How to build a custom feature renderer property page in Eclipse IDE

In this topic

• About building a custom feature renderer property page in Eclipse IDE
• Develop a custom renderer property page
• Create a Java project
• Create a Java class
• Create a Java class for the property page
• Associate the property page with its custom feature renderer
• Override the initGUI and apply methods
• Export as a JAR file
• Deploy the custom renderer property page

About building a custom feature renderer property page in Eclipse IDE

Develop a custom renderer property page

Create a Java project

1. Start Eclipse IDE. 
2. Click File, click New, and click Java Project as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   
   
   The New Java Project, Create a Java project dialog box opens.
3. Type carto.customrenderer.simple_dispersal_propertypage as the project name as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   
4. Click Next.
   The Java Settings dialog box opens.
5. Click the Libraries tab and click Add Library as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   
   
   The Add Library dialog box opens. 
6. Select ArcGIS Engine Library and click Next.
7. In the subsequent Add Library dialog box, click Finish
   The Java Settings dialog box opens and ArcGIS Engine Library is added to the build path as shown in the following screen shot.
8. Click Finish.
   
   
   
   You've created the carto.customrenderer.simple_dispersal_propertypage Java project. It is listed in the Package Explorer window as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   

Create a Java class

package arcgissample.renderer;

import java.awt.Rectangle;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.border.TitledBorder;

public class SimpleRendererPropertyPageUI extends JFrame{
    private JPanel jContentPane = null;
    private JLabel jLabel = null;
    private JTextField jTextField = null;
    private JPanel jPanel = null;
    private JLabel jLabel1 = null;
    /**
     * This is the default constructor.
     */

    public SimpleRendererPropertyPageUI()throws Exception{
        initialize();
    }
    /**
     * This method initializes the frame.
     * @return void
     */
    private void initialize()throws Exception{
        this.setSize(424, 254);
        this.setResizable(false);
        this.setContentPane(getJContentPane());
        this.setTitle("Dispersal Property Page");

    }
    /**
     * This method creates a content pane for the panel.
     * @return javax.swing.JPanel
     */
    private JPanel getJContentPane()throws Exception{
        if (jContentPane == null){
            jContentPane = new JPanel();
            jContentPane.setLayout(null);
            jContentPane.add(getJPanel(), null);
        }
        return jContentPane;
    }
    /**
     * This method creates a panel. 
     * 
     * @return javax.swing.JPanel 
     */
    private JPanel getJPanel(){
        if (jPanel == null){
            jPanel = new JPanel();
            jPanel.setLayout(null);
            jPanel.setBounds(new Rectangle(8, 14, 405, 206));
            TitledBorder titled = new TitledBorder("Change Dispersal Ratio");
            jPanel.setBorder(titled);

            //Create a label that reads: Dispersal Ratio.
            jLabel = new JLabel();
            jLabel.setText("Dispersal Ratio");
            jLabel.setBounds(new Rectangle(14, 97, 83, 27));
            //Add the label to the panel.
            jPanel.add(jLabel, null);
            //Create and add a text field to the panel that accepts the dispersal ratio value. 
            jPanel.add(getJTextField(), null);

            //Create an information label.
            jLabel1 = new JLabel();
            jLabel1.setBounds(new Rectangle(12, 35, 385, 40));
            jLabel1.setText(
                "This ratio affects how far the marker symbol is moved from its original location.");
            //Add the label to the panel.
            jPanel.add(jLabel1, null);
        }
        return jPanel;
    }
    /**
     * This method creates a text field that accepts a dispersal ratio for the DispersalRenderer.
     * @return javax.swing.JTextField 
     */
    public JTextField getJTextField(){
        if (jTextField == null){
            jTextField = new JTextField();
            jTextField.setBounds(new Rectangle(107, 98, 100, 27));
        }
        return jTextField;
    }
}

Create a Java class for the property page

1. To initiate the wizard, right-click the arcgissample.renderer package.
2. In the context menu, click New and click Other as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   
   
   The Select a wizard dialog box opens.
3. Expand the ESRI Templates, ArcGIS Extension, and Property Page nodes.
4. Select Custom Renderer Property Page and click Next as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   
   
   The New Custom Renderer Property Page Extension dialog box opens.
5. Type in SimpleDispersalPropertyPage as the Java class name.
   
   You need to associate the property page with a corresponding custom feature renderer.

Associate the property page with its custom feature renderer

• Root directory—If the custom feature renderer .java file is available in Eclipse, browse the list of folders under the Eclipse workspace and associate the custom feature renderer .java file appropriately
• Archive file—If the custom feature renderer is available as a JAR file from an external location, browse to the external location and associate the .class file of the custom feature renderer appropriately.

1. Click Browse on the New Custom Renderer Property Page Extension dialog box as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   
   
   The Select jar containing Custom Renderer dialog box opens.
2. Browse to the JAR location and select it. The classes bundled in the JAR file are listed.
3. Select the appropriate custom feature renderer class file and click OK as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   
   
   The Update Project Library Path message box opens as shown in the following screen shot. The JAR file location is added to the current project classpath.
4. Click OK.
   
   
   
   The JAR file location you selected is added to the archive file location as shown in the following screen shot.
5. Click Finish.
   
   
   
   The property page Java class you created is added to the project in the Package Explorer. The JAR file location is also added under Referenced Libraries as shown in the following screen shot:
   
   
   
   SimpleDispersalPropertyPage Java class is annotated with @ArcGISExtension, the category attribute is set to ArcGISCategories.ESRIRendererPropertyPages, and the Java class extends the BaseCustomRendererPropertyPage class. The wizard generated implementations for the overridden methods of BaseCustomRendererPropertyPage. The generated code for the getCustomRendererDef() method returns the custom feature renderer that you associated to the property page. See the following screen shot:
   
   

Override the initGUI and apply methods

• initGUI—The initGUI() method creates an instance of the GUI form previously created in this topic. This GUI form is located on the Symbology tab of the Layer Properties dialog box in ArcMap and allows custom feature renderer properties to be set as shown in the following code snippet:

//instance variable: The GUI form created using the previous code snippet.
SimpleDispersalPropertyPageUI simplePropertyPageUI;

//This method returns the GUI form instance to the framework.
public JFrame initGUI(IFeatureRenderer arg0){

    try{
        this.simplePropertyPageUI = new SimpleDispersalPropertyPageUI();
    }
    catch (Exception e){
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    return simplePropertyPageUI;
}

//instance variable: The GUI form. 
SimpleDispersalPropertyPageUI simplePropertyPageUI;

//This method applies the properties retrieved from the GUI dialog box.
public void apply(IFeatureRenderer arg0){

    SimpleDispersalRenderer simpleRenderer = (SimpleDispersalRenderer)arg0;

    //Retrieve the value from the text field of the form.
    String dispersalRatio = this.simplePropertyPageUI.getJTextField().getText();

    //Set the property of the custom renderer.
    simpleRenderer.setDispersalRatio(Double.parseDouble(dispersalRatio));
}

Export as a JAR file

Deploy the custom renderer property page

See Also: