The authors begin by showing the distinct advantages of Swing over its predecessor, AWT (the Abstract Window Toolkit). Swing raises the bar considerably with a host of new features, such as advanced controls, clipboard support, drag and drop, and accessibility features that rival native operating systems (such as Windows and Unix) for richness and functionality. The authors first look at basic Swing controls, such as buttons, labels, and menus, to get you accustomed to working with Swing. They describe and clearly explain each control type for the reader.

Further chapters explore the nature of Swing events, including Java Developer's Kit (JDK) 1.1/1.2 adapters and listeners. This lays the groundwork for looking at the more daunting Swing components, such as the table and the tree. Though the authors don't pay much attention to Swing's Model View Controller architecture (arguably an important part of understanding these components), they do present a good introduction to using these advanced controls.