Making a New Layer

First, there is a template for an XML layer in the Modules API section. It includes commented-out XML for common tasks.

Second, the special tag OpenIDE-Module-Layer is recognized in module manifests and will display the layer currently set for a module, if any. In the Explorer, just Copy your new layer and Paste to the Layer category underneath the manifest node.

Third and most interestingly, XML files in general which correspond to the DTD for layers are marked with a special  layer file  icon. The node in the Explorer for the layer displays underneath it the files that it will install, in their natural structure. This way you can test that all resources you mention are available, that various file attributes such as template are recognized as you expect, and so on.

You may freely edit the XML, and the Explorer will change to show the updated contents of your layer filesystem. Or, you can make any kind of changes you like to the virtual files inside your layer, and the XML will be changed to match.

If there is some sort of parse error in the XML file, the layer node will become  layer file error  and the details will be printed to a tab in the Output Window. You can click on error messages to jump to the erroneous line in the source code. When you correct the error, the mark will go away and you should again see the current set of installed files.

Note: visual layer editing does not work by default with the XML module enabled, which is present in Forte for Java 3.0 and available from the Update Center for NetBeans 3.3.x. See apisupport.netbeans.org for workarounds and more information.