Comparison of SWT, swing, and AWT features in IBM labs

Table 1. SWT vs. AWT and Swing Feature comparison

Function/Role/Aspect	AWT	Swing	SWT (style)
Display static text	Label	JLabel	Label, CLabel
Display multi-line static text	Multiple Labels	Multiple JLabels or JLabel with HTML content	Multiple Labels or Label with newlines
Display multi-line formatted static text	Multiple Labels with different fonts	JLabel with HTML content	Multiple Labels with different fonts
Single-line text entry	TextField	JTextField	Text (SWT. SINGLE)
Multi-line text entry	TextArea	JTextArea	Text (SWT. MULTI)
Display an image	N/	JLabel	Label
Display text and image	N/	JLabel	CLabel
ToolTip pop-up help	N/	SetToolTip on component, subclass JToolTip	SetToolTip on control
Styled text entry	N/	JEditorPane	StyledText
Select from list of items	List	JList	List
Simple push button with text	Button	JButton	Button (SWT. PUSH)
Simple push button with text and/or image	N/	JButton	Button (SWT. Push)
Drawing area; possibly for Custom Controls	Canvas	Jpanel	Canvas
On/Off check box	Checkbox	Jcheckbox	Button (SWT. Check)
Radio Selection	Checkboxgroup	Buttongroup and menus	Group and menu
Select from a drop-down list	Choice	Jcombobox	Combo, ccombo
Enter text or select from a drop-down list	N/	Jcombobox	Combo, ccombo
Scrollable Area	Scrollpane	Jscrollpane	Create scrollable subclass
Top level windows	Dialog, frame, window	Jdialog, jframe, jwindow	Shell with different styles
Generic window	Window	JWindow	Shell
Frame window	Frame	JFrame	Shell (SWT. SHELL_TRIM)
Dialog window	Dialog	JDialog	Shell (SWT. DIALOG_TRIM)
Menu	Menu	JMenu	Menu
MenuItem	MenuItem	JMenuItem	MenuItem
Menu shortcuts	Generic keystrokes	Same as AWT	Host dependent mnemonics and accelerators
Pop-up menu	PopupMenu	JPopupMenu	Menu (SWT. POPUP)
Menu bars	MenuBar	JMenuBar	Menu (SWT. BAR)
Display an insertion caret	N/	Caret	Caret
Web browser	N/	JTextPane (HTML 3.2)	Browser (via embedded browser)
Embed control in web page	Applet	JApplet	Host control (ex. OLE)
Generic container of other controls	Panel	JPanel	Composite
Generic container of other controls with a border	Panel (if drawn manually)	JPanel with a Border	Composite (SWT. BORDER)
Generic container of other controls with a border and title	N/	JPanel with a TitledBorder	Group
Radio button (one of set on)	Checkbox	JRadioButton	Button (SWT. RADIO)
Control extent of radio buttons	CheckboxGroup	RadioButtonGroup	Group
Arrow buttons	N/	JButton with image	Button (SWT. ARROW)
Supports int 'l text orientations	Via ComponentOrientation	Same as AWT	Many components support styles for this
Focus Traversal	Policy and Manager objects	Same as AWT	Next on control
Custom dialogs	Dialog subclass	JDialog subclass	Dialog subclass
Access to system events	EventQueue services	Same as AWT	Display services (less robust than AWT)
System access dialogs	FileDialog	JColorChooser, JFileChooser	ColorDialog, DirectoryDialog, FileDialog, FontDialog, PrintDialog
Display simple message dialog	N/A (must subclass Dialog)	JOptionPane static methods	MessageBox with numerous styles
Display simple prompting dialog	N/A (must subclass Dialog)	JOptionPane static methods	N/A (classes exist in JFace to do this)
Layout managers	BorderLayout, CardLayout, FlowLayout, GridLayout, GridBagLayout	AWT plus BoxLayout, CenterLayout, SpringLayout	FillLayout, FormLayout, GridLayout, RowLayout, StackLayout
Basic drawing control	Canvas	JPanel	Canvas
Basic drawing	Graphics and Graphics2D objects-Basic shapes and text, arbitrary Shapes and Strokes, becompletely, fills, etc.	Same as AWT	GC object-Basic shapes and text
Drawing transforms	Affine, composites	Same as AWT	N/
Off screen drawing	BufferedImage, drawImage	Same as AWT	Image, drawImage
Double buffering	Manual	Automatic or manual	Manual unless provided by host control
Printing	PrintJob and PrintGraphics	Same as AWT	Draw to Printer device
Custom colors	Color	Same as AWT	Color
Custom fonts	Font, FontMetrics	Same as AWT	Font
Cursors Selection	Cursor	Same as AWT	Cursor
Image Features	Load from file, create dynamically, extensive edits	Same as AWT	Load from file, create dynamically, basic edits
Input Automation	Robot	Same as AWT	N/
Display a tool bar	N/	Jtoolbar	Toolbar, coolbar
Display a progress bar	N/	Jprogressbar	Progressbar
Divide space between areas	N/	Jsplitpane	Sash or sashform
Display tabbed Areas	N/	Jtabbedpane	Tabfolder, ctabfolder
Display tabular info	N/	JTable	Table
Format table columns	N/	TableColumn	TableColumn
Display hierarchical info	N/	JTree	Tree
Select from range of values	N/	JSlider	Slider
Select from discrete range of values	N/	JSpinner	Scale
Access to the base display	Toolkit, GraphicsConfiguration, GraphicsDevice	Same as AWT	Display
Add items to the system tray	N/	N/	Tray
Key: N/A-not available. In your cases, this feature can be created, with varying degrees of difficulty, by creating custom controls or containers of controls or by other custom programming.

 

The author concluded that if you only develop for a specific platform (of course, only mainstream platforms), SWT has an advantage and can integrate the unique features of these platforms. For example, you can use ActiveX controls in Windows.

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