INFM 718B
Building the Human - Computer Interface
Fall 2006

Course Description
Syllabus
Reading List
Team Project

Homework 3

Last updated: Oct 16, 2:40 pm

For this homework you will construct a Java application that includes a GUI for a search interface with at least the following components:
  1. A text area in which the user can enter the query
  2. A set of checkboxes which allow the user to optionally deselect undesired languages (English, German or French)
  3. A "Search" button to start the search
  4. A text area in which the search results will be displayed. The user should not be able to enter information in this area.
  5. A small text area in which debugging information will be displayed during development. The user should not be able to enter information in this area.
  6. All components should be meaningfully labeled.
Your application does not have to be fully functional, but it must do the following:
  1. Whenever a button or a checkbox is selected, a brief message stating that the button (or checkbox) was selected is displayed in the debugging area.
  2. When the "Search" button is depressed, the query is displayed in the debugging area.
  3. The layout of the GUI must be usable and understandable, even when the window that contains it is resized. One reasonable layout policy is to allow the results text area to grow to fill any available space.

When your program is complete, create an executable "JAR" file called hw3.jar and email it to both the professor and the TA. Homework must be submitted by 6:00 pm on the date indicated in the syllabus. Homework submitted after the deadline will not be graded (since the solutions will be posted), so it is a sure thing that you would be better off to send something on time rather than to sending nothing in the hopes that you might have something better later. Be sure to read the instructions about working together on homework on the course description Web page if you have any questions about what sort of collaboration is allowed.

To create an exectutable JAR file, select the Eclipse File/Export menu, then select JAR file and click Next. Select the resources to export. Make sure that check the two boxes to export both the generated class files and the source files. Select the export destination and click Next. Accept the standard JAR packaging options by clicking Next again. Finally, select the main class, whose main() method will be called when the JAR file is executed. If your MS-DOS environment is set up correctly, you can then test the JAR file with the command "java -classpath hw3.jar ".

Bill Kules