Database Support
NetBeans has always had good support for database connections, queries, and management built right into the IDE. Now, you'll be able to configure the IDE to work with MySQL servers as well. Once you've registered a MySQL server, you can connect to it, manage it, and create new schemas. Figure 3 shows the option to register and configure a server within the IDE.
Figure 3. Register a MySQL Server with the IDE.
Once you've registered the MySQL server, (meaning that you've told NetBeans how to connect to and manage the server), you can interact with the database in all the typical ways. For example, you can create, update, manage, and query tables directly from the IDE. Figure 4 shows a database connection and a part of a SQL statement that you can execute from the IDE.
Figure 4. Create and query tables directly from the IDE.
You're not limited to only MySQL and Java DB connections either. You can connect to practically any server which provides a JDBC driver.
Project Wizards
NetBeans has a time-saving project wizard that creates the infrastructure for dozens of different project types from simple Java Bean classes to a full Ruby on Rails application. The project wizards associate the libraries and frameworks that the project requires and often generate a few starter classes to help you get started. Using a wizard for your target project type is an easy way to get started correctly with all the tools and libraries needed for your application.
Some of the supported project types include these:
- Rich desktop applications that use the Swing Application Framework (JSR 296)
- Web applications using a variety of application servers including Tomcat, Glassfish, Weblogic, Websphere, and others
- MIDP and other Java ME applications
- Ruby and Ruby on Rails
CRUD Support
One of the project wizards helps you create a Java Desktop Application. This project lets you connect to a database and table, and then the wizard asks you which fields to use in a simple Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) application.
Figure 5. Project wizards provide an option to create a CRUD app.
The wizard then asks you which fields of the target table should be exposed in a master table view. The wizard generates entity classes for the target tables and provides the correct Java Persistence API (JPA) annotations to implement the CRUD functionality. You can learn more about using the JPA in your applications in the article Using the Java Persistence API in Desktop Applications on the Sun Developer Network. Figure 6 shows the master table dialog within the IDE.
Figure 6. Select the columns to expose in the generated form.
The wizard's final product is a simple CRUD application that uses the JPA to access your database content. The wizard even creates a basic view of that data using a familiar list-detail form.
Figure 7. A list-details form provides the basis for a CRUD application.
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