Editing Java Foundation Classes

{{Short description|Graphical framework}}
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The '''Java Foundation Classes''' ('''JFC''') are a graphical framework for building portable [[Java (programming language)|Java]]-based [[graphical user interface]]s (GUIs). JFC consists of the [[Abstract Window Toolkit]] (AWT), [[Swing (Java)|Swing]] and [[Java 2D]]. Together, they provide a consistent user interface for Java programs, regardless of whether the underlying user interface system is [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[macOS]] or [[Linux]].

==History==
AWT existed before JFC. [[Abstract Window Toolkit|AWT]] was heavily criticized for being little more than a wrapper around the native graphical capabilities of the host platform. That meant that the standard [[widget (computing)|widget]]s in the AWT relied on those capabilities of the native widgets, requiring the developer to also be aware of the differences between host platforms.

An alternative graphics library called the [[Internet Foundation Classes]] was developed in more platform-independent code by [[Netscape Communications Corporation|Netscape]].

At the same time, another graphics library, called [[Application Foundation Classes]] (AFC), was developed independently by [[Microsoft]]. It was made to be easier to extend the graphic components, but was primarily aimed for use with the [[Microsoft Java Virtual Machine]].

On April 2, 1997, [[Sun Microsystems]] and [[Netscape Communications Corporation|Netscape]] announced their intention to combine IFC with other technologies to form the "Java Foundation Classes".<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/84048&EDATE=
 |title=Sun and Netscape to jointly develop Java Foundation Classes
 |publisher=[[Netscape Communications Corporation]]
 |date=1997-04-02
 |accessdate=2007-07-14
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509230952/http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=%2Fwww%2Fstory%2F84048&EDATE=
 |archivedate=2012-05-09
}}</ref> The "Java Foundation Classes" were later renamed "Swing", adding the capability for a [[pluggable look and feel]] of the widgets. This allowed Swing programs to maintain a platform-independent code base, but mimic the look of a native application. The release of JFC made IFC obsolete, and dropped interest for Microsoft's AFC.

Using the Java programming language, Java Foundation Classes (JFC) are pre-written code in the form of class libraries (coded routines) that give the programmer a comprehensive set of graphical user interface (GUI) routines to use. The Java Foundation Classes are comparable to the [[Microsoft Foundation Class Library]] (MFC). JFC is an extension of the original Java Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT). Using JFC and Swing, an additional set of program components, a programmer can write programs that are independent of the windowing system within a particular operating system.

==See also==
* [[Standard Widget Toolkit]]
* [[Java Class Library]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Java desktop}}

==External links==
* [http://java.sun.com/products/jfc/ Official JFC website at Sun]

[[Category:JDK components]]