Programming
Cocoa isn't the only beverage for the holidays. Java can also really hit the spot.
A dropdown combobox is an extremely useful control, but its associated button isn't really needed until the control has focus. A small UI trick can help you maximize precious screen space by hiding the dropdown button until it's needed. You can size the combobox control to show all of the selected item text without wasting space on the button.
As developers, we frequently concentrate on resolving misunderstandings between users and ourselves. So much so, we tend to forget that ambiguities can exist between programmers. Standard practices and Java idioms can go a long way in keeping this problem at bay. Patterns and practices are more than ways to implement solutions. They are also an important way for programmers to convey intent.
You can’t stand on the shoulders of giants, if you never climb up.
There are nuggets of useful code to be found all around, if you take a moment to scratch beneath the surface. A particularly rich treasure can be found in the Jakarta Commons.
