AWT Full Form

AWT Full Form


AWT stands for Abstract Window Toolkit. It is a platform-dependent API for developing GUI (Graphical User Interface) or window-based applications in Java. It was developed by Sun Microsystems in 1995. It is heavy in use as it is generated by the host operating system of the system. It contains a large number of classes and methods, which are used to create and manage GUIs. AWT is an API for creating GUI applications in Java. It is a platform-dependent framework i.e. GUI components related to AWT are not same across all platforms. The look and feel of AWT components also change according to the core look and feel of the platform. Due to its platform-dependency and the type-heavy nature of its components, it is rarely used in Java applications these days. In addition, there are also new frameworks like Swing which are lightweight and platform-independent.

Properties

  • It is a set of native user interface components.
  • It is very strong in nature.
  • This includes various editing tools such as graphics tools and imaging tools.
  • It uses native window-system controls.
  • It provides functionality to include size, color and font classes.

Advantages

  • It takes very less memory for developing GUI and executing programs.
  • It is highly stable as it rarely crashes.
  • It is dependent on the operating system so the performance is high.
  • It is easy to use for beginners due to its easy interface.

Disadvantages

  • AWT's buttons do not support pictures.
  • It is heavy in nature.
  • Two very important components tree and table do not exist.
  • Extensibility is not possible as it is platform dependent