Apple WebObjects 5 - Manual (Page 85)

C H A P T E R 6
WebObjects Desktop Applications
Development Tasks and Tools 85
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Apple Computer, Inc. January 2002
Figure 6-8 Composing a user interface with Interface Builder
Customizing the User Interface (Direct Approach)
Writing custom rules is another way to customize your Direct to Java Client
application. It’s very similar to writing custom rules for Direct to Web applications.
As with Direct to Web applications, all the information about how to configure a
Direct to Java Client application is stored in the form of rules. The default rules
generate the default Direct to Java Client application. Adding new rules that
override or supplement the default rules is an easy-to-maintain approach that
doesn’t interfere with your use of the assistant. You write rules with the Rule Editor,
the same application used for writing rules in Direct to Web applications. For more
information, see
“Developing a Direct to Web Application” (page 58).
There are also some more specialized ways to change the way Direct to Java Client
works. For example, you can get the precise user interface layout for a particular
window by freezing the interface and supplying a nib file (created in Interface
Builder the way you do for regular Java Client applications). As another example,
Direct to Java Client provides hooks you can use to introduce custom commands