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Trail: Creating a GUI with JFC/Swing
Lesson: Getting Started with Swing

## Compiling and Running Swing Programs (Java 2 Platform)

> Here are the steps for compiling and running your first Swing program with the Java 2 SDK, v 1.2 or 1.3:
> 1. Download the latest release of the Java 2 Platform, if you haven't already done so.
> 2. Create a program that uses Swing components.
> 3. Compile the program.
> 4. Run the program.

### Download the Latest Release of the Java 2 Platform

> Two versions of the Java 2 Platform are available, both for free. The first is the Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition, v 1.2, which is sometimes called "v 1.2" for short (or, incorrectly, "JDK 1.2"). The second is Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition, v 1.3, which is sometimes called simply "v 1.3".

> For information about the differences between 1.2 and 1.3, see the Java 2 SDK v 1.3 documentation.

### Create a Program That Uses Swing Components

> You can use a simple program we provide, called `SwingApplication`. Please download and save this file: `SwingApplication.java`. The spelling and capitalization of the file's name must be exactly "SwingApplication.java".

### Compile a Program That Uses Swing Components

> Your next step is to compile the program. Compiling a Swing program with one of the Java 2 SDKs is simple, since the Swing packages are part of the Standard Edition of the Java 2 Platform. Here is an example:

> >     javac -deprecation SwingApplication.java

> If you can't compile `SwingApplication.java`, it's probably either because you're using a JDK 1.1 compiler instead of a v 1.2 or 1.3 compiler, or because you're using a beta release of v 1.2. Once you update a more recent release of the Java 2 Platform, you should be able to use the programs in this trail without change. See Swing Package Names for information about the package names that were used in the 1.2 beta releases.

### Run the Program

> After you compile the program successfully, you can run it. This section tells you how to run an application. For instructions on running an applet, see Running Swing Applets.

> Assuming that your program uses a standard look and feel -- such as the Java look and feel, Windows look and feel, or CDE/Motif look and feel -- you can use the v 1.2 or 1.3 interpreter to run the program without adding anything to your class path. For example:

> >     java SwingApplication

> If you use a nonstandard look and feel, you must make sure that its package is included in the class path. For example:

> >     Solaris:
> >         java -classpath .:/home/me/lnfdir/newlnf.jar SwingApplication
> >     Win32:
> >         java -classpath .;C:\java\lnfdir\newlnf.jar SwingApplication

> > Note: Don't include the core classes in the class path. The v 1.2 and 1.3 interpreters find them automatically.

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