Teaching Graphical User Interfaces And Event Handling Through Games
John K. Estell · 2020
PlatformThe Java programming language was adopted for this course as it lends itself well to the subject.Java is an object-oriented language featuring a rich built-in library of routines, including component libraries for the development of graphical user interfaces.The implementation of any sufficiently interesting GUI tends to result in pages worth of tedious code.However, most Java development systems (such as JBuilder and Visual Café) allow for automatic GUI code generation through visual drag-and-drop mechanisms.The event model is relatively simple, with some development systems supplying interaction wizards to assist with code generation.Swing, which is the Java Foundation Classes' GUI component library, is robust yet well-designed and allows for the easy inclusion of graphical images contained in GIF or JPEG format.The built-in pixel-oriented graphics context allows for easy rendering, and provides an option for the incorporation of introductory computer graphics material into the course curriculum.Finally, assignments are developed in applet format, allowing the program to both be easily assessable to the instructor for grading and to be placed onto the web for sharing with friends and family.