The JFC Swing Tutorial: A Guide to Constructing GUIs (2nd Edition)

http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/14start/index.html

This chapter gives you a brief introduction to using the Java ^TM Foundation Classes (JFC) Swing packages. After telling you about JFC and Swing, it helps you get the necessary software and walks you through how to compile and run a program that uses the Swing packages. Next , it shows you how to run programs using Java Web Start.

The next chapter, Learning Swing by Example (page 11), will build on these first steps to help you create several increasingly more complex examples. For now, let's start with the basics.

About the JFC and Swing

Which Releases Contain the Swing API?

Which Swing Packages Should I Use?

Compiling and Running Swing Programs

Install the Latest Release of the Java 2 Platform

Create a Program That Uses Swing Components

Compile the Program

Run the Program

Running Programs Using Java Web Start

Questions and Exercises

Example Programs