Using Netbeans Lookup.getDefault() outside the platform.

A nice thing about the org.openide.util package is that it is standalone and my be used in any project. So you can use Lookup everywhere!

Using lookup outside NetBeans Platform means that the getDefault() lookup contains only the meta-inf services and the classloader. Which isn't bad if you do your jars with services. But in my case I don't.

So I needed somehow a way to add some objects in the global lookup. Nothing easyer: just define the System.property: org.opeinde.util with your classname (which must be a Lookup.Provider) and them make your own public methods to add objects to the lookup.

So I had com.example.MyLookup registered, with my own static method addToGlobal() and that was I. I could register with the lookup things like the main frame, etc. and use it with the normal Lookup.getDefault.lookup(MyObject.class). Fun stuff !

If this was helpful for you then maybe you'll like reading the other NetBeans Platform-related posts.

--
Emilian Bold
Java-loving consulting services from Timisoara, Romania.

Free as in beer and as in speech

An interesting thing this time on TV: a commercial of a mobile company where they say that after the freedom of speaking won from Ceausescu we will now get the right of free
speaking on the mobile (as in no money). I think this is something everybody could understand as a description of open-source with the free as in beer (the commercial) and free as in speech (won after the revolution).

Although the commercial is quite bad-taste especially after so many years after the revolution, it's an amazingly good description of the core free software movement ideea.