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| Chapter 23 The java.beans Package |

## 23.3 java.beans.Beans (JDK 1.1)

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The `Beans` class is never meant to be instantiated; its static methods provide miscellaneous JavaBeans features.

The `instantiate()` method creates an instance of a bean. The specified bean name represents either a serialized bean file or a bean class file; it is interpreted relative to the specified `ClassLoader` object.

The `setDesignTime()` and `isDesignTime()` methods are used to set and query a flag that indicates whether beans are being used in an application builder environment. Similarly, `setGuiAvailable()` and `isGuiAvailable()` set and query a flag that indicates whether the Java Virtual Machine is running in an environment in which a GUI is available. (Note that untrusted applet code cannot call `setDesignTime()` or `setGuiAvailable()`.)

The `isInstanceOf()` method is a replacement for the Java `instanceof` operator for use with beans. Currently, it behaves just like `instanceof`, but in the future it may work with beans that consist of a set of Java objects, each of which provides a different "view" of a bean. Similarly, the `getInstanceOf()` method is a replacement for the Java cast operator. It converts a bean to a superclass or interface type. Currently, it behaves just like a cast, but you should use it for future compatibility with multiclass beans.

    public class Beans extends Object {
        // Default Constructor: public Beans()
        // Class Methods
                public static Object getInstanceOf(Object bean, Class targetType);
                public static Object instantiate(ClassLoader cls, String beanName)
                public static Object instantiate'u'throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException;
                public static boolean isDesignTime();
                public static boolean isGuiAvailable();
                public static boolean isInstanceOf(Object bean, Class targetType);
                public static void setDesignTime(boolean isDesignTime) throws SecurityException;
                public static void setGuiAvailable(boolean isGuiAvailable) throws SecurityException;
    }

java.beans.BeanInfo (JDK 1.1) |  | java.beans.Customizer (JDK 1.1)