The java.awt.Window
class and its subclasses let you
create free-standing windows. Stand-alone windows can also be used
to build applications that use the AWT instead of the command-line
or to provide additional space for applets.
A Window
is a subclass of
java.awt.Container
that is independent of other containers.
That is, a Window
is not itself contained. Since
Window
extends java.awt.Container
you can
add components like Button
s and
TextField
s to Windows. You can arrange the Components you
add with a LayoutManager
. You can draw directly into a
Window
in a paint()
method. Everything
you do in an applet panel can also be done in a
Window
.
Normally you Don't use the Window
class directly.
Instead you use one of its subclasses, either
java.awt.Frame
or java.awt.Dialog
depending on
your need. A Frame
is what most people think of as a
window in their native environment. It can have a menu bar; it can
be independently moved and resized; and it will hang around on the
screen as long as the user is interested in the content of the
window.
A Dialog
will not have a menu bar. It can be moved
but often can't be resized. Its purpose is to get some particular
information from the user (input) or to impart some particularly
important information to the user (output). It is normally visible
on the screen only until it gets the input or receives
acknowledgement from the user about its output.