A. IEButton's main purpose is to mimic the buttons in Internet Explorer 4.0 and Navigator 4.0. Given the wide familiarity of end users with the interfaces of these browsers it makes sense to offer a graphical interface in Java with which they'll feel familiar.

Q. How do I import IEButton into my program.

A. Use the import statement "import com.equitysoft.components.IEButton" and make sure your classpath includes either IEButton.jar or the com directory of the unzipped class files.

Q. Does IEButton require the JFC "Swing" classes?

A. No it doesn't. It is lightweight and can function in any Container, whether it be an AWT Panel or a JFC JPanel.

Q.Do I have to double buffer IEButton's container?

A. The container doesn't have to be double buffered but if there are a lots of images to be painted in the container and you see flickering, a double buffered container like JPanel is the answer. (Or do your own double buffering).

Q. Can IEButton work with a Java 1.02 VM?

A. No it won't. It is written in 1.1 and requires at least a 1.1 VM to function.

Q. Can I use IEButton in an applet?

A. Yes you can. The bean JAR file is big for an applet based on the JavaBean so it's much better to create your own JAR (and CAB) for the applet which include the raw class files found in the com/equitysoft/components directory but make sure you keep the directory structure. It's better not to use a tooltip in an applet because the browser will probably put a warning around it. For an quick and easy way to create IEButton applets use EquitySoft's Jicasso product.

Q.How can I extend IEButton?

A. IEButton allows the redefinition of it's surrounding border as well as how the image is altered when the button is not highlighted.