Overview

The GLG Java Class Library is a Java-based object engine that renders GLG objects in the Java environment. The Toolkit takes care of the low-level details of the rendering process, such as optimized damage repair, screen-resolution independent coordinate conversion, transparent zooming and panning, double-buffering and other coding-intensive driver-level tasks.

It provides a high-level graphical object model which allows an application developer to concentrate on the logic of the application, speeding up the development process and dramatically increasing the developer's productivity.

The Toolkit contains the Graphics Builder, a graphical editor used to create graphical objects and define their attributes and dynamic properties without tedious programming. The resulting drawing is then saved into a file and loaded into a Java application using the GLG's 100% pure Java class library. A simplified HMI Configurator for end users is also provided.

Class Hierarchy Overview

The GlgJBean and GlgObject are the main classes of the GLG package. There are also a few utility classes (GlgPoint, GlgCube, GlgTraceData, etc.) that provide convenient functionality.

The rest of the classes extend the generic GlgObject class and implement specific functionality of graphical objects available in the GLG Toolkit. These classes are listed in the Object Constructors section and used in the application code only to create various GLG objects (i.e. GlgArc, GlgPolygon, etc.) programmatically using the Extended API.

The GlgJBean class is used for embedding GLG drawings into a Java Swing application, in which case the bean is used as a container which loads and displays a GLG drawing and provides programmatic access to the GLG objects in the drawing. Two types of the bean are provided:

GlgJBean is a Swing-based light-weight bean
GlgCustomJBean is a subclass of GlgJBean that provides functionality to browse and edit bean properties in an IDE environment.

The GlgObject class is a generic GLG superclass that provides API methods for all GLG objects. It provides an application with a way to create and manipulate individual objects directly, without a need to create a GLG control. It also provides additional API methods not available in GlgJBean.

Standard, Intermediate and Extended APIs

The Toolkit provides three levels of a programming interface: Standard, Intermediate and Extended APIs.

Standard API (Glg2.jar) provides methods for loading the drawing created in the Graphics Builder, displaying and updating it with dynamic data, as well as handling user interaction (selecting objects with the mouse, pressing buttons, etc.).
Extended API (GlgExt2.jar) provides methods for creating objects programmatically, as well as methods for extended object manipulation (adding or deleting objects at run time, dragging objects with the mouse, traversing the object hierarchy, querying a list of object resources, etc.), supplying an application with all the functionality available in the Graphics Builder at run-time.
Intermediate API (GlgInt2.jar) provides all functionality of the Extended API except the dynamic object creation at run time.

Common methods of the GLG Standard, Intermediate and Extended APIs are implemented in both GlgJBean and GlgObject classes. The GlgObject class provides access to the API methods of individual objects, while the GlgJBean class implements the same set of methods at the bean level and provides a convenient way to invoke API methods for any GLG object rendered inside the bean. The GlgObject class also provides additional API methods not available in GlgJBean.

Global Configuration Resources

Global configuration resources may be used to control some aspects of the GLG Toolkit run-time behavior. Refer to the Appendix A: Global Configuration Resources chapter of the GLG Programming Reference Manual for a list of the global configuration resources.

GLG Graphics Server for JSP/JavaEE

Glg.Server.jar provides a GLG Graphics Server that can be used to deploy existing Java legacy applications on the web as servlets inside the server-side JSP/JavaEE.

This library has the same interface as the rest of the GLG API with a few additional methods to be used in the JSP/JavaEE environment.

The GLG JavaScript Library may be used for client-side HTML5 & JavaScript Web applications used on web pages in a web browser.

Free Community Edition

GlgCE.jar file provides a free Community Edition of the GLG Java Class Library and includes all GLG APIs.

GlgServerCE.jar provides a free Community Edition of the GLG Graphics Server for JSP/JavaEE.