Hello,

Find below of a list of software updates, notes about major
changes in the JGoodies libs and apps, and the current roadmap.


UPDATES
The following software updates have been published:
o Binding 1.3.2, 1.4.0, 2.0.1
o Forms 1.1.0
o Looks 2.1.4
o UIF 1.9.0 RC
o UIF Extras 1.9.0 RC
o Validation 2.0.0
o Swing Suite 1.9.0 RC


IMPORTANT NOTE: To avoid duplicate and incompatible library
versions in your classpath, I recommend to remove library jars
from the Java extension directory (<jre-home>/lib/ext).
See also https://looks.dev.java.net/faq.html#3.3


LIBRARY CHANGES
The Binding and Validation libraries have been moved to Java 5.
Key classes have been generified, and the sources use annotations
and the enhanced for loop. Both libraries contain incompatible
changes. The Binding 2.0.x also contains bug fixes. Validation 2.0
comes with new interfaces for self-validatable objects (Validatable)
and for objects that validate other objects (Validator).
The Forms 1.1.0 is layout compatible with the 1.0.x series;
it primarily cleans up the API and adds a few features.
The Looks 2.1.4 look better on Windows Vista with Java 6 update 1.
For more information see the library release notes.


SWING SUITE CHANGES
The Swing Suite 1.9 is the next step towards the JSR 296
"Swing Application Framework". The JGoodies UIF, UIF Extras and
all examples use a new action management. And several parts
have been moved to Java 5 and use the new language features.

The JGoodies UIF and the JSR 296 address: application lifecycle,
resource management, action management, and persisting UI state.
The JSR has not reached the "Early Draft" review state of the
Java Community Process. However, some concepts are stable and
already supercede solutions used in older Swing Suite versions.

The Swing Suite version 1.9 manages actions much like the current
JSR 296 prototype implementation. See the UIF Release Notes
for details.

All example applications have been updated to use the new resource
organization. Skeleton Pro 1.9.5 is the reference application
for the UIF 1.9. It is recommended to study the new Skeleton Pro
@Action methods in the MainModel and NavigationModel classes
and their action definitions in file SkeletonPro.properties.
Also, learn how to lookup Actions using the ApplicationContext
methods #getActionMap and #getAction. The next planned Swing Suite
versions will further move the examples to Java 5.


MIGRATION
There are different strategies how to move your projects towards
the JSR 296 and towards future Swing Suite versions. You can
refactor your projects step-by-step as new Swing Suite versions
appear, or you can jump to a future Swing Suite that'll include
an implementation of the final JSR 296.

The current release notes lack migration information that will be
included in the Swing Suite 1.9 final. However, the new Action
management is quite simple (Annotation plus lookup), and if you
study the Actions in Skeleton Pro - as mentioned above - you should
be able to migrate your projects to version 1.9.


NEW DISTRIBUTION CONTENT
The JDiskReport example application has been completely overhauled.
It is now significantly smaller and much easier to understand.
JDiskReport 2 will replace the combination of JDiskReport 1 and
JPathReport that shipped with previous Swing Suite releases.

The current build is a very early prototype that is available only
to Swing Suite licensees; please do not publish or show this build.
I've included it for learning purposes only. The sources use
and demonstrate the Presentation Model pattern, and all techniques
available in the Swing Suite. However, the preview build doesn't
really work - it is much more raw than other JGoodies tools.

It took about 40 hours to get to the current JDiskReport 2 build.
Basically it's a rewrite based on the UIF 1.9 lifecycle, resource
organization and action management plus Presentation Model pattern.
I'm satisfied with this production speed. And I've found that teams
I work with understand the new resource and action management quickly
and can produce applications faster than before.


MISC
The Swing Suite 1.9.0 Release Candidate seems to be stable.
If no show stoppers come up, this RC will become the 1.9 final.
The final shall include migration information and an updated
JDiskReport build.

If you have recently purchased the Swing Suite, I recommend
to download this release candidate and study the Skeleton Pro
version 1.9.5. It's easier to understand than previous versions.


DOWNLOADS
The Swing Suite 1.9.0 RC is available from the JGoodies
product download page; access is password protected
http://www.jgoodies.com/downloads/products.html


ROADMAP
Next planned updates are the Forms 1.2 (based on Java 1.4),
and the Swing Suite 2.0. The Suite 2.0 example applications
shall use more Java 5 features.


Best regards,
Karsten Lentzsch