JavaFx Hot Code Reload

This is a simple tool that provides hot code reload functionality for JavaFx UI components. Just select the classpath (actually the modulepath) and provide the name of the classes to watch. When a watched class is rebuilt it's changes are immediately displayed. Any IDE that immediately compiles the JavaFx code to class files will do. Because of the Java Module system, there are some restrictions! See the next section.

Restrictions

In the current version there are some restrictions that apply:

• The Java class must be in a module containing a module-info.java
• There are no dependencies on other modules than javafx.*, atlantafx.base, org.kordamp.ikonli.javafx, org.kordamp.ikonli.core, org.kordamp.ikonli.feather, org.kordamp.ikonli.material2.
• A default constructor is required.

Off course this is still a work in progress and I'm hoping to remove some of these restrictions.

How does this compare to Scenebuilder?

Both projects provide an interactive way to create visual components. While Scenebuilder provides a drag 'n drop appraoach that result in FXML files, this project requires you to code Java files. The direct feedback allows for easy tweaking and positioning. Of course nothing is preventing you from using FXML here as well to create your views. But what is the point? I think there are benefits to having a fully Java coded UI.

Some notes

• I've created this for fun (and so I can avoid having to use Scenenbuilder).
• My next project will definitely use AtlantaFx (Scenebuilder has some trouble supporting custom themes, I'm not going that route. This is the way).
• It's tailored to use AtlantaFx themes and icons. So deviating from this requires changes to the module-info.java.
• Builds will be provided as self contained images using Jlink.
• ... and more to come.

Howto run

Download the latest release here and extract the zip file to your location of choice. Then run the application from the unzipped directory: For Linux/OSX: $ bin/fx-hot-reload For Windows: > bin\fx-hot-reload.bat

When running, make sure to select the correct classpath: for maven projects this would be /target/classes.

Howto run²

Download the .jar file and run it with java -jar <jar_name>.jar

If you need to run it with the addition of some additional modules, define the module path and, if necessary, the additional modules that your application requires.

e.g.:

Linux:

java --module-path=... --add-modules=module1,module2,...moduleN --module your_application_module/path.to.main.class