Overview (Project API)

Project API
Package	Description
org.netbeans.api.project	General API for finding and manipulating all kinds of projects.
org.netbeans.spi.project	Support for defining project types.
org.netbeans.spi.project.support

ProjectAPI The Project API defines abstract projects. These are groupings of files built and manipulated as units. It is used for Ant-based projects but could support other scenarios such as makefiles. Modules can plug in project types which can recognize certain folders as being projects, and define their behaviors. Besides the visible Javadoc, this module permits a project to add implementations of org.netbeans.spi.queries.FileBuiltQueryImplementation, org.netbeans.spi.queries.SharabilityQueryImplementation and org.netbeans.spi.queries.FileEncodingQueryImplementation into the project lookup (rather than global lookup). The implementations will be consulted only in the case the relevant file belongs to that project (according to org.netbeans.api.project.FileOwnerQuery). This helps avoid the need to consult irrelevant query implementations.

What is New (see all changes)?

Apr 30 '14 More information in ProjectManager.Result

Introduced ProjectManager.Result.getDisplayName() and ProjectManager.Result.getProjectType() to provide more information about a potential project via ProjectManager.isProject2(FileObject).
Nov 20 '13

Newly introduced interfaces DependencyProjectProvider and ProjectContainerProvider are meant as less general replacement for SubprojectProvider as they explicitly declaring their contract (DependencyProjectProvider the project's dependency projects and ProjectContainerProvider projects that are build as part of this project). Code using SubprojectProvider currently should evaluate if DependencyProjectProvider or ProjectContainerProvider contracts suit their usage better. Please note that the new interfaces are not mandatory for project types to implement and if it's missing, SubprojectProvider should be used.
Sep 26 '12 New method createCompositeLookup(Lookup, Lookup) in LookupProviderSupport

Introducing method LookupProviderSupport.createCompositeLookup(Lookup, Lookup) which is a more freeform variant of already existing method. The first parameter is expected to be the base lookup containing instances to be found in project lookup, the second parameter is a lookup containing just LookupProviders.
May 30 '12 New constant UNOWNED in FileOwnerQuery to mark a folder as definitely not owned by any project.

Introducing constant FileOwnerQuery.UNOWNED, a pseudoproject indicating just that a directory is definitely unowned. May be returned by either FileOwnerQueryImplementation.getOwner, in which case null is returned from FileOwnerQuery.getOwner. May also be passed to either FileOwnerQuery.markExternalOwner overload, in which case the standard directory search will be pruned at this point with no result.
Mar 20 '12 Added ActionProgress

A new callback was added permitting the invoker of a project action to be notified when the action completes.

Use Cases

The SPI should be used by modules defining particular project types, e.g. the J2SE project type. The API is to be used primarily by GUI infrastructure and some queries, though other module code may on occasion need to refer to the API.

Exported Interfaces

This table lists all of the module exported APIs with defined stability classifications. It is generated based on answers to questions about the architecture of the module. Read them all...

Group of java interfaces

Interface Name	In/Out	Stability	Specified in What Document?
ProjectAPI	Exported	Official	The Project API defines abstract projects. These are groupings of files built and manipulated as units. It is used for Ant-based projects but could support other scenarios such as makefiles. Modules can plug in project types which can recognize certain folders as being projects, and define their behaviors. Besides the visible Javadoc, this module permits a project to add implementations of `org.netbeans.spi.queries.FileBuiltQueryImplementation`, `org.netbeans.spi.queries.SharabilityQueryImplementation` and `org.netbeans.spi.queries.FileEncodingQueryImplementation` into the project lookup (rather than global lookup). The implementations will be consulted only in the case the relevant file belongs to that project (according to `org.netbeans.api.project.FileOwnerQuery`). This helps avoid the need to consult irrelevant query implementations.

Implementation Details

What do other modules need to do to declare a dependency on this one, in addition to or instead of a plain module dependency?

Nothing.

Read more about the implementation in the answers to architecture questions.

Project APIOfficial