What is a JavaBean?
The JavaBeans API provides a framework for defining reusable, embeddable, modular software components that can be manipulated visually in a builder tool. Beans are characterized by the properties, events and methods they export. The most common use of beans is for graphical user interface components, such as those in the AWT and Swing packages. There are, however, no limitations on bean complexity — for example, embeddable spreadsheet applicaion programs have also been implemented as JavaBeans. For more information, see Flanagan (1999).
