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Trail: JavaBeans(TM)

## Lesson: The BeanInfo Interface

> > The following documentation will help you learn about reflection, introspection, and the `BeanInfo` class:
> > - JavaBeans API Specification Chapter 8
> > Core Reflection Documentation
> > - The Reflection API trail
> > - JDK Reflection documentation
> > Beans API Documentation
> > - BeanInfo interface
> > - SimpleBeanInfo class
> > - Introspector class
> > - FeatureDescriptor class
> > - BeanDescriptor class
> > - EventSetDescriptor class
> > - PropertyDescriptor class
> > - IndexedPropertyDescriptor class
> > - MethodDescriptor class
> > - ParameterDescriptor class

> How does a builder tool examine a Bean and expose its features (properties, events, and methods) in a property sheet? By using the `java.beans.Introspector` class. The `Introspector` class uses the JDK core reflection API to discover a Bean's methods, and then applies the JavaBeans design patterns to discover the Beans features. This discovery process is named introspection.

> Alternatively, you can explicitly expose a Bean's features in a separate, associated class that implements the `BeanInfo` interface. By associating a `BeanInfo` class with your Bean, you can:

> - Expose only those features you want to expose.
> - Rely on `BeanInfo` to expose some Bean features while relying on low-level reflection to expose others.
> - Associate an icon with the target Bean.
> - Specify a customizer class.
> - Segregate features into normal and expert categories.
> - Provide a more descriptive display name, or additional information about a Bean feature.

> `BeanInfo` defines methods that return descriptors for each property, method, or event that you want exposed. Here's the prototypes for these methods:

> >     PropertyDescriptor[] getPropertyDescriptors();
> >     MethodDescriptor[]   getMethodDescriptors();
> >     EventSetDescriptor[] getEventSetDescriptors();

> Each of these methods returns an array of descriptors for each feature.

### Feature Descriptors

`BeanInfo` classes contain descriptors that precisely describe the target Bean's features. The BDK implements the following descriptor classes:

- `FeatureDescriptor` is the base class for the other descriptor classes. It declares the aspects common to all descriptor types.
- `BeanDescriptor` describes the target Bean's class type and name, and describes the target Bean's customizer class if it exists.
- `PropertyDescriptor` describes the target Bean's properties.
- `IndexedPropertyDescriptor` is a subclass of `PropertyDescriptor`, and describes the target Bean's indexed properties.
- `EventSetDescriptor` describes the events the target Bean fires.
- `MethodDescriptor` describes the target Bean's methods.
- `ParameterDescriptor` describes method parameters.

The `BeanInfo` interface declares methods that return arrays of the above descriptors.

### Creating a BeanInfo Class

This section uses the `ExplicitButtonBeanInfo` demo class to illustrate creating a `BeanInfo` class. Here are the general steps to make a `BeanInfo` class:

1. Name your `BeanInfo` class. You must append the string "BeanInfo" to the target class name. If the target class name is `ExplicitButton`, then its associated Bean information class must be named `ExplicitButtonBeanInfo`

2. Subclass `SimpleBeanInfo`. This is a convenience class that implements `BeanInfo` methods to return null, or an equivalent no-op value.

   >     public class ExplicitButtonBeanInfo extends SimpleBeanInfo {

   Using `SimpleBeanInfo` saves you from implementing all the `BeanInfo` methods; you only have to override those methods you need.

3. Override the appropriate methods to return the properties, methods, or events that you want exposed. `ExplicitButtonBeanInfo` overrides the `getPropertyDescriptors()` method to return four properties:

   >     public PropertyDescriptor[] getPropertyDescriptors() {
   >         try {
   >             PropertyDescriptor background =
   >                 new PropertyDescriptor("background", beanClass);
   >             PropertyDescriptor foreground =
   >                 new PropertyDescriptor("foreground", beanClass);
   >             PropertyDescriptor font =
   >                 new PropertyDescriptor("font", beanClass);
   >             PropertyDescriptor label =
   >                 new PropertyDescriptor("label", beanClass);

   >             background.setBound(true);
   >             foreground.setBound(true);
   >             font.setBound(true);
   >             label.setBound(true);

