Internal JavaFX APIs

Some of the best JavaFX functionality can be found with the internal JavaFX APIs. Be warned that the internal JavaFX APIs are subject to change without warning and should not be relied upon as a result of this. As an additional warning the internal APIs do not go through the rigorous testing that the public ones do, so you're essentially on your own if anything goes pear shaped. Below are some interesting APIs (in JavaFX 1.3) that are worth keeping an eye on since they may influence what appears in the next JavaFX release, or any other future JavaFX releases.


PerformanceTracker

Recently some work has been done in developing a system to measure performance for a JavaFX application. I do not currently have a JavaFX application that can be used for trying out PerformanceTracker (located in com.sun.javafx.perf) thus I don't know if it works. At the moment PerformanceTracker is restricted to reporting FPS and basic performance logging so it is still in the early stages.

To start with PerformanceTracker it will need access to a Scene object, eg:

def perfTracker = PerformanceTracker.getSceneTracker(scene);


FXRobotFactory

One of the most interesting parts of the internal JavaFX APIs in that it may be an indication of some useful functionality which could appear in a future JavaFX release. Just like AWT's Robot class FXRobotFactory (located in com.sun.javafx.robot) handles UI automation which is very useful for automated UI testing. In fact FXRobotFactory's design is almost identical to Robot so if you have used Robot in the past you will be right at home. Just don't expect FXRobotFactory to be relying on Robot though since it is completely independent (built from the ground up).

After attempting to try out FXRobotFactory it doesn't seem to work with Decora, but it may work with Prism (haven't tried). To start with FXRobotFactory it will need access to a Scene object, eg:

def robot = FXRobotFactory.createRobot(scene);


DateTimeEngine

After giving DateTimeEngine (located in com.sun.javafx.runtime.date) a spin I have been very tempted to use it with some of my JavaFX applications. It works but with one hitch, a TimeZone object will need to be passed in in order for it to work properly. DateTimeEngine allows date/time to be manipulated/viewed just like with Java's Calendar but much simpler to use. Not much would be needed to incorporate this API into JavaFX's DateTime, which I suspect is DateTimeEngine in disguise.

Below is a very small example of using DateTimeEngine:

def dt = DateTimeEngine.getInstance(DateTime{}.instant, TimeZone.getDefault());

println("Current Date: {dt.getDayOfMonth()}/{dt.getMonth()}/{dt.getYear()}");
println("Current Time: {dt.getHours()}:{dt.getMinutes()}:{dt.getSeconds()}");


Clipboard

The biggest surprise is the internal development of this API. Who knew that there were plans to allow JavaFX applications to access/manipulate the clipboard. Since Clipboard (located in com.sun.javafx.scene.transfer) needs no basic introduction I will go on to say that it definitely works with copying/pasting text, and may work with other data types although I haven't tried Clipboard with an image for instance. However I have had the chance encounter to accidentally use it to paste a Java object in a JavaFX application, but it could not be done since the class files (NetBeans platform ones) could not be found.

Below is how you would use Clipboard to transfer a String (clipboard copy) to it, and access the first clipboard item (clipboard paste):

def clipboard = Clipboard.getSystemClipboard();

// Copy a String from stringContent variable into the clipboard.
clipboard.placeString(stringContent);
// Paste first clipboard item into the println function.
println("Clipboard Content: {clipboard.getContents()[0]}");


Conclusion

As you can see there are some interesting developments going on with the JavaFX APIs. Who knows what may appear in a future JavaFX release. Some of the internal APIs are already usable but be aware that they are not public, hence the internal API disclaimer in the first paragraph. With that said there may be a sudden flurry of feature requests in the JavaFX bug database, based on a particular internal JavaFX API that people wish to see in JavaFX publicly.