:

-J-DPlastic.defaultTheme=ExperienceBlue

Other Options

You can change the Plastic tab style to make the selected tab easier to find:

-J-DPlastic.tabStyle=Metal

Previewing Your Apps With a JGoodies L&F

  1. Select your application within the NetBeans Explorer view.
  2. Select the Execution tab in the Properties view.
  3. Select Internal Execution as the executor.

Internal Execution Selected

Screenshots


NetBeans in Default Look


NetBeans in Plastic Look

(c) 2004 JGoodies