Java Swing: separating UI component from logic behaviour - how do you approach this?

Question

What I do, in NetBeans for example:

• create a UI component class, suffixed with Swing component type, e.g. JPanel, e.g. MyUIWidgetJPanel
• create a logic/behaviour class to handle the behaviour/logic, i.e. what happens when the UI component is used, e.g. buttons within it pressed etc., MyUIWidgetLogic

I may also link components/logic together using references, if the behaviour/outcome of one component influences/impacts another, e.g. some options displayed are no longer relevant, or to give context sensitive options.

What do you think of this? Good? Bad?

What do you do?

Answer 1

I tend to use the Presentation Model Pattern.

Essentially it seems to be what you do: create a class which encompasses the logic, separate to the UI class. The UI classes shouldn't contain logic - only the code needed to display the interface.

You can then bind your front-end values to the back-end presentation model class using something like JGoodies Binding (I understand that Spring RCP is pretty good for this as well).