Computational Applications :: JAVA Greenfoot
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What is JAVA Greenfoot?
Greenfoot is an interactive Java development environment developed primarily for educational purposes.
What is Greenfoot used for?
- Easy development of two-dimensional graphical applications, such as simulations and interactive games.
- Concepts such as the class/object relationship, methods, parameters, object interaction, and others, are implicitly conveyed through visualizations and guided interactions.
Greenfoot Framework
The Greenfoot framework consists of object interaction (BlueJ) and object visualization (microworlds) used to create a wide range of programs that can be visualized in a two-dimensional grid. The Greenfoot framework has two main responsibilities
- Make it easy to create graphical representations of objects
- Control the execution (start, stop, step) of a simulation loop
To accomplish these things the greenfoot framework supplies a base class GreenfootObject which should be extended by all classes that wish to visualise themselfes. The two most important methods that must be implemented are the getImage() method which should return the image of the object, and the act() method which will be called in each step of the simulation loop.
Scenarios
Scenarios are a set of classes that implements the base classes for a specific application. Below is the turtle graphics scenario.

Beginner Tutorial
Cost:
Free license under General Use and License Terms
Pros
- License: Free General Public LicenseGNU
- Cross platform compatibility
- Learners can program a game in first session
- Excellent tutorials and documentation available
Cons
- MIDI integration is limiting; however, next release will support higher MIDI functionality
Greenfoot Screenshots
http://www.greenfoot.org/about/screenshots.html



October 14th, 2009