JHotDraw 7: Introduction

JHotDraw 7 defines a Java framework for structured drawing editors and for document-oriented applications. The two frameworks can be used independently of each other.

The framework for structured drawing editors can be used to realize drawing editors for sketches, diagrams, and artistic drawings. Drawings can be animated and interactive. It is possible to back a drawing with a data model, allowing a structured drawing editor to be used as a user interface for a data model.

The framework for document-oriented applications can be used to create applications which comply to platform-specific user interface guidelines. Such as the Apple Human Interface Guidelines and the Windows Vista User Experience Guidelines.

History of JHotDraw 7

JHotDraw 7 is a major departure from previous versions of JHotDraw – only the cornerstones of the original architecture remain. The API and almost every part of the implementation have been reworked to take advantage of the Java SE 5.0 platform.

JHotDraw 7 has been developed in 2004–2008 by Werner Randelshofer.

Aims

The aim of making the original JHotDraw an open-source project is:

to gain a wider audience for this framework among developers
to build new applications based upon JHotDraw
to let application development influence the development of JHotDraw
to add new and advanced features
to drive its further development
to port JHotDraw to new Java GUI toolkits
to enhance and refactor the exisiting code
to identify new design patterns and refactorings
to make it an example for a well-designed and flexible framework
to examine the relevance of new Java APIs to JHotDraw (e.g. usefulness of Java 2D API for JHotDraw)
to learn and to have fun

Any developer and software designer who wants to contribute is welcome!

Downloads

The latest version of JHotDraw 7 is available for download at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/jhotdraw

Online Information

JHotDraw 7

The JavaDoc, JDiffs to prior releases and sample code is available at http://www.randelshofer.ch/oop/jhotdraw/
The user guide is available at http://jhotdraw.wiki.sourceforge.net/

More documentation about older versions of JHotDraw can be found here:

JavaWorld published an introductionary article about JHotDraw 5.2: «Become a programming Picasso with JHotDraw». The accompanying example application JModeller – a simple UML editor built using JHotDraw – shows some of the described design patterns and demonstrates how to use and extend existing classes.
A description of the design patterns used in JHotDraw 5.x in the form of a pattern language by Douglas Kirk. Especially, the pattern index in form of a clickable pattern map shows the relation of different patterns.
A case study about JHotDraw 5.1 can be found in the dissertation of Dirk Riehle.
The results to the survey «Applications for JHotDraw» may give you some impressions about the usability and applicability of the JHotDraw framework to your requirements. This survey was based on version 5.2 of JHotDraw, many of the problems and difficulties related to the framework have been resolved or have become irrelevant with JHotDraw 7.

Get Involved

JHotDraw is hosted on SourceForge. You can have a look at the internal JHotDraw developer web page and register as developer at SourceForge. Please contact one of the admins for the JHotDraw project to get added as a developer.