JFugue: Making Music with Java MIDI and Illustrating API Usability
TS-1130

Are you interested in creating Java technology-based programs that play or create music but you're intimidated by MIDI programming? JFugue is an open source API that lets you program music with just one line of code. And if you're intrigued by how an API can be that easy and still be useful, attend this presentation, which uses JFugue to illustrate some principles of API usability.

The session first takes a look at JFugue: why it exists, what it can do, and how it simplifies a fun task that would otherwise require much more investment of time, knowledge, and energy. It also digs deeper into the library to see some of the really cool stuff JFugue can do: how it can transform phrases of music, connect to external devices, and be easily integrated with your own programs.

It then uses JFugue to illustrate examples of what it takes to make a usable API. Sometimes the complexity of an API can be a barrier to its adoption, which can easily discourage people from using your library. The presentation shows how some of the key principles of API usability have been applied to JFugue and how these can be applied to your own work as well.

The session concludes with a demonstration of how easy it can be to create a Swing client-side application that serves as a graphical front end to JFugue, enabling users to craft music directly in their own application.

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