ECLIPSE GRAPHICAL EDITING FRAMEWORK (GEF), THE

As Eclipse-based applications become increasingly popular, users are demanding more sophisticated graphical interfaces. When standard widgets aren’t enough, graphics built with GEF are often the best solution. The Eclipse Graphical Editing Framework (GEF) covers everything Java tool developers need to create tomorrow’s richest, most visual interfaces.
This practical, hands-on guide begins by introducing GEF, Draw2D, and Zest, and demonstrating what can be achieved with them. Next, the authors walk through building a simple Draw2D example, helping new GEF developers understand the core capabilities available to them. Building on this foundation, they progressively introduce more of the Draw2D frameworks, including Figures, Layout Managers, Connections, Layers, and Viewports. They present a chapter-length graph visualization project based on Zest, followed by detailed coverage of non-Draw2D portions of GEF.