You open the java source file and click on 'Design'.

  Designer looks at the source file and identifies:

    1) The parent class
    2) The class fields (which have initializers)
    3) The jbInit() method

  Designer then instantiates an object of the PARENT class and displays
  its outline in the  designer pane.  This is designer's model of your object.

  Designer then inserts the class fields into the structure pane.

  Designer then reads through jbInit() looking for statements which
  affect any of the items Designer has already created within its model.
  Excess stuff is simply ignored.  Identifiable stuff is reflected in
  the design pane and the structure pane.

  The constructor is NOT executed, Designer simply verifies that it
  exists and that it calls jbInit().

So, Designer is reading the source code and FAKING the object. It's impossible to use the new object's constructor, class (static) methods, or instance methods to affect anything visible within the designer. You can call methods in the parent class, or methods in other classes, but nothing in the class-under-construction is accessible.
Designer is displaying a model of your object's UI, it not displaying your object.

If your object's parent class is an abstract class, the Designer displays a "red bean" because it can't instantiate an instance of the abstract parent class for its model.

2001-Mar-06 7:54pm gyles19@visi.com