JavaBeans are reusable code components for Java programs that follow certain conventions to remain portable. They can be serialized and have private variables accessed through getter and setter methods. They differ from applets.
JavaBeans are reusable software components, or sections of code, for programs written in the Java® language. They are designed to allow programmers to write a program once and run it on any system. The JavaBeans themselves can be used to create many different programs. To remain portable, JavaBeans must follow certain programming conventions.
The Java® programming language was developed in the mid-1990s by James Goseling at Sun Microsystems. The syntax is similar to that of the C and C++ programming languages. It differs from these languages because the object model is simpler. The great advantage of the Java® language is that programs written in Java® can be executed on any computer system without changing the code.
JavaBeans helps Java® programs remain portable. They’re basically a number of objects grouped together so they can be moved as a group rather than individually. To achieve this goal, JavaBeans follows certain conventions in naming, construction, and behavior.
A JavaBean must be able to be serialized. This means it can be converted into a sequence of bits so it can be stored in a file or transmitted across a network. Other names for this process are deflating and marshaling. To use the JavaBean after it has been serialized, it must be reconstituted in a process called deserialization or inflating.
Another convention used in writing JavaBeans is the nullary constructor. A constructor is a subroutine, or sequence of events, called upon creating an object to prepare the object for use. Constructors normally accept parameters to set object variables. A nullary constructor takes no parameters.
To protect against accidental or code-damaging changes to variables, variables in JavaBeans are set to private. This means that they are only accessible to functions that are members of the same class or those that are granted specific access. They can only be changed using a public member function, which takes the new value as a parameter and then modifies the private variable. Such a subroutine can return the value of the private member variable to the code writer. This is called a getter and setter method or a mutator method.
JavaBeans should not be confused with applets. Applets are miniature web-based programs, while JavaBeans are reusable components that can be assembled to create programs. In some cases, applets can be designed to perform JavaBeans-like functions.
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