JavaFX Tutorial

What Is JavaFX?

JavaFX is a set of graphics and media packages that enables developers to design, create, test, debug, and deploy rich client applications that operate consistently across diverse platforms.

• "JavaFX Applications"
• "Availability"
• "Key Features"
• "What Can I Build with JavaFX?"
• "How Do I Run a Sample Application?"
• "How Do I Run a Sample in an IDE?"
• "How Do I Create a JavaFX Application?"
• "How Do I Deploy a JavaFX Application?"
• "Resources"

See the JavaFX Architecture document to learn about the JavaFX platform architecture and to get a brief description of the JavaFX APIs for media streaming, web rendering, and user interface styling.

Key Features

JavaFX 2.2 and later releases have the following features:

• Java APIs. JavaFX is a Java library that consists of classes and interfaces that are written in native Java code. The APIs are designed to be a friendly alternative to Java Virtual Machine (Java VM) languages, such as JRuby and Scala.
• FXML and Scene Builder. FXML is an XML-based declarative markup language for constructing a JavaFX application user interface. A designer can code in FXML or use JavaFX Scene Builder to interactively design the graphical user interface (GUI). Scene Builder generates FXML markup that can be ported to an IDE where a developer can add the business logic.
• WebView. A web component that uses WebKitHTML technology to make it possible to embed web pages within a JavaFX application. JavaScript running in WebView can call Java APIs, and Java APIs can call JavaScript running in WebView.
• Swing interoperability. Existing Swing applications can be updated with new JavaFX features, such as rich graphics media playback and embedded Web content.
• Built-in UI controls and CSS. JavaFX provides all the major UI controls required to develop a full-featured application. Components can be skinned with standard Web technologies such as CSS
• Canvas API. The Canvas API enables drawing directly within an area of the JavaFX scene that consists of one graphical element (node).
• Multitouch Support. JavaFX provides support for multitouch operations, based on the capabilities of the underlying platform.
• Hardware-accelerated graphics pipeline. JavaFX graphics are based on the graphics rendering pipeline (Prism). JavaFX offers smooth graphics that render quickly through Prism when it is used with a supported graphics card or graphics processing unit (GPU). If a system does not feature one of the recommended GPUs supported by JavaFX, then Prism defaults to the Java 2D software stack.
• High-performance media engine. The media pipeline supports the playback of web multimedia content. It provides a stable, low-latency media framework that is based on the GStreamer multimedia framewo
• Self-contained application deployment model. Self-contained application packages have all of the application resources and a private copy of the Java and JavaFX runtimes. They are distributed as native installable packages and provide the same installation and launch experience as native applications for that operating system. See the Deploying JavaFX Applications document.

JavaFX Applications

Composed as a Java API, JavaFX application code can reference APIs from any Java library. For instance, JavaFX applications can utilize Java API libraries to get to local framework capacities and interface with server-based middleware applications.

The look and feel of JavaFX applications can be redone. Falling Style Sheets (CSS) separate appearance and style from execution so designers can focus on coding. Visual planners can undoubtedly redo the appearance and style of the application through the CSS. Assuming that you have a website composition foundation, or then again on the off chance that you might want to isolate the (UI) and the back-end rationale, then, at that point, you can foster the show parts of the UI in the FXML prearranging language and use Java code for the application rationale. Assuming you like to plan UIs without composing code, then, at that point, use JavaFX Scene Builder. As you plan the UI, Scene Builder makes FXML markup that can be ported to an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) so engineers can add the business rationale.

Prerequisites

It is advised to know Core Java before you start Learning JavaFX. Moreover, you should be familiar with IDEs such as Eclipse or NetBeans so that you can execute the samples provided in this tutorial using that. The examples in this tutorial are tested using the Eclipse IDE.