Development system with application browser user interface

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is embodied in a component-based, rapid application development (RAD) Java environment.
The system's user interface is structured to increase one's productivity, particularly when developing in Java.
Because Java projects use many files, and because the various development tasks (such as editing, debugging, and browsing for information) have traditionally used multiple windows, it can be difficult to find the window one needs.
To simplify one's job, therefore, the present invention introduces a new concept in user interfaces for development environments: a single Application Browser or "AppBrowser" that is used to perform all the usual development functions.
The AppBrowser lets the user explore, edit, design, and debug all in one unified window.
Serving as a mechanism for hosting arbitrary documents related to development, the AppBrowser presents the documents (or other objects) for manipulation in a window that consists of three panes: Navigation pane, Content pane, and Structure pane.
In general, the Navigation pane displays a list of documents, the Content pane displays the document itself, and the Structure pane displays the structure of the document if available.
The grouping of the three panes exists on a browser "context".
Multiple contexts can appear on an AppBrowser represented by a tab in a tab set at the lower left of the window.
These contexts add a 3D feel to AppBrowser by layering its functionality in one window rather than spread across multiple windows.
Switching between completely different contexts is then as easy as selecting a tab.
The AppBrowser may have different logic for any given context that is global across the three panes; this logic is provided by implementing a standard browser context interface.