File Explorer using Java - how to go about it?

Question

I am set to create a file explorer using Java. The aim is to emulate the behavior of the default explorer as closely as possible, whatever may be the underlying OS.

Answer 1

I'd start with How to Use File Choosers, but the example in org.netbeans.swing.outline.Outline, discussed here, is appealing.

Addendum: @Gilbert Le Blanc raises an excellent point about the ease & portability of Swing. In contrast, SWT requires slightly more effort to deploy, but some users prefer the greater fidelity of org.eclipse.swt.widgets.FileDialog, as shown here.

Addendum: I notice that FileDialog displays a more native-looking window, as seen here. You might try it on your target platform(s).

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;

/** @see https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2914733 */
public class FileDialogTest {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        final JFrame frame = new JFrame();
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        frame.setLayout(new GridLayout(0, 1));
        frame.add(new JButton(new AbstractAction("Load") {

            @Override
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
                FileDialog fd = new FileDialog(frame, "Test", FileDialog.LOAD);
                fd.setVisible(true);
                System.out.println(fd.getFile());
            }
        }));
        frame.add(new JButton(new AbstractAction("Save") {

            @Override
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
                FileDialog fd = new FileDialog(frame, "Test", FileDialog.SAVE);
                fd.setVisible(true);
                System.out.println(fd.getFile());
            }
        }));
        frame.pack();
        frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }
}