   >             PropertyDescriptor rv[] =
   >                 {background, foreground, font, label};
   >             return rv;
   >         } catch (IntrospectionException e) {
   >              throw new Error(e.toString());
   >         }
   >     }

   There are two important things to note here:
   - If you leave a descriptor out, that property, event or method will not be exposed. In other words, you can selectively expose properties, events, or methods by leaving out those you don't want exposed.
   - If a feature's getter (for example, `getMethodDescriptor()`) method returns null, low-level reflection is then used for that feature. This means, for example, that you can explicitly specify properties, and let low-level reflection discover the methods. If you don't override the `SimpleBeanInfo` default method, which returns null, low-level reflection will be used for that feature.

4. Optionally associate an icon with the target Bean.

   >     public java.awt.Image getIcon(int iconKind) {
   >         if (iconKind == BeanInfo.ICON_MONO_16x16 ||
   >             iconKind == BeanInfo.ICON_COLOR_16x16 )
   >         {
   >             java.awt.Image img = loadImage("ExplicitButtonIcon16.gif");
   >             return img;
   >         }
   >         if (iconKind == BeanInfo.ICON_MONO_32x32 ||
   >             iconKind == BeanInfo.ICON_COLOR_32x32 )
   >         {
   >             java.awt.Image img = loadImage("ExplicitButtonIcon32.gif");
   >             return img;
   >         }
   >         return null;
   >     }

   The BeanBox displays this icon next to the Bean name in the ToolBox. You can expect builder tools to do the same.

5. Specify the target Bean `class`, and, if the Bean has a customizer, specify it also.

   >     public BeanDescriptor getBeanDescriptor() {
   >         return new BeanDescriptor(beanClass, customizerClass);
   >     }
   >     ...
   >     private final static Class beanClass = ExplicitButton.class;
   >     private final static Class customizerClass = OurButtonCustomizer.class;

Keep the `BeanInfo` class in the same directory as its target class. The BeanBox first searches for a target Bean's `BeanInfo` class in the target Bean's package path. If no `BeanInfo` is found, then the Bean information package search path (maintained by the `Introspector`) is searched. The default Bean information search path is `sun.beans.infos`. If no `BeanInfo` class is found, then low-level reflection is used to discover a Bean's features.

### Using BeanInfo to Control What Features are Exposed

If you rely on low-level reflection to discover your Bean's features, all those properties, methods, and events that conform to the appropriate design patterns will be exposed in a builder tool. This includes any features in all base classes. If the BeanBox finds an associated `BeanInfo` class, then that information is used instead, and no more base classes are examined using reflection. In other words, `BeanInfo` information overrides low-level reflection information, and prevents base class examination.

By using a `BeanInfo` class, you can expose subsets of a particular Bean feature. For example, by not returning a method descriptor for a particular method, that method will not be exposed in a builder tool.

When you use a `BeanInfo` class:

- Base class features will not be exposed. You can retrieve base class features by using the `BeanInfo.getAdditionalBeanInfo` method.

- Properties, events, or methods that have no descriptor will not be exposed. For a particular feature, only those items returned in the descriptor array will be exposed. For example, if you return descriptors for all your Bean methods except `foo`, then `foo` will not be exposed.

- Low-level reflection will be used for features with getter methods returning null. For example if your `BeanInfo` class contains this method implementation:

  >     public MethodDescriptor[] getMethodDescriptors() {
  >         return null;
  >     }

  Then low-level reflection will be used to discover your Bean's public methods.

### Locating BeanInfo Classes

Before examining a Bean, the `Introspector` will attempt to find a `BeanInfo` class associated with the Bean. By default, the `Introspector` takes the target Bean's fully qualified package name, and appends "BeanInfo" to form a new class name. For example, if the target Bean is `sunw.demo.buttons.ExplicitButton`, then the `Introspector` will attempt to locate `sunw.demo.buttons.ExplicitButtonBeanInfo`.

If that fails, then each package in the `BeanInfo` search path is searched. The `BeanInfo` search path is maintained by `Introspector.setBeanInfoSearchPath()` and `Introspector.getBeanInfoSearchPath()`.

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