Gluon Scene Builder is a fantastic drag-and-drop UI designer tool that allows for rapid desktop and mobile app development. By separating design from logic, it empowers team members to focus on their specific tasks without getting lost in the details of the overall application architecture. In this article, we will walk you through the process of getting started with Scene Builder, building it, and running it on your machine.

What You Need to Know About Scene Builder

• Works with the JavaFX ecosystem, including official controls and community projects.
• Open source and freely licensed under the BSD license.
• Gluon provides consultancy, training, and commercial support.

Getting Started

The first step in your Gluon Scene Builder journey is to download and install the latest Scene Builder release. Once installed, you can start designing your application’s UI with ease. For more details, be sure to check the documentation for recent features added to the tool.

Requirements for Linux Users

If you’re using a Linux system, Scene Builder relies on the xdg-open command to handle file operations in the system’s default file browser or to open URLs in the default web browser. Ensure that the xdg-utils package is installed, which is usually available in most modern Linux desktop environments. If it is missing, you can install it using your package manager, such as yum, apt-get, dnf, or pacman.

Troubleshooting Issues

If you encounter any issues while using Scene Builder, help is just a click away. Report issues via the Issue Tracker or contribute by submitting a Pull Request (make sure to sign the Gluon Individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA) first). For additional support, join the community on StackOverflow.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Building Scene Builder

If you want to build your local version of Scene Builder, here are the prerequisites:

• You’ll need a recent version of JDK 21 or later for the master branch.
• You’ll need JDK 8 for the 8u-dev branch.

Scene Builder utilizes the Maven Wrapper for building—there’s no need to install Maven separately. To build the project, navigate to the project root and run:

mvn clean package

Alternatively, you can utilize the Maven Wrapper by executing:

.mvnw clean package

This command creates a partial shadow cross-platform jar located at app/target/lib/scenebuilder-$version.jar, excluding JavaFX dependencies.

Running Scene Builder

To run Scene Builder, you need to ensure all dependencies are installed locally. You can do this by running:

mvn install

Once the dependencies are in place, you can start Scene Builder with Maven using:

mvn javafx:run -f app

As an alternative, if you’ve downloaded the JavaFX SDK from here, you can run the partial shadow jar using the following command:

java --module-path path/to/javafx-sdk-$javafxVersion/lib --add-modules javafx.web,javafx.fxml,javafx.swing,javafx.media --add-opens javafx.fxml/javafx.fxml=ALL-UNNAMED -cp app/target/lib/scenebuilder-$version.jar com.oracle.javafx.scenebuilder.app.SceneBuilderApp

Using the Scene Builder Kit

You can build and install the Scene Builder Kit in your local repository by running:

mvn clean install -f kit

This kit includes custom controls available for use in your projects, making it simple to integrate functionality into your application. You can add it as a regular dependency in your app’s build configuration:

    com.gluonhq.scenebuilder
    kit
    $version

Maintaining Code Style

To ensure that new code formatting matches the requirements for Pull Requests, utilize the Maven Checkstyle plugin. By running:

mvn checkstyle:checkstyle

You will generate a report for each sub-project that highlights potential code-style violations. The reports for the Kit and App will be saved in:

• Kit: kit/target/site/checkstyle.html
• App: app/target/site/checkstyle.html

The project also employs EditorConfig, which helps maintain consistent coding styles across various editors and IDEs.

Final Words

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.