We were losing from time to time our edits, because Designer did not update source code, here is the path to always reproduce the problem, based on standart Java/Swing Components and JBuilder 4 defaultsettings on a german Windows NT 4 SP6: (This most probably applies to other environments as well):

To reproduce, do the following:

1) File | New Project (use all default values) click on generate "main" and then Button "Finish" (without Next).

2) File | New and there choose JFrame from wizards (use all standart settings).

3) edit this new File called Frame1 with designer.

4) drop down 5 times Swings JButton from componentpalette into frame (which has Border Layout as default Layoutmanager).

5) go into source of Frame1 one and add to bottom of main the following 2 lines:

  frame1.setSize(500,500);
  frame1.show();

6) "run" Frame1 (Rightclick Jbuilders Treenode with Frame1 and choose "Run").

7) Application starts and shows JDialog. Close Application window, and hit red rectangle Button to stop application running.

8) Go to designer of Frame1 and change constraint of one of the Buttons to be "Center" (preferably not the one which is already in the middle). You see Designerpanel updating at once correctly.

9) "run" Frame1 (Rightclick Jbuilders Treenode with Frame1 and choose "Run").

10) Notice: Jbuilder somehow starts previous version. (Application and Designer Panel are not equal. )

11) check Source code of Frame1 and see that designer did not write code. (Constraint of the Button you changed to be "Center" is not "Center" in Source Code and started Application, however it is Displayed on Desinger Panel corre cly "Center").

There is no way to make Desinger write your changes to the source code anymore.

Notice: there was no Error on JBuilders Console or Designers Tab.... If you edit Source Code now then Designer updates to old version....

2001-Sep-08 2:32pm gyles19@visi.com

Known problem that keeps creeping up. The crux in his steps is the "Run" which compiles the classes and sometimes shuts out the Designer (Greg has more info and has posted about it a couple times). The Designer keeps writing to the buffer but the buffer never seems to get committed.

At one time the "safe" pattern was to go to the source tab before running or compiling. The JB folks have chased variants of this for a while (I know I've logged and verified fixes for this in different versions) but there's still "something out there".
2001-Sep-08 2:32pm gyles19@visi.com