What is an Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT)?

What does AWT stand for?

Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) is a group of graphical consumer Interface (GUI) Components (Widgets) and other related services required for GUI Programming in Java. It is Java’s unique Platform-independent windowing, pix and consumer-interface widget Device kit. AWT is now part of Java Foundation Classes (JFC) and serves as the standard Application Programming Interface (API) for GUI programming in Java.

From J2SE1.2 Forward, the AWT widgets have been largely outdated through the Swing toolkit. Swing Functionality is predicated on AWT for core interfacing to the local windowing machine. However, the Programmer now has the selection among the look and sense of the native device and the pass-platForm appearance and sense of Java. Swing is preferred by most Java programmers who nonetheless adhere to the write as soon as, run everywhere (WORA) precept at the core of Java’s philosophy.

What Does Abstract Window Toolkit Mean?

In 1995, when Sun MicrosySTEMs brought Java as a platform-independent Programming Language, AWT was intended to offer a thin Layer of Abstraction over the underlying local User Interface. In essence, the identical Java program, while run on a Windows PC, could have the Look And Feel of a local Windows application and the appearance and experience of a native Mac utility while run on a Mac.

AWT consists of a set of widgets, which give the subset of capability common to all local structures. AWT additionally capabilities a sturdy Event-dealing with version, photographs and imaging tools (along with form, coloration and font lessons), format managers for flexible window layouts, and information transfer instructions for reduce-and-paste via the native platform Clipboard.