JavaBeans™ is a portable, platform-independent component model written in the Java programming language. The JavaBeans architecture was built through a collaborative industry effort and enables developers to write reusable components in the Java programming language.

With the JavaBeans API you can create reuseable, platform-independent components. Using JavaBeans-compliant application builder tools, you can combine these components into applets, applications, or composite components.

JavaBean components are known as beans. Beans are dynamic in that they can be changed or customized. Through the design mode of a builder tool, you use the property sheet or bean customizer to customize the bean and then save (persist) your customized beans.

This trail is represented in the following lessons:

JavaBeans Concepts describes the basic notion of JavaBeans and what makes a bean.

Using the NetBeans GUI Builder describes the NetBeans GUI Builder within the scope of operating with bean objects.

Writing a Simple Bean walks you through creating a rudimentary bean, saving the bean, adding the bean to the Palette of the NetBeans GUI Builder and inspecting the bean's properties and events.

Bean Properties explains how to give your beans properties: bean appearance and behavior characteristics that are customizable at design time.

Manipulating Events describes the JavaBeans event manipulating capabilities. If you are not familiar with event handling, you might want to read up on Writing Event Listeners to prepare for this material.

Bean Persistence explains how to save and restore beans to their customized state.

Long Term Persistence explains how to save and load your beans in the XML format using the XMLDecoder and XMLEncoder classes.

Introspection describes how methods, properties, and events are discovered in the beans that you write.

Bean Customization introduces you to property editors, and the Customizer interface.

Using the BeanContext API covers The Extensible Runtime Containment and Services Protocol, also known as beancontext.