JavaBeans components, or Beans, are reusable software components that can be manipulated visually in a builder tool. Beans can be combined to create traditional applications, or their smaller web-oriented brethren, applets. In addition, applets can be designed to work as reusable Beans.
Individual Beans will function quite differently, but typical unifying features that distinguish a Bean are:
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Introspection: enables a builder tool to analyze how a Bean works
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Customization: enables a developer to use an app builder tool to customize the appearance and behavior of a Bean
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Events: enables Beans to communicate and connect together
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Properties: enable developers to customize and program with Beans
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Persistence: enables developers to customize Beans in an app builder, and then retrieve those Beans, with customized features intact, for future use