Create Custom Widgets using InkScape and NetBeans Visual Library

This blog entry shows one how to create a special widget using InkScape and NetBeans Visual Library. This is part of my effort to create a Java-based implementation of MIT’s Scratch, which is implemented in Squeak Smalltalk.

Step 1 Create JScratch Block Graphics:

First I created the image using Inkscape (steps to follow), import the image to IDE, then create two LayerWidgets, one transparent, and another opaque. Add the image to the background LayerWidget, adn the Swing component to the front LayerWidget. Finally, use the BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder function to limit the size of the swing component at the front layer.

To create the Scratch blocks, I used InkScape, the Open Source SVG editor. Here are the steps I took to create the graphic: