---
title: Miscellaneous Swing Components
---


### Messages

The
[Messages](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/ui/Messages.java)
class provides a way to show simple message boxes, input dialogs (modal dialogs with a text field) and chooser dialogs (modal dialogs with a combo box).
The function of different methods of the class should be clear from their names.
When running on Mac OS X, the message boxes shown by the
[Messages](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/ui/Messages.java)
class use native UI.

The ```showCheckboxMessageDialog()``` function provides an easy way to implement a ```Do not show this again``` checkbox on messages.

Note that it is recommended to use non-modal notifications instead of modal message boxes whenever it's appropriate.
Please refer to the [Notifications](notifications.html) topic for more information.

### JBSplitter

The
[JBSplitter](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/JBSplitter.java)
class is JetBrains' replacement for the standard
[JSplitPane](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/javax/swing/JSplitPane.html)
class.
Unlike some other JetBrains-enhanced Swing components, it's not a drop-in replacement and has a different API.
However, to achieve a consistent user experience, it's recommended to use
[JBSplitter](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/JBSplitter.java)
instead of the standard
[JSplitPane](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/javax/swing/JSplitPane.html)
in your plugins.

To add your components to the splitter, call the ```setFirstComponent()``` and ```setSecondComponent()``` methods.

[JBSplitter](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/JBSplitter.java)
supports automatic remembering of the split proportion.
In order to enable it, call the ```setSplitterProportionKey()``` method and pass the ID under which the proportion will be stored.

### JBTabs

The
[JBTabs](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/tabs/JBTabs.java)
class is JetBrains' implementation of the tab control, used for editor tabs and a few other components.
It has a significantly different look & feel compared to the standard Swing tabs, and looks less native on the Mac OS X platform, so it's up to you to choose which tab control would be more appropriate for your plugin